The defendant, 61-year-old Pierre Bois, pled guilty to one count of Attempted Criminal Mischief, a Class A Misdemeanor.
Under the plea in abeyance process, his conviction will be held up, in this case for a year, and the charge will be dropped if he complies with the conditions set by the court at a November 1st hearing.
Bois turned himself in to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office after video footage circulated of him keying cars at the East Canyon Trailhead on September 11th.
He said he was upset that bikers had made a mess of the trailhead and he keyed several vehicles in response.
The court ordered that Bois pay restitution for car repairs to five owners, one who sustained nearly $3500 in damages. The total amount came to over $11,300.
Bois was also ordered to submit letters of apology to each victim; complete 30 hours of community service; and undergo a mental health evaluation and complete any recommended treatment.
Summit County Attorney Margaret Olson declined to comment on the case.
However, Bois’ defense attorney Court Klekas, (Kleek-us) told KPCW that his client takes full responsibility for his actions, had paid restitution and said Bois’ conduct was completely out of character for him.
He said Bois’ actions were prompted by an incident with a bike rider, and non-county resident, who was using the trail system, funded by Summit County taxpayers, while the trails were still wet from a storm.
The attorney said, “When Mr. Bois attempted to explain that riding on the soaking wet trails causes damage to the trails, the rider responded with a profanity-laced retort. While Mr. Bois overreacted, he hopes that users of the Summit County trail system will practice proper trail etiquette in the future and that this incident can be a learning experience to make Summit County a better place.”
