A Juneau man accused of threatening two Alaskan & Proud employees with a knife pleaded guilty to assault and theft this week in Juneau Superior Court, and was sentenced to serve 50 days in prison.
Matthew R. Gilchrest, who turns 28 next week, also pleaded guilty to another, but less serious misdemeanor crime in Juneau District Court, Friday. He was sentenced to serve 10 days in prison in that case.
In connection to the April 6 A&P incident, Gilchrest changed his plea on Monday during a scheduled bail hearing in Superior Court.
He agreed to plead to two reduced charges: fourth-degree assault and third-degree theft. Those are both class ‘A’ misdemeanors that can carry up to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.
He was initially indicted by a grand jury last month on more serious felony charges, two counts of third-degree assault, a class ‘C’ felony that can carry up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors charged Gilchrest shoplifted about $50 worth of items from the grocery store, then threatened two employees with a knife when they approached him about it in the parking lot.
An affidavit states police found an approximately 7-inch bladed hunting-type knife sticking out of his pocket when he was arrested.
In accordance with a plea agreement that put a cap of 60 days of time to serve, Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg imposed 240 days in prison with 200 days suspended for the assault charge, and 40 days in prison with 30 days suspended for the theft charge. That means Gilchrest has a total of 50 days to serve.
Pallenberg also ordered Gilchrest to forfeit the knife, pay $51.12 in restitution, and keep off A&P property.
On Friday in District Court, Deputy Magistrate Sharon Heidersdorf sentenced Gilchrest to 60 days in prison with 50 days suspended for a city criminal mischief case.
Gilchrest admitted to punching a window out of a Switzer Village trailer last October after a poker game night got heated.
Gilchrest’s attorney Kevin Higgins said someone called Gilchrest the n-word as he was leaving, and Higgins said Gilchrest “perhaps justifiably” responded by breaking the trailer’s window.
“He’s here taking his lumps for that,” Higgins said.
Heidersdorf required Gilchrest to enroll in anger management classes, to pay restitution and placed him on probation for two years.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (15)
Add comment60 Days For The Sammach Thief WTH
Another fine sentence from the good ole Juneau courts. Two victims fear for their lives and all this tweeker has to do is give up the BIG blade and take the Angry Birds class. 60 days of grub on our tax dollars comes out to far more than the 51 bucks he has to pay back. (slap wrist) Meth rehab at least would of kept him off the streets for tourist season Sheesh...
The sentence was too light
Any assault with any deadly weapon should be an automatic felony with lengthy jail time, at least a year served.
I understand plea bargains. They are a necessary evil. But this guy could have killed someone. And ya have to wonder about someone who carries around a knife that big.
He got off way too lightly.
Whew! At least he got two
Whew! At least he got two years probation and we know that anyone who is placed on probation will follow the rules, so at least we don't have to worry about him committing another crime for the next two years. Maybe next time he'll stab somebody and then he'll get 30 days added onto his probation time. We need to remember these judges who hand out these "punishments" and NOT vote for them next time around.
While I agree that the above
While I agree that the above posters have valid arguments about this young man having gotten off too lightly for his offenses, I hope he will take advantage of the judge's leniency and alter the course of his life for the better.
<3
I agree with J.E. Fume. No one was hurt and he obviously has some issues that need sorting out. Hopefully he fix things after this.
well...
I don't agree. Look at his age. He's not 18, HE'S 28! That means he should know his butt from a hole in the ground. Crack heads that are so itching for a fix they rob stores with hunting knives for chump change should be removed from society until their crack addiction is gone. If that is forever, so be it. If someone would have taken his action as a threat and blown his head off, I would have laughed and though, thank God anyother idiot is off the street. Then would have felt bad for the guy who defended himself and has to go to court forever to keep from going to jail.
I didn't say I agreed with
I didn't say I agreed with letting him off easily. However, since he got off easily, I hope he will take advantage of the leniency and not commit other offenses. I am not acquainted with this person so I can't make any predictions on his future. Time will tell.
You guys are both quick to
You guys are both quick to retract forgiveness which is common in close minded Juneau. I didn't mean to mis-reference you, Fume. Age does not matter when the time comes to end a cycle of hardships. You don't know how long that young man might have been suffering and going to jail and getting sober could be his 2nd chance at a life like yours. With that said, I expect 10 thumbs down from you Juneau. Oh poor, poor Juneau. This is how life is on an island. Open your eyes.
And wren... I hope all of
And wren... I hope all of those things happen to you as well. Just my opinion.
Yes It is tourist season.
Can you imagine if he did this to one of our many tourist who come here in good faith thinking it is a safe town and they can roam freely. Yes we may have less crime then bigger cities but pretty sure we are being billed as a safe place for all to come. And spend that money that helps our economy stay afloat. All it takes is just one person like this to make headlines in major papers and taint our reputation. Zero Tolerance .
Run his name on Courtview...............
Before commenting on how he deserves leniency or assuming he will learn from this "scrape" with the law... run his name through Courtview.... the guy doesnt learn.
People like wren shouldn't be
People like wren shouldn't be allowed to own guns. Even if it's just blustery false bravado and not sociopathy (and I hope it is), it's still dangerous for someone who casually advocates for the killing of another person to own a deadly weapon.
CC, Personally, I didn't
CC,
Personally, I didn't figure that the guy would learn anything. My honest guess is that this isn't his last time in court. However, since he got off lightly I was trying to put the most positive spin on things that I could. Nothing that we write on this forum really impacts the grand scheme of things.
The sentence is light...
in light of the fact that a 2nd DUI conviction (one in which no other charges are present and no one has been hurt) will bring you a minimum 60 days in jail - and 120 days minimum in jail for a 3rd DUI within 10 years... This fella's act of theft accompanied by assault via brandishing a knife once caught for shoplifting is much more bothersome to the community as far as his potential for more serious trouble. Because of a weapon used in a theft, I would have given him a minimum 6 months in the greybar hotel, if not more. As Mr. Fume opined, it would be nice if he took this "gift" to get his act on the straight and narrow... but don't anyone hold their breath...
Comments out of Frustration
Could it be that as law abiding citizens we are just frustrated with our legal system failing us time after time.