Kristopher Egbert jail booking photo. (Photo: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 37-year-old Logan man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to threatening a teenage girl with a gun, when the teen had attempted to steal a family member’s bike. The incident occurred outside Logan High School last year and resulted in the campus being placed on a temporary lockdown.
Kristopher Egbert was sentenced Monday morning in 1st District Court. He had previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated assault and assault, both class A misdemeanors.
Logan City Police officers were called to Logan High on the morning of Sept. 13, after Egbert confronted two females, a 17 and 19-year-old, who had just taken a bicycle from his front yard. He pointed a handgun at them and ordered them to get on the ground.
While Egbert was putting the stolen bike back into his truck, the women got up and fled toward the high school. As he chased them, they ran inside the building and notified officials.
Egbert entered the breezeway of the school, where he was met by the school resource officer and administrators. He no longer had the gun in his possession.
Police later obtained a warrant to search Egbert’s truck and found both the handgun and bike. He was booked into the Cache County Jail and later released on bail.
During Monday’s sentencing, defense attorney Wayne Caldwell said Egbert had gotten caught up in the emotion of seeing the bike being stolen. He reassured the court that it was not his client’s normal behavior.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Aaron Jossie agreed there was more to the case, even though Egbert’s actions were “out of hand.” He noted that the girl who attempted to steal the bike was also prosecuted.
Egbert said he had made a “very bad judgement call.” He apologetically acknowledged making a “huge mistake” while trying to get his property back.
Judge Spencer Walsh said the case was an example of why it isn’t good for society when someone tries to take the law into their own hands. He admitted though, there wasn’t any reason for a jail sentence based on the defendant’s actions.
Egbert was instead sentenced to 10 days of jail diversion, a community service program. He was also ordered to be on probation for 24 months, pay a $1,053 fine and surrender the firearm.
will@cvradio.com