LIMA — A Lima woman charged initially with two counts of attempted murder for allegedly striking one man with her sports utility vehicle and attempting to hit another male pleaded guilty Wednesday in Allen County Common Pleas Court to a reduced charge.
Damitrae Conethan, 26, accepted a negotiated deal from prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a single count of felonious assault, a second-degree felony. In exchange for that plea, the state dismissed two counts of attempted murder and one count of felonious assault.
Conethan faces up to eight years in prison when she is sentenced on April 23, but could escape prison time altogether. Judge Jeffrey Reed ordered a pre-sentence investigation will make the final determination on sentencing after reviewing that document.
According to court documents, officials from the State Highway Patrol said Sheldon Gibson, 33, and Trevor Hurley, 33, both of Lima, were walking southbound on Neubrecht Road near Findlay Road on Nov. 8, 2017, when Gibson was struck by a Mercury Mountaineer driven by Conethan. Troopers said Conethan intentionally drove the vehicle at both men, only striking Gibson, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
A grand jury returned an indictment against Conethan on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault. A jury trial had been scheduled for April 17.
Conethan sobbed frequently during Wednesday’s hearing, but no more so than when a request made by her attorney for a reduction in her bond was denied. Attorney Bill Kluge told the judge that Conethan has three young children to care for and a job waiting for her upon her release from jail and asked the court to modify her bail to an own-recognizance bond.
But Gibson, who was in the courtroom, objected to that request and Reed ultimately denied any bond modification. Conethan was returned to custody to await sentencing.
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