Loveland bail bondsman David Frisco stopped midway through what was to be a three-week jury trial Tuesday to plead guilty to four felonies in exchange for having 29 other charges against him dropped.
Larimer County District Court Judge Daniel Kaup, on the recommendation of Deputy District Attorney Michael Pierson and Assistant Attorney General Terrence Gillespie, accepted the settlement and halted the trial at the start of its fifth day. Frisco pleaded guilty to receiving a stolen automobile, criminal impersonation of a licensed surety bail bonding agent, possession of methamphetamine and possession of hazardous chemicals.
In exchange for the pleas, Frisco cannot be sentenced to more than six years. Kaup scheduled sentencing for March 6.
Frisco, 47, appeared tired and gaunt in court Tuesday, having been admitted to an emergency room the night before for treatment of chest pains.
The settlement brought the exhaustive, three-year case to an abrupt end. A state grand jury indicted Frisco in April 2004 on 33 charges including possession and distribution of methamphetamine, forgery, issuing bonds without a surety license, posting bonds in exchange for sex, and theft of heavy equipment and an automobile.
Prosecutors had scheduled more than 30 witnesses to testify, many of them methamphetamine addicts who either refused to testify against Frisco or attempted to have their sentences reduced in exchange for testimony.
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-820-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
