By MAIRE O’NEILLA plea agreement was reached Wednesday morning in Los Alamos Magistrate Court for Garrett Thayne Katcher, 33, of Los Alamos. Jurors called for selection for his trial on a charge of aggravated battery against a household member were dismissed.
Katcher agreed to plead no contest to the lesser charge of battery against a household member. Judge Pat Casados sentenced him to 364 days in jail with that time being deferred, two years supervised probation and successful completion of a 52-week domestic violence offender treatment program.
If he completes the first year of supervised probation without any violations, the second year of probation will be unsupervised. Katcher’s attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, requested that Katcher not have to pay his probation fees while attending the domestic violence program because he is indigent and Judge Casados agreed to waive those fees.
Judge Casados was adamant that there would be no contact for the two years of probation between Katcher and the victim who was present in the courtroom. She also admonished the victim not to initiate contact with Katcher.
Katcher was arrested Jan. 30 after former Los Alamos Police Ofc. David Bradshaw responded to a call at a 33rd Street address where he allegedly observed Katcher striking a woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.
Katcher was previously arrested in January 2016 on charges of false imprisonment, battery against a household member, criminal trespass and interference with communications. Those charges were dismissed without prejudice because the victim made it clear that she would not cooperate in the prosecution of Katcher.
Assistant District Attorney Kent Wahlquist said later that he hopes the treatment works for Katcher.