An Otto man who reportedly rammed his truck into a car carrying three Powell teens has been sentenced to probation in Big Horn County.

Court records say Cliff P. Winters, 45, crashed into the teens’ vehicle and pulled a gun on them last December, after they got into a dispute with Winters’ teenage son. All of the teens were between 17 and 18 years old at the time of the dispute. Court records indicate no one was seriously injured.

At his sentencing hearing in late September, an apologetic Winters said he was “under the mistaken belief I was protecting my family,” the Greybull Standard reported.

“While my intent may have been misguided, it doesn’t excuse the harm that I caused,” Winters said, according to the Standard. “I deeply regret that I failed to act responsibly.”

As part of a deal with Big Horn County prosecutors, some of Winters’ original charges were dismissed or reduced. He ultimately pleaded no contest to a felony count of property destruction and a misdemeanor count of reckless endangering. However, in-line with the terms of the deal, District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield agreed to defer a finding of guilt on the property destruction charge. If Winters successfully completes three years of supervised probation — and pays $3,300 in court fines and assessments and over $9,000 in restitution — the felony will be dismissed and only the reckless endangering will go on his record.

Collision course

Charging documents say the incident occurred early on Dec. 17, after online trash talking between Winters’ son and the Powell teens escalated into getting together to fight.

The trio from Powell pulled up in front of the Winters family home near Otto in the middle of the night and tried to get Winters’ son to come outside. The younger Winters reportedly told his father that “there were guys outside who wanted to beat him up,” Big Horn County Sheriff’s Deputy Seth Hoblit recounted in an affidavit. Winters then went outside and fired three shots into the air.

That prompted the three teens to begin driving back to Powell, but Winters’ son “continued to want to fight and told them to come back,” Hoblit wrote.

The younger Winters told the trio to meet him at The Church of Latter-day Saints parking lot in Burlington and — despite saying he would come alone — brought his father with him, charging documents say.

The affidavit indicates that the elder Winters did not know that his son had arranged the meet-up at the church; it quotes Winters as saying that the Powell teens had asked his son to come to the church alone and that “he was not going to have that happen and he was upset.”

The three teens were parked in the lot when the elder Winters’ Ford truck suddenly crashed into their Pontiac Grand Am, charging documents say. Winters then reportedly approached the young men’s sedan with a Glock 43 in hand — though he denied the teens’ contention that he pointed the pistol at them.

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene around 1:30 a.m.

One of the Powell teens with a heart condition began experiencing a “medical emergency” and all three were taken to Powell Valley Hospital, charging documents say, but no serious injuries were reported. One teen — not the one with the heart condition — reportedly incurred a $9,180.40 bill that Winters was ordered to pay.

Sentencing

At his Sept. 30 sentencing in Basin, Winters told the court that “I was the adult, and I should have acted like one,” according to the Standard’s reporting. He said he took “full responsibility” for his actions.

While on probation, Winters must obey the law, follow his probation officer’s directions and make payments toward his penalties, among other conditions. Any violations could theoretically result in up to five years of prison time.

Big Horn County prosecutors initially charged Winters’ son, Clifford T. Winters, with a felony count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and battery. However, a magistrate concluded in January that there was not enough evidence to support the charge and dismissed it. The younger Winters served 21 days in jail while his father served two.