Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — A 23-year-old year Fort Collins man agreed to pay $1,000 to a local charity after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a Dec. 28 incident.

Brandon Don Brake pleaded guilty to theft after a plea agreement was reached Wednesday between his attorney, Sandy Horner, and Deputy District Attorney Charles Feldmann.

Brake agreed to plead guilty to the class two misdemeanor and pay $1,000 to Partners of Routt County. In return, Feldmann agreed to grant Brake a one-year deferred sentence.

With the deferred sentence, the theft charge will be dismissed in one year if Brake stays out of trouble with the law. If he violates the condition, he could face one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"Your fate is in your hands," Routt County Judge James Garrecht said to the college student. "You need to use better judgment than you did on this occasion."

Brake was arrested with Zachery Louis Warren, 23.

According to a court file, Warren allegedly stole an Alpine Taxi, which was occupied by four passengers.

Warren and Brake were asked to get out of the taxi by its driver after Warren allegedly got into an argument with another passenger. As Warren was exiting the taxi, he allegedly threw a crutch out of the vehicle. When the taxi driver got out to retrieve the crutch, which belonged to a passenger, Warren allegedly jumped in the driver's seat and drove the vehicle 20 to 30 yards, the file shows.

Warren, who is from Carrollton, Texas, has been charged with three counts of second-degree kidnapping, a class four felony, and one count of aggravated motor vehicle theft, a class six felony. He also faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and false reporting.

Warren and Brake were arrested outside Yampa Valley Medical Center when Warren falsely reported his wallet was stolen when he was assaulted by a passenger in the taxi, the file shows. At the hospital, an officer agreed to give the two men a ride to their hotel but searched both men before they were allowed in the cruiser. The officer found Warren's wallet in his clothing. The officer also allegedly found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in Brake's possession.