LAKEPORT — The district attorney said Friday in court he”s been discussing a settlement with a defendant on charges including intimidating a witness and asked that he be released from custody.
Joseph Henri Deshetres was released from the Lake County Jail Friday on District Attorney Jon Hopkins” request.
Deshetres, and his co-defendants, Thomas Loyd Dudney and Cheryl Ann Reese, will return to court 8:15 a.m. Tuesday for the start of their trial and jury selection.
Deshetres, 62, Dudney, 59, and Reese, 56, allegedly conspired in November to intimidate a witness in the attempted murder case against Dudney.
Deshetres of Santa Rosa, Dudney of Fulton and Reese of Lakeport are charged with intimidating a witness and participating in a criminal street gang. Special allegations that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang accompany the first charge. The charges with special allegations carry a life sentence.
On March 19, Judge Arthur Mann ruled that the prosecution presented enough evidence during the preliminary hearing against the three to go to trial.
Dudney and another co-defendant, Joshua Isaac Wandrey of Rohnert Park, allegedly shot, tortured and hogtied Ronald Greiner Oct. 20 at the Lakeport man”s home on South Main Street behind the Record-Bee building.
Dudney, 59, and Wandrey, 35, are charged with premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first-degree burglary, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to produce great bodily injury, serious battery, simple mayhem and participating in the criminal street gang, the Misfits.
Three of the 11 charges carry life sentences. Special allegations that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang, that great bodily injury was inflicted and use of a firearm accompany the charges.
The charges against Deborah Ann James, 47, were dropped March 1 after Mann found there wasn”t sufficient evidence on charges of premeditated attempted murder, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first-degree burglary and participating in the criminal street gang the Misfits.
Dudney and Wandrey agreed to a continuance on their jury trial in April and were rescheduled for trial assignment Aug. 13 and jury trial Aug. 17. They are being held in the Lake County Jail without bail.
In the intimidating a witness case, Dudney remains in custody with a no-bail hold. Reese made her $250,000 bail March 19 and was released from jail.
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
