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Circuit Court: Jan. 16, 2019
Circuit Court

Green County

Felonies

●  Nicholas Colby Powell, 27, Monroe, pleaded no contest Dec. 12 to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property, with a felony charge of false imprisonment dismissed as part of a plea deal. He entered a two-year deferred prosecution agreement with conditions that he attend quarterly monitoring conferences, undergo an anger management and domestic violence assessment and comply with all counseling recommendations. His convictions will be dismissed if he complies with the agreement. The case stems from an incident July 29 at Powell’s former residence in the 1900 block of 9th Street in Monroe. Court records indicate Powell reacted in anger when his girlfriend told him she wanted to end their relationship. He punched a closet door and flipped over an ottoman in the apartment, causing the contents to spill out and hit a dresser. When she started to walk out, he “ran at her” and grabbed her by both wrists. She fell to her knees in an attempt to pull free, but he dragged her back inside the apartment and across the living room carpet. She sustained a rug burn on her knee. A neighbor called police after hearing her screams for help. She told police Powell has pushed and restrained her during past arguments and has “an explosive temper and usually throws things or hits walls” when upset.

●  Erika Stohr Gartley, 52, Albany, pleaded no contest Dec. 13 to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and battery, amended from an initially filed felony charge of child abuse, and was sentenced to 18 months on probation with conditions including any recommended treatment or counseling. She was assessed $886 in court fines and fees. The case stems from a physical altercation with a 16-year-old and another adult on June 20 at Gartley’s home on Taylor Street, according to police reports filed with the court. A responding police officer observed her push a man to the ground “as I ran towards them from my squad car to stop the fighting.” According to witness accounts, Gartley punched the man, pushed the teen and was “swinging a vodka bottle around as a weapon.” A breathalyzer test indicated she had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.124 percent. No one was injured. In written victim-impact statements, both the man and teenager asked that Gartley be spared any sentence. It was an “unfortunate family incident made worse by exaggeration of the facts by the police officer,” the man wrote.