A man who attempted to plead guilty to charges picked up in jail but derailed the process when he basically said he was guilty but forced to do what he did was back in Baxter County Circuit Court last week.
Thirty-five-year-old Brent Oakley of Mountain Home did successfully enter a guilty plea and was sentenced to five years probation.
He did not mention the “forced to do it” excuse during Monday’s court appearance.
At the time the earlier attempt at taking Oakley’s plea came off the rails, Circuit Judge John Putman said he was concerned that if enough coercion had actually been exerted against Oakley as the defendant alleged, it could represent a viable defense against the charge.
The case was continued so Oakley’s attorney could determine if the coercion story was true and, if so, to what extent Oakley felt threatened to do what he did.
Oakley told the judge he was “bullied” into breaking a sprinkler head causing water to flood areas of the jail.
“I am guilty of doing what I did,” Oakley told the court, “but I was told to do it and I did.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, after flooding caused by the broken sprinkler head was under control, jail staff went over footage from surveillance cameras.
The footage is reported to show Oakley as the inmate breaking the sprinkler head off.
He was charged with impairing the operations of a vital public facility, communicating a false alarm and criminal mischief.
He was also ordered to pay almost $190 to cover damage he did to the sprinkler head.
TOOK BACKHOE WHEN DRUNK
Oakley pled guilty October 4 last year to taking a backhoe for a joyride while drunk and was put on misdemeanor probation for 12 months.
He was arrested in March after Mountain Home police were called to a worksite at the corner of Second and Hickory Streets to investigate the disappearance of the equipment.
When the responding officer arrived on the scene, he found no suspect or any sign of the backhoe.
While sitting in a nearby parking lot, the officer saw the backhoe return to the jobsite.
The officer drove across the street to the site and the driver of the backhoe continued traveling toward the patrol unit, finally stopping and parking the heavy equipment next to the officer.
When he got down off the backhoe, Oakley told the officer he did not have permission to operate the machine, and it did not belong to him.
A second police unit arrived on the scene and Oakley was taken into custody for theft.
Officers reported that they noted the smell of intoxicants on Oakley’s breath. Oakley is alleged to have admitted he was drinking, but told officer he had a “spine condition” that would prevent him from doing field sobriety tests.
When told a test could be done where he would not have to stand, he allegedly told the officer not to waste his time, admitting he was “drunk.”
A Breathalyzer test indicated Oakley has a blood alcohol level of .10.
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