BETHEL – On Thursday at the Bethel Courthouse, Dale Thomas Fancyboy was sentenced to five years in prison for theft and assault after being convicted of breaking into a jail, holding guards at gunpoint and then stealing a snowmobile to escape.
This sentence comes after the presiding judge rejected a deal that would have let Fancyboy out with half the time and more probation. The judge has also taken a dim view of earlier plea deals, according to a story published by KYUK Public Media.
Dale Fancyboy listens as Judge Dwayne McConnell reviews his extensive criminal history. Photo: KYUK
Judge Dwayne McConnell said at Thursday’s hearing that he did not believe that Fancyboy was going to learn from his mistakes, no matter how much time he got. So he gave him more time, not less.
“The reason I rejected the other plea, the one that gave you lesser time, was I think you need to be out of the community as long as I can keep you out of the community,” he told Fancyboy at the hearing. “I don’t think it will change anything, other than maybe people will get a rest.”
The judge went on to cite the numerous instances where Fancyboy had broken the law over the years, and the harm he did over those years.
“From Pitka’s Point, to Pilot Station, to Marshall, to Saint Mary’s — in one form or another say that they’re afraid of you,” McConnell said.
Bethel District Attorney Michael Gray argued that the probation terms could protect the public.
“Given a sufficient amount of time to serve, I’m always willing to trade essentially double in suspended time because I think it puts the state in a better position to have control over Mr. Fancyboy,” Gray said.
But the judge did not agree.
McConnell earlier sentenced Daniel Misner, another violent offender, to a reduced sentence with probation after he was presented with a finished plea deal by the DA.
In the cases of Fancyboy, Misner and Derek Adams, the DA sought deals for violent offenders, with the bulk of the sentence kept in reserve for if and when defendants violated their conditions of release.
Adams ended up back behind bars when he was found selling heroin after his release. Misner is currently out on probation.
In the case of Fancyboy, Judge McConnell put his foot down, saying he wanted to send him away for as long as he could.
The post ‘They’re afraid of you’: Bethel judge rejects plea deal for jailbreak suspect appeared first on KTVA 11.
