Coy Yarber was in court Wednesday to change his plea and to be sentenced for a 2018 case.
Yarber plead guilty to one count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
Per the plea agreement, the misdemeanor criminal mischief and misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer charges were dismissed.
In August of 2018, the probation board released Yarber to a prerelease center in Helena.
He escaped the prerelease center and was found in Great Falls in possession of methamphetamine.
Yarber was one of the first defendants Judge Greg Pinski met when he became a judge in 2013.
Before the judge sentenced Yarber, he read a letter Yarber wrote to him on June 19, 2013.
“Your honor I have been locked up for almost a year and in that time I have truly become a different person,” Pinski read.
The letter went on to explain how much Yarber had changed before he was sentenced in 2013 for aggravated kidnapping, attempted escape, assault with a weapon, and possession of a deadly weapon.
After Pinski finished reading the letter to the court, he stated that in the last six years he had never met a criminal who has duped criminal justice professionals more than Yarber has.
“You duped a juvenile probation officer. You duped the head of the juvenile detention center into testifying on your behalf during a sentencing hearing. You duped your case manager at the Montana State Prison to testifying on your behalf at your sentence review hearing before this court. You duped the Montana Sentence Review Commission into modifying my sentence. And sadly the figure has to be pointed at myself, you duped me into reducing your sentence that I imposed when you were a juvenile,” Pinski said.
Pinski said Yarber has been given chance after chance by the justice system and that his court will not be fooled by Yarber again.
Pinski added Yarder has been convicted of seven felonies.
“Mark my words carefully, if Mr. Yarber is released into the community, it is only a matter of time before he kills someone. Let me say that again, if Mr. Yarber is released into the community, it is only a matter of time before he kills someone,” Pinski said.
Pinski went on to say Yarber is extremely dangerous and requires a lengthy period of incarnation to protect the community.
Yarber was sentenced to five years in the Montana State Prison for the 2018 charge.
He also had revocation of suspended sentence for two robbery charges from 2012.
For the first one, he was sentenced to 10 years and for the second he was sentenced to 40 years.
All time is to run consecutive with all other sentences.
(August 10, 2018) Coy Yarber is facing criminal charges after he allegedly ran away from a police officer during a traffic stop and was found with meth.
Court documents state that on Wednesday, August 8th, a police officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that had expired registration.
The driver pulled over to the wrong side of the road, and the passenger – later identified as Yarber – got out and ran away.
The officer chased after Yarber and ordered him to stop. Yarber jumped over a fence, breaking the top bracket, and the officer was able to apprehend him.
The officer found a clear baggie of a crystallized substance in Yarber’s pocket, which later tested positive for meth and weighed five grams.
Court documents note that Yarber is a non-compliant violent offender with convictions for theft, robbery, assault with a weapon, attempted escape, kidnapping, and possession of a deadly weapon by a prisoner.
Yarber is charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs (felony), and misdemeanor criminal mischief and misdemeanor obstruction of a peace officer.
Prosecutors requested that bond for Yarber be set at $25,000, consecutive to any other outstanding bond.
