May 06, 2019
Michael Bower was convicted after a trial by jury on April 8, 2019 in the Decatur Superior Court before Judge Matthew Bailey. Bower was charged and convicted on a single count of Escape, as a Level 5 Felony, for allegations that he had violated his home detention order from a prior case, allowed his ankle monitor to die, and fled to Arizona, where he was eventually recaptured.
The State’s case was presented by Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter and Certified Legal Intern Elizabeth Lecher, who acquitted herself with professionalism and persuasiveness in her first ever jury trial. Lecher first presented evidence from Bower’s Court Services case manager, Eric Adkins. She then called as a witness Sgt. Kyle Esparza, the sheriff’s deputy from Navajo County, Arizona who physically tackled and captured Bower several weeks after he had escaped from Decatur County.
On May 6, 2019, Bower was sentenced after a sentencing hearing in front of Judge Bailey, where his potential penalties included a range of from one to six years in the Escape case, plus potential time revoked from the Home Detention case in which he violated. The Court may sentence to any amount of time in that range, and may place Bower behind bars in the Department of Correction, on home detention, or on probation.
Counsel for Defendant requested that the sentence be _______. Harter, for the State, argued that the sentence should be the maximum time permitted under the law, all executed behind bars. Ultimately, Judge Bailey’s sentence was _________.
Decatur County Prosecuting Attorney Nate Harter wants to recognize Adkins, Esparza, and Lecher for their work to capture Bower and to present this case for prosecution.
Said Harter, “The long arm of the law prevailed in this case. Mr. Bower’s extensive history of criminal behavior caught up to him, even across the country in Arizona. Our system doesn’t work without accountability, and I am grateful that in this instance, Mr. Bower will be held accountable.”
#####