craigdailypress.com

A former Craig resident and convicted felon is on the run after an apparent mistake by the district attorney's office allowed him a personal recognizance bond as part of a plea agreement.

Donald Manley, 43, did not appear at his scheduled sentencing hearing in Moffat County Sept. 16. He also missed his Sept. 17 sentencing in Montrose County.

He faced six years in prison on a felony charge of criminal mischief in excess of $15,000.

"As part of his plea, we agreed to release him pending sentencing, which was apparently a mistake," said Dave Waite, the chief deputy district attorney.

The charges stemmed from a case in 2002 in which Manley was alleged to have destroyed a house and the belongings of his former girlfriend, Terry Sakellariou.

According to court documents, Manley allegedly "destroyed the house and all of Sakellariou's belongings."

Craig Police Officer Jay Grimes, who signed the affidavit, wrote that he was unable to sufficiently describe the destruction committed by Manley.

Grimes wrote, "Inside, the entire structure was damaged, walls, appliances and doors were all damaged or destroyed. Personal belongings were heaped into piles, torn, broken, damaged, and covered with what appeared to be human and animal fecal material."

Manley allegedly had written a demeaning message on the wall of the residence with "what appeared to be fecal material."

Grimes wrote that in 10 years of public service, he had "never observed this extent of malicious behavior before."

It wasn't Manley's first encounter with the law.

According to court documents, the district attorney's office originally had charged Manley as a "habitual criminal" in four counts, citing felony convictions in Texas, Florida and Oregon.

In a 1999 divorce case, Manley's former wife, Linda Chloe Manley Gooch, wrote a letter informing the court Manley had ignored a court order to return many of her belongings.

Gooch wrote, "As you may be aware, Don (Manley) is on probation from Wyoming for the felony of defrauding a pawnbroker."

George Garrison, a resident of Olathe, began investigating Manley after the convict duped Garrison's daughter.

"I'm just an old man wanting to stop a criminal," Garrison said.

Garrison describes Manley as a man who can talk his way out of anything.

"He's the slickest talker you've ever seen in your life," Garrison said.

Garrison went to court in Montrose on the day of Manley's scheduled sentencing. He said the judge in Montrose was very upset about Manley's absence.

"I worked diligently with the district attorney's office in Craig," Garrison said. "They should have been able to tell from what I gave them not to let (Manley) out."

Garrison said his research uncovered a string of crimes across the country, including an attempted escape from a jail in Wyoming.

"He can manipulate the courts so well," Garrison said.

When Manley was awaiting trial in Moffat County, he was arrested in Montrose County for theft and extortion.

Manley was transferred to Moffat County to appear before the court Aug. 11. At that date, he entered a plea of no contest to the felony criminal mischief charge. Part of the plea agreement stipulated that Manley would be released on a PR bond. Court documents indicate that the court was concerned with Manley's plea to a prison sentence and then a request for a PR bond. Manley's defense attorney advised the court Manley was just married and wanted to spend time with his new wife prior to a long prison sentence.

The court accepted the agreement, and on Aug. 12, Manley was released from jail. He promised to return Sept. 16 to be sentenced.

Michael O'Hara, the chief judge of the 14th Judicial District, said, "I had some hesitation about doing that (accepting the agreement). I did it, and I made a mistake."

O'Hara said he can reject agreements made between defendants and the district attorney, but he doesn't often do that.

"I trust the lawyers who practice in front of me," O'Hara said. "They know the case better than I ever will."

After Manley's failure to appear, O'Hara revoked his PR bond and issued a warrant for his arrest, setting the bond at $100,000. Manley is wanted in Montrose County as well. The Montrose warrant specifies a $75,000 cash-only bond upon capture.

Jeremy Browning can be reached at 824-7031 or jbrowning@craigdailypress.com