Casper Teen Pleads Guilty in Drive-By Shooting
A Casper teenager accused of participating in a drive-by shooting entered guilty pleas to two felony charges Wednesday morning in district court.
Quincy Patrick Brow, 17, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one count of possessing cocaine in a felony amount. Although he is a juvenile, he was charged as an adult.
In exchange for the pleas, prosecutors will dismiss three other charges: conspiracy to commit property damage, possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. The charges to which Brow pleaded guilty are punishable by a combined 17 years in prison.
Under the plea deal, Brow would be sentenced to a prison term of five to seven years with District Judge Daniel Forgey's recommendation that Brow participate in the state's boot camp program. Successful completion of the program would make Brow eligible for a sentence review and possibly early release.
Brow is one of five defendants who were arrested following a May 19 drive-by shooting at a house in Paradise Valley. No one was home at the time and no injuries were reported, though several bullet holes were found in the home and two parked vehicles.
"Detectives learned that the shooting was the culmination of a month-long feud between the... suspects and a male who lived at that residence," the affidavit states.
In court Wednesday, Brow told Forgey that the shooting was a preemptive strike against the man with whom he and the other defendants had been arguing.
"He said he was going to shoot up our house," Brow said. So, his group decided to shoot into the man's home in Paradise Valley "before he could do it to us."
Defense attorney Joseph Hampton asked Forgey to reduce Brow's bond from $50,000 cash or surety to $25,000 cash or surety, saying Brow's behavior has improved dramatically since he has been in custody. He added that Brow's girlfriend is pregnant and Brow wants to be able to assist her before he is sentenced to prison.
"I know that I put people's lives in jeopardy," Brow told Forgey. "That's not who I am as a person."
"I just want to show you that I'm not a menace to society," he continued.
Assistant District Attorney Ava Bell opposed the motion, saying Brow has been involved with the criminal justice system since 2013. His criminal history, she said, includes battery, forgery, theft, property destruction, interference, breach of peace and drug possession charges.
Hampton responded that Brow has not previously committed any serious violent crimes.
Forgey opted to reduce bond, but didn't set the amount as low as Hampton would've liked. He set the new bond amount at $35,000 cash or surety and said that Brow, should he be released, would have to submit to random drug and alcohol testing.
Also charged in the shooting are Isaiah White, Angelo Munoz, Isaiah Dobbins and Matthew Nietert. Munoz is the only juvenile who has not been charged as an adult.
Nietert, 25, pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, property destruction, receiving stolen property and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. He could face up to 35 years behind bars if convicted of all counts.
Dobbins is charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit felony property destruction and possession of a firearm with unlawful intent. He has also pleaded not guilty and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
White, born in 2002, faces the same charges and same potential penalty as Dobbins. He will be arraigned in district court pending a defense motion to transfer his case to juvenile court.
Munoz was identified as a suspect and at last report was being held at the juvenile detention center. He has not been charged as an adult, so charging information is not publicly available in his case.
Despite being charged as an adult, Brow is a minor and the Casper Police Department declined to release his booking photo.