Malad man get probation for stealing wallet, firing gun

MALAD CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to one felony and one misdemeanor after he stole another man’s wallet and fired a gun has been ordered to serve probation.

Raymond Williams, 55, of Malad, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of petty theft and a felony charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as part of a plea agreement, court records show.

During a Dec. 8 hearing, District Judge Robert Naftz suspended a prison sentence of two to four years, electing instead to sentence Williams to three years of felony probation.

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Williams was arrested in May after Oneida County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of gunshots coming from inside a home.

Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the victim, who said he had been robbed by two males he did not know. Deputies recovered a spent .40 caliber shell casing from the scene, and found a hole in the home’s bathroom door.

Deputies later identified one of the those involved as a 14-year-old boy. In speaking with the boy, deputies learned Williams had asked the boy to come with him to the victim’s home. The boy told deputies Williams robbed the victim and pulled a gun. When Williams fired the gun, the boy said it scared him, so he ran away.

Williams was initially charged with felonies for aggravated assault, grand theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. As part of a plea agreement, the aggravated assault charge was dismissed, and the grand theft charge was amended.

Naftz ordered a 120-day discretionary jail sentence be attached to Williams’ probation. The judge also ordered Williams pay $1,348.50 in fees and fines.