photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking photo

Alfred D. Sanders

A Lawrence man who had been charged in multiple cases in Douglas County District Court, the most serious of which involved attempted second-degree murder, has entered a plea deal to lessen the severity of his charges and dismiss some others.

Alfred D. Sanders, 47, on Wednesday pleaded no contest to six felonies: three counts of aggravated assault and one count each of criminal discharge of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and theft. The plea will settle five cases — three criminal, two traffic.

In his most serious case, Sanders is alleged to have fired a gun at a car on Iowa Street near Bob Billings Parkway on Feb. 5, 2018, after an altercation at a Lawrence bar.

That case resulted in charges of attempted murder in the second degree, aggravated assault, criminal discharge of a weapon and criminal damage to property. Charges in Sanders’ other criminal cases included drug and paraphernalia possession, theft and driving without a license.

Judge Sally Pokorny discussed what the plea deal would mean for Sanders: He waived his right to a preliminary hearing in one case that hadn’t had one yet, and he waived his right to a jury trial. In response to each of her questions to ensure he understood, Sanders said “Yes, ma’am.”

Pokorny found Sanders guilty of each of the six counts. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend that Sanders be sentenced to 68 months — five years and eight months — in prison. However, Pokorny said she was not bound by that agreement, and she could choose to order his sentences to be served consecutively rather than concurrently.

After the plea hearing, defense attorney Branden Smith told the judge that Sanders’ father, who has prostate cancer, is visiting town this weekend. Sanders told the judge that he thought this would probably be the last time he got to see his father.

Pokorny said she didn’t usually grant such requests, but she would allow Sanders a furlough from jail to spend the weekend with his family. She said Sanders has always shown up when he was supposed to.

Pokorny warned Sanders that the plea deal in its entirety would be contingent upon him returning to the jail at 9 a.m. Monday as promised. He will be required to wear a sweat patch that would indicate if he uses drugs or alcohol.

“If you can’t do it in jail, you can’t do it on furlough,” Pokorny said.

He will also have to wear an ankle bracelet with GPS monitoring. Pokorny said if Sanders removed the ankle bracelet, he could be charged with another felony, aggravated escape from custody, and the plea deal would be off the table.

Sanders’ sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9.