Plea OK'd; pet cruelty charges dismissed

A Kearns man originally charged with domestic violence and animal cruelty entered into a plea bargain with amended charges and was ordered by a judge to get a mental health evaluation.

Clint L. Wilkes on Monday pleaded guilty to an amended charge of straight assault, which replaces the domestic violence charge, and entered a plea of no contest to one count of animal abandonment.

As part of the plea agreement, two counts of animal cruelty were dismissed.

All the charges are class B misdemeanors, each of which carries a maximum potential sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, although a judge can suspend jail time and impose probation with a variety of conditions.

Prosecutor Catherine Brown said the domestic violence charge emerged from an altercation Wilkes had with his ex-girlfriend last year — he shoved her, she fell into a brick wall and was injured. The animal abandonment charge came to light when neighbors observed a gray male kitten that had been abandoned.

Wilkes told Salt Lake County Justice Court Judge Peggy Acomb that he is attending classes for both domestic violence and substance abuse at Valley Mental Health to address a methamphetamine addiction.

His lawyer, Susan Hunt, said Wilkes was involved in a "very unhealthy relationship" with the former girlfriend and was addicted to meth, "which makes people act in ways not consistent with their nature."

Hunt said Wilkes is now drug-free, lives with his parents and is actively participating in the classes at Valley Mental Health. His case has attracted considerable media attention, which has "had a traumatic effect."

"The trajectory Mr. Wilkes is on now is a very healthy one," Hunt said.

She said she is confident that, given the changes she has observed in Wilkes since he first came to her office, he respects the court and will follow any conditions imposed if he is permitted to be out on probation instead of serving jail time.

Acomb ordered the mental health evaluation and said its results will play a role in her decision regarding sentencing.

"I don't want anybody to be in the dark about the court's concerns: a combination of animal charges with a domestic violence case — that's a serious red flag," the judge said. "It's to your credit that you initiated classes on your own."

After the hearing, Wilkes slipped past waiting media crews and TV cameras as he left the building.