A 31 year-old Sturgeon Bay man, accused of seriously injuring a woman after he ran her over with his car last June, had a change of heart and entered no contest pleas to 5 charges in Door County Circuit Court Monday.
A pool of possible jurors was waiting to participate in the jury selection process when Kemoni Garner entered his plea to charges of reckless injury, substantial battery, bail jumping, operating a vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance, and fleeing or eluding a police officer. He had originally been charged with attempted with first degree intentional homicide, but that count was amended under a plea agreement which also led to the dismissal of single counts of mayhem, hit and run, and disorderly conduct. Several of the original charges came with the enhancement for causing great bodily harm.
Judge Peter Diltz found the former Milwaukee man guilty on all 5 counts and ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be submitted within 2 months. The judge also continued Garner’s bond at $150,000.
Court records indicated that on June 23rd, Garner got into a fight with another man at a west side city home. At one point, he got into a car and attempted to run the man down. When that proved unsuccessful, he pointed the car at a woman and ran her down, dragged her for a distance, the left the area at a high rate of speed. In an attempt to elude officers, Garner’s vehicle reached speeds of over 110 mph before he pulled over and was taken into custody without incident. The injured woman required long-term hospitalization due to the serious nature of her injuries.
