Fargo handed suspended sentence

Ricky Lee Fargo, the Pullman resident who was convicted by a jury July 13 of a charge of harassment with a threat of intent to kill, was sentenced to a year in jail Friday. Judge David Frazier initially suspended all but 30 days of the sentence, but later decided to suspend all of it after learning Fargo planned to move to California to take care of his mother.

The judge noted the record showed five Pullman officers responded to Fargo’s residence on S.W. Shirley Street last December. The arrest report said Fargo charged two officers and threatened to kill them.

“I don’t think the Pullman Police Department will object to you going to California,” the judge commented.

Fargo, his spouse and daughter each sustained cuts from a knife he had pulled out of his pocket when he reportedly “flipped out” in a domestic violence episode which led to a call to police Dec. 28.

The report noted Fargo dropped the knife when confronted by the officers, but charged at them and made a threat to kill them.

The judge noted the key factor in Friday’s ruling was Fargo’s decision to undergo substance abuse treatment in the weeks before his trial Monday. Defense Attorney Steve Martonick told the court Fargo opted to undergo treatment on his own.

In his first version of the sentence, which included 30 days of jail time, the judge gave Fargo the option of working off the sentence with 240 hours of public service work.

Fargo declined the option and said he arrived in court Friday with the intention of serving the 30 days and then leaving for California to take care of his mother.

The judge later changed his mind and also suspended the last 30 days of the sentence.

Based on Fargo’s previous behavior in court, the judge said he had expected an outburst July 13 when the jury convicted Fargo of the harassment charge. When it didn’t happen, he began to conclude that Fargo had changed.

The one-year suspended sentence will remain in place during two years of unsupervised probation. Fargo was also ordered to enroll in a care program which would be a follow-up to the treatment he has already received.

Monday’s trial included videos of Fargo’s charge which were recorded on the body cameras of two police officers at the scene last December. The judge asked Fargo what he felt like seeing the videos in court.

“I felt like crap,” Fargo responded.

He was also ordered to pay $1,460 in fines and fees.