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Ward County prosecutors are challenging a request by a Minot man to withdraw a guilty plea entered as a part of a plea agreement. Joshua Alex Chambers, 19, had previously pleaded guilty to nine charges, including attempted murder.
Chambers was arrested after a high-speed pursuit involving multiple departments, which came to a destructive conclusion in downtown Minot. Chamber was initially charged with 13 felonies and four misdemeanors but saw 12 of the charges dismissed in the plea deal agreed to in June.
Prosecutors filed a response objecting to Chamber's withdrawal request, saying his attorney's recommendation to take a plea deal in the case was "sound legal advice from an attorney who has reviewed the discovery in this matter."
Court-appointed attorney David Dusek had negotiated the deal with state prosecutors, but Dusek would go on to request to withdraw from the case after reviewing the presentence investigation with his client. Dusek said Chamber's told him he did not understand the significance of the charges he had previously pleaded guilty to, revealing limited reading and comprehension skills.
Chambers also filed a written request to District Judge Richard Hagar for a plea change, alleging his attorney coerced him to plead guilty.
Prosecutors disputed Chambers' claim that he wasn't fully aware of his legal rights in the matter, saying he was having "buyer's remorse" and that he may be receiving advice from a "jailhouse lawyer."
"The state should be able to rely upon the pleas of guilty that were entered in this matter. Nearly five months have passed. Had the defendant not changed his plea, the state may have continued investigating this matter for further evidence and identifying other possible witnesses," Ward County State's Attorney Rozanna Larson said in the response.
Hagar granted Dusek's request to withdraw. Attorney Steven Mottinger has been assigned to represent Chambers going forward in the case, which now lists a sentencing date of Jan. 9.