MISSOULA – The teenager accused of shooting two people behind Sentinel High School in what court documents describe as a drug deal gone bad has pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal endangerment.
Original charging documents say that Dylan Conat met the two victims at the mall on June 25, 2018, before eventually making their way to Sentinel High School.
According to court documents the two victims told police that Conat was trying to sell them drugs before he attempted to rob them.
After the shooting, Conat fled police, and after a lengthy manhunt he was eventually arrested without incident.
Conat testified in court during a transfer hearing, saying that the two victims’ statements were false and that they had tried to rob him after they had agreed to purchase marijuana from him behind the high school.
He says that the gunshots were in self defense and that he went on the run out of fear of retaliation from the victims.
Conat was originally charged with one felony count of assault with a weapon but due to a plea deal he had the count reduced to the one criminal endangerment charge.
If Judge John Larson agrees with the plea agreement at sentencing, Conat will receive a five-year sentence with all of that time suspended. He will also receive eight months credit for time served.
Reporting by Connor McCauley for MTN News
