One southern Nevada resident has been sentenced to prison while a judge has indicated he may reject terms of a plea agreement for her co-defendant charged in a crime spree that began in Las Vegas and ended in Mohave County.
The case involves the May, 2018 abduction of an Uber driver and her male passenger in Nevada, shots fired at an 18-wheeler near the Arizona-Nevada border and the resulting police pursuit that ended in downtown Kingman.
Raitasha Antoinette Williams-Gardner, 21, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and aggravated assault for her involvement in the case. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Derek Carlisle, during a March 1 hearing, imposed the 7.5-year prison term mandated in the deal for Williams-Gardner.
Public Defender Robin Puchek argued that Williams-Gardner was less involved, and that it was co-defendant Aveyon Nevitt, 22, who acted as the aggressor. Puchek said Nevitt robbed two convenience stores in Nevada by himself about ten hours before instigating the abduction and felony flight into Arizona scenario involving Williams-Gardner and the kidnap victims who were released unharmed along U.S. 93.
The case against Nevitt is unfolding before Court Commissioner Billy Sipe. Nevitt pleaded guilty last Oct. to aggravated assault, kidnapping and theft charges in a deal mandating a 20-year prison sentence.
As he has before, Sipe again told attorneys during a Wednesday, March 6 hearing, that he is concerned about terms of the deal and its punishment limitations. “It’s very likely that I’m going to reject the plea agreement,” Sipe said.
Legal Defender Ron Gilleo asked Sipe to defer that decision for at least 30 days. Gilleo explained that Nevitt’s family is in the process of hiring private counsel to advise and guide Nevitt through the remainder of his case.
Attempted withdrawal from the plea agreement, rejection of the deal or sentencing could occur at the next hearing scheduled April 5.
