Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah has approved hundreds, if not thousands, of plea agreements. But a deal to resolve an alleged assault gave Darrah some pause last week.

The defendant, Jarrod N. Christensen, allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend in February, while he was drunk and had a revolver.

The 46-year-old Powell resident was originally charged with a count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. However, the Park County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recently agreed to drop the felony charge and recommend a sentence of probation if Christensen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of reckless endangering.

During the year of probation, Christensen must stay away from drugs and alcohol, but his defense attorney, Brigita Krisjansons, said the most important requirement is to complete counseling he began after his arrest.

Krisjansons said she’s seen “a lot of change in the last four-and-a-half-months,” and Christensen offered an apology to his now-ex-girlfriend and the court for “the misconduct I demonstrated.”

“I’m very sorry,” Christensen said at the June 25 hearing. “My actions were reckless, dishonorable and disgusting. These past few months, sobriety and counseling has helped me out on a better path.”

Powell police officers had been called to Christensen’s home just after midnight on Feb. 11. They found his then-girlfriend in the alley in 16-degree weather, holding a revolver “with her thumb and index finger, away from her body, as if she was afraid to be holding it,” responding Officer Caleb Schmidt wrote in an affidavit.

The woman told police that Christensen had retrieved the gun during an argument and followed her to the bathroom. Although he never pointed the weapon at her, she said Christensen threatened her; charging documents say she specifically recalled him saying, “If you don’t get out of my house, I’m going to f—ng kill you.”

When he left the gun on the bathroom counter, she said she grabbed it, ran out of the house and called 911.

Christensen told police that he hadn’t made any threats. In pleading guilty to reckless endangering last week, he said he had his revolver on a table while he argued with his girlfriend.

“And you would agree that arguing, drinking and having a weapon, that you were putting [her] in danger of serious bodily injury, correct?” Krisjansons asked Christensen.

“Yes,” he said.

Given the impact that the incident had on the woman, Darrah said his first inclination was to make the proposed plea deal the second that he’s rejected in his time on the bench.

“She was terrorized, you understand? You terrorized her before this happened, and during this event, she ran for her life. She thought he was going to die,” Darrah told Christensen. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes, sir,” the defendant responded.

Darrah added that the incident could have resulted in someone’s death or Christensen going to prison.

Ultimately, however, the judge said he was won over by the woman’s support of the plea agreement.

“You owe her a big bit of gratitude,” Darrah said, adding, “if it wasn’t for her, you probably wouldn’t be here today [for sentencing] — we would be having a preliminary hearing [on the felony charge].”

The woman is allowing Christensen to contact her while he’s on probation, but they’ve since separated their lives. Park County Attorney Victim/Witness Program Coordinator Dave Sauceda praised the woman for taking those steps and protecting herself, saying that’s “seldom seen in these circumstances.”

As for Christensen, after nearly losing everything from “one alcohol-fueled argument,” he said he was scared into taking a new path.

“From this day forward, I assure you, my name will never be heard of in your courtroom ever again,” he told the court.

Darrah warned that a slip-up on probation would “probably” lead him to impose the 176 days of jail time that were suspended as part of the deal. (Christensen also received four days credit for the time he served before posting a $30,000 surety bond.)

Further, Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Laura Newton reserved the right to bring back the aggravated assault charge if Christensen fails to complete the probation.

Darrah noted that serious consequences are still hanging over Christensen's head, but said it appears he’s well on his way to a productive life.

“I think maybe you should be kind of proud of yourself for what you’re doing and what you've gone through to do this,” the judge said. “Unfortunately, it took this, something to knock the fear into you, to do that.”