Thomas Longinotti, 19, was charged with aggravated motor vehicle theft, criminal mischief and attempted escape after he left Correctional Placement Alternative Systems (CAPS) in Craig without permission, stole a Craig resident’s vehicle and left town.

On Jan. 24, he pleaded guilty to the charges after accepting a plea bargain from the 14th Judicial District Attorney Office. As part of the plea bargain, the charge of criminal mischief was dropped.

Longinotti came to Craig from Denver in January 1999, in a stolen pickup truck. He was stopped several times by Denver police officers, Steamboat Springs police officers and Craig police officers before being arrested by Colorado State Patrol Trooper Marty Smith after being pulled over for a broken headlight.

“I knew someday I’d go down, but I thought I could talk my way out of it again,” Longinotti said after he was caught.

He was charged with first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, driving without proof of insurance, having fictitious plates and theft of less than $100. He pleaded guilty to vehicle theft and was convicted May 3. He was sentenced to four years in CAPS before his escape in May.

After the escape, Thompson altered Longinotti’s sentence, stating that when captured, Longinotti would serve four years in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC).

According to court records, the pickup Longinotti admits to taking was stolen from the Safeway parking lot on May 13. The keys were in the vehicle and it was not locked.

The truck was recovered in Durango, Colo., by a Colorado State Patrol trooper investigating a report of reckless driving. When he first pulled Longinotti over, Longinotti said his name was Chris Cordiack and that he borrowed the pickup from a person he met at a party the night before. He later told the officer his real name and said, “You would lie too if you were on the run.”

Longinotti had torn the vehicle identification number plate off the vehicle and altered the temporary license plate. He also caused about $5,000 in damage to the vehicle.

As part of the plea agreement, Longinotti will have to finish his four years in DOC before serving whatever sentence is imposed by 14th Judicial District Judge Joel Thompson at his sentencing March 6.

Longinotti was offered a plea bargain with a sentencing requirement of six years for each of the two charges, which can be served at the same time. According to court records, Longinotti was not pleased with the bargain, but after talking to Deputy District Attorney David Waite, changed his mind when Waite amended the sentencing recommendation to four to six years in DOC.

Without the plea, Longinotti could have faced heavy jail time. The escape charge carries a possible penalty of four to 32 years of confinement and $3,000 to $750,000 in fines. The charge of theft carries a penalty of two to 16 years in jail and fines from $2,000 to $500,000. Both charges are Class 4 felonies.

According to Thompson, Longinotti’s presentence confinement will be credited to his sentence in DOC, but he is not entitled to good time credit because he did not comply with the rules and regulations of Moffat County Jail.

Longinotti is being held in Bent County Correctional Facility.