Plummer man pleads guilty to assault

COEUR d’ALENE — A 34-year-old Plummer man pleaded guilty Friday to assault resulting in serious bodily injury and use of a firearm during a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

Cruz Flechita Ramon Soto was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 17, 2015.

According to the plea agreement, in the early morning of Nov. 12, 2015, while the victim was sleeping in the living room of a relative’s house, Soto came to the house.

Soto and the victim spoke for about 20 minutes then Soto shot the victim in the chest, back and neck. The victim was flown to Kootenai Health, where he was stabilized and flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The victim identified Soto as the shooter. The shooting occurred within the boundaries of the Coeur d’Alene Indian reservation.

The charge of assault resulting in serious bodily injury is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. Use of a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by not less than 10 years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 11 before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

The case was investigated by Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police, Benewah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.