A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend, endangering a child and stealing his former wife’s car pleaded guilty to second-degree assault Tuesday morning in district court in Cortez.
Christopher Wheat, 29, was charged earlier this year by the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, felony menacing, aggravated motor vehicle theft, child abuse and obstructing a police officer.
Wheat accepted a plea deal from the 22nd Judicial District. The remaining charges will be dropped after sentencing as part of the deal.
The usual range of jail time for second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony, is two to six years. But the district attorney’s office added a crime of violence sentence enhancer. In Colorado, judges may impose enhanced sentences on individuals convicted of violent crimes if the offender used a deadly weapon or caused serious bodily injury.
Wheat will also have mandatory parole for at least three years.
According to an incident report from the Cortez Police Department, Wheat allegedly stabbed his girlfriend, Ashley Jeter, on the night of Jan. 5.
He then allegedly stole his ex-wife’s car at knife-point and drove off, returning an hour later and broke into his former wife’s home.
When police arrived, Wheat grabbed his 3-year-old son and held him between the officers and himself. He pointed a knife at officers and retreated farther into the home.
Wheat eventually released the child after numerous commands to let him go and locked himself in a bathroom.
Wheat finally complied with police, dropped his weapons and was placed into custody.
Wheat told officers he had taken some “bad drugs.”
Jeter was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital and treated for “serious bodily injury” from the stab wounds, according to the incident report.
A sentencing hearing was set for July 1 at 10:30 a.m.
anicotera@the-journal.com