New Richland man sentenced to 39 months after shooting at car leaving bar fight
(ABC 6 News) – A New Richland man was sentenced to 39 months in the MN Correctional Facility in St. Cloud Friday, Dec. 15, after pleading guilty to two counts of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Dustin Grey Smitty, 23, received 225 days of credit for time spent in the Freeborn County Jail.
Smitty has been in custody since May, when he was charged with firing a gun at a couple driving away from a bar fight, hitting the passenger side of their vehicle twice and flattening a tire.
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(ABC 6 News) – A New Richland man pleaded guilty to shooting at a couple leaving a Geneva bar fight in April.
Dustin Grey Smitty, 22, appeared in Freeborn County Court Monday, Oct. 16 and pleaded guilty to two charges of 2nd-degree assault with a deadly weapon in exchange for the dismissal of a reckless discharge of a firearm charge and a charge of ineligible person in possession of firearm.
All four charges are felonies.
Smitty’s defense negotiated for a “middle-of-the-box” sentence as part of his plea agreement.
According to witnesses who spoke to the deputies and surveillance footage, a fight broke out in Geneva Bar in April, then moved out into the parking lot.
Smitty’s brother, mother, partner, and brother’s girlfriend all face riot charges related to the fight.
RELATED: Four people charged with rioting in Geneva Bar shooting investigation – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com
According to videos described in court documents, Smitty allegedly left the fight, went to a vehicle, and took out a firearm, then fired two shots into the air from 15-20 feet away from the fight.
A couple told deputies they had disagreed with Smitty’s social group earlier in the evening, and decided to leave the area after the fight began and the shots were fired.
The couple claimed they say Smitty cross the street in front of them as they drove away from the bar, and recognized him as the person who fired shots in the parking lot.
They allege that as they drove away, one of the pair turned around and saw Smitty pull out a gun and fire at them, hitting the passenger side of the truck twice and flattening one tire.
Smitty’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.