Lewiston man agrees to plea deal in shooting death
Apr. 21—A Lewiston man charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting an unarmed man he caught burglarizing his Soldiers Meadow cabin last year has agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Daren M. McCann, 57, was actually scheduled to enter the guilty plea Tuesday before 2nd District Judge Jeff Brudie in Lewiston, but he fell ill while at the office of his attorney, Scott Chapman, awaiting the remote sentencing hearing. Chapman told Brudie that McCann has been suffering from migraine and sinus headaches, and even experienced a seizure a day earlier because of his condition.
Chapman said he decided to send McCann home and ask Brudie to delay the proceeding. After hearing of those circumstances, Brudie agreed to reschedule the change-of-plea hearing for May 4.
Nez Perce County Prosecutor Justin Coleman declined to discuss the specifics of a mediated plea agreement before McCann actually pleads guilty. But he did say that while McCann has agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge, the parties will be free to argue for the length of sentence and other terms. Brudie could also impose probation if he sees fit, Coleman confirmed.
Voluntary manslaughter carries a maximum term of 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, while the maximum penalty for second-degree murder is life in prison with a minimum term of 10 years.
According to information presented by prosecutors at a preliminary hearing, McCann allegedly shot Jerry Glass Jr., a 49-year-old Spokane resident, early last August. McCann had gone to check on his and his neighbor's cabins after hearing law enforcement reports that Glass had been burglarizing cabins in the area. Two days earlier, Glass had raced away from a Whitman County traffic stop in a stolen vehicle before crashing it in the Zaza Grade area near the cabins and evading capture.
McCann allegedly found Glass in the lower floor of his cabin during his check. He placed Glass under citizen's arrest before marching him at gunpoint with a 9mm AR-style rifle along Soldiers Meadow Road to find a cellphone signal so he could call police. Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office deputies who testified at the preliminary hearing said McCann told them he and Glass had gone about two-tenths of a mile on the road when Glass shoved him and ran into the woods.
Glass was 30 to 35 yards away when McCann allegedly fired one shot into the ground, then another shot at Glass, who screamed, "You shot me." McCann called the sheriff's office to report the incident, and deputies who subsequently searched the area found Glass dead in some bushes with a single gunshot wound in the middle of his back.
The deputies also testified that McCann told them he shot at Glass because he was afraid he might keep breaking into cabins and potentially hurt anyone who might be inside.
Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or at (208) 310-1901, ext. 2266.
