Steven Holley, 28, considers himself more than lucky following a judge's acceptance of a plea deal from the state, avoiding a jury trial over his midday shooting of a teen he thought was going to rob his quarter pound of marijuana in one of Spenard's busiest parking lots.
Holley pleaded guilty to third-degree assault a week ago, according to a court clerk's notes from the hearing filed in the case. Prosecutors dropped additional drug and weapons misconduct charges and agreed he could avoid jail.
Holley represented himself in court Oct. 27 on the eve of trial, choosing to argue on his own before the court when he wasn't satisfied with his attorney's handling of the case.
"I'd been working with (the state courts) since I'd turned myself in," Holley said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I was always looking for a peaceful remedy, but I was ready for a long battle."
The charges could have resulted in more than a decade in prison. Instead, Holley got three years of probation. His two-year jail sentence was suspended by the judge -- Holley won't have to serve it as long as he behaves during the term of probation.
Holley was one of five people charged in connection with the March 28 robbery and shooting at Spenard's Bear Tooth Theatrepub parking lot. The original charges against Holley said the shooting resulted from a 15-year-old's plans to rob him. Police said Holley had expected to sell the pot for $800. Instead, when he was sitting in his car with the 15-year-old, police said another person, Shawn Vent, approached with a gun. Holley grabbed his own gun from the center console of his car, stepped out and fired two shots. One struck Vent in the leg.
District Attorney Clint Campion said Holley's case is one of many stemming from the shooting. He said he could not discuss the case or comment on how prosecutors came to offer the plea deal.
Assistant District Attorney John Darnall told Superior Court Judge Jack Smith, according to the clerk's notes, that Holley took a "preemptive stance" when he decided to shoot at Vent. The shooting created a very dangerous situation in a public space, Darnall said.
Police were called to the connecting lot between Burger King and Beartooth Theatre Pub and Grill after the shooting.
Darnall said in court that he thought the plea deal resulted in an appropriate sentence for Holley, who has no felony criminal record and took responsibility for his actions. Holley turned himself into police on April 20 following the advice of a mentor.
Holley previously told Kirsten Swann of Mountain View Post -- a website producing news for the northeast Anchorage neighborhood -- that he turned to selling marijuana when grant money for the environmental work he'd been doing for Alaska Native Initiatives ran low. He was having trouble making ends meet, he said. The story was published in the Anchorage Press.
Holley said in a phone interview with Alaska Dispatch News that he never met the teenager he was selling to; he didn't know he was a minor. In the past, he discouraged youth in the villages where he'd grown up from smoking pot. He told them he was more interested in serving his people, he said.
Darnall noted Holley's involvement in the Dena'ina Native community in his remarks to judge Smith. Holley volunteers with a cultural dance group Ida'ina K'eljeshna, "Friendship Dancers." He led the group's performance during this year's Alaska Federation of Natives conference.
Getting back on his feet has been hard, but Holley said that he is continuing with his cultural and environmental projects. The ordeal helped him realize his friends and mentors have unflinching support for him.
Addressing his criminal charges with the dance group was difficult, Holley said. He didn't go into details about what happened. The group's gatherings usually unfold with dinner, dance practice, then stories. The story he now conveys to the group encourages them to recognize how much people are willing to help.
"Everyone needs to learn to ask for help," he said. As for the shooting, he said, "I took matters into my own hands, which wasn't the smartest choice."
As part of his plea deal, Holley will testify against the other defendants charged in the incident, including two 19-year-olds who face felony robbery charges.
Holley will have to pay restitution to Vent for damages caused by the shooting regardless of the outcome of Vent's trial. The amount of restitution wasn't determined during the change of plea hearing, according to the clerk's notes.
Correction: In a parenthetical, this article previously quoted Steven Holley as saying he worked with the police on his criminal case since turning himself in. Holley worked with the Alaska Court System.