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A Dodge City woman pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges that she and another woman attacked a pregnant woman.
Kaila Vargas was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated intimidation of a witness and aggravated battery for the June 2, 2011, attack. But the attempted-murder charge was dismissed under a plea agreement with the Ford County Attorney's Office, and the intimidation charge was dropped at Vargas' preliminary hearing.
Assistant Ford County Attorney Scott James said the case began when Vargas and her co-defendant, Mary Gobin, went to the victim's home. The victim was seven or eight months pregnant, and Vargas and Gobin threatened to harm the victim, harm her boyfriend and kill her unborn child because her boyfriend had talked to police about a separate case.
The two women then threw the victim to the ground and punched her repeatedly in the stomach, which could have harmed the unborn child, James said.
Aggravated battery carries a possible penalty of 11 to 34 months in prison, and the possible sentence for criminal threat is between five and 17 months. The actual sentence will depend on Vargas' criminal history, which has not been determined yet.
Vargas' attorney, Louis Podrebarac, said he thought the state would not oppose his request to place his client on probation. He added that the state would likely support a request that Vargas be released on a recognizance bond.
James asked the court to order Vargas to avoid any contact with the victim, witnesses or any known gang members because of the circumstances of the case.
District Judge Leigh Hood set a $100,000 recognizance bond but told Vargas she could not contact the victim or witnesses in person, over the phone or on Facebook.
"You don't do it by yourself," Hood said. "You don't have somebody do it on your behalf."
He said the order applied to visiting known gang members in jail.
Gobin entered no-contest pleas to aggravated battery and criminal threat on Feb. 10, but she has not been sentenced yet.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or email him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.
A Dodge City woman pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges that she and another woman attacked a pregnant woman.
Kaila Vargas was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated intimidation of a witness and aggravated battery for the June 2, 2011, attack. But the attempted-murder charge was dismissed under a plea agreement with the Ford County Attorney's Office, and the intimidation charge was dropped at Vargas' preliminary hearing.
Assistant Ford County Attorney Scott James said the case began when Vargas and her co-defendant, Mary Gobin, went to the victim's home. The victim was seven or eight months pregnant, and Vargas and Gobin threatened to harm the victim, harm her boyfriend and kill her unborn child because her boyfriend had talked to police about a separate case.
The two women then threw the victim to the ground and punched her repeatedly in the stomach, which could have harmed the unborn child, James said.
Aggravated battery carries a possible penalty of 11 to 34 months in prison, and the possible sentence for criminal threat is between five and 17 months. The actual sentence will depend on Vargas' criminal history, which has not been determined yet.
Vargas' attorney, Louis Podrebarac, said he thought the state would not oppose his request to place his client on probation. He added that the state would likely support a request that Vargas be released on a recognizance bond.
James asked the court to order Vargas to avoid any contact with the victim, witnesses or any known gang members because of the circumstances of the case.
District Judge Leigh Hood set a $100,000 recognizance bond but told Vargas she could not contact the victim or witnesses in person, over the phone or on Facebook.
"You don't do it by yourself," Hood said. "You don't have somebody do it on your behalf."
He said the order applied to visiting known gang members in jail.
Gobin entered no-contest pleas to aggravated battery and criminal threat on Feb. 10, but she has not been sentenced yet.
Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or email him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.
