SULTAN — Prosecutors have dropped an attempted murder charge against a Sultan man accused of firing a shotgun at a man in 2013.
Paul Hackney’s trial was scheduled to begin earlier this month. Instead the retired crane operator pleaded guilty to third-degree assault with a firearm.
Hackney, 72, is scheduled to be sentenced in May. Both sides agreed to recommend a two-year prison sentence. Hackney likely will get credit for the months he spent on electronic home monitoring. He is expected to serve at least a year and a half behind bars because the assault was committed with a firearm.
Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Cindy Larsen said she agreed to reduce the charge because there were significant “witness credibility issues.” She said she also took into account Hackney’s significant health issues.
His defense attorney Gabriel Rothstein has told the court that Hackney has a chronic liver condition, which requires regular and costly medical treatment.
Hackney was arrested in July 2013 after a man reported being shot at while parked outside a house on Mann Road. He told 911 dispatchers he crawled out of his pickup and hid in a pasture after Hackney fired into the windshield. The man was not seriously hurt.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies stopped Hackney on U.S. 2. There was a shotgun on the passenger seat and empty beer cans littered the backseat.
Hackney was believed to be drunk. He declined to speak with detectives.
The victim told police he believed the shooting was over a woman. His girlfriend was friends with Hackney, who often paid her bills.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley
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