One suspect in a kidnapping case from last fall has pleaded to a different charge.
Originally, Brandon Villa was charged with kidnapping after a person reported being kidnapped, beaten and robbed at an Emporia address in September. However, during his preliminary hearing this week, Villa reached an agreement where the kidnapping charge was replaced by an attempted marijuana distribution count. Villa pleaded no contest to attempted drug distribution.
Sentencing is now coming at 9:30 am June 18.
Villa becomes the third of four defendants in this case to either reach a plea or be convicted by a jury. Stacy Steen pleaded to an aggravated kidnapping charge and will spend 12 years, three months in prison. Will Anderson, meanwhile, was convicted last month on a single count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of theft and single counts of robbery, burglary and drug possession. His sentencing is July 19.
Ivan Murillo has a pretrial hearing June 19 on kidnapping, robbery and burglary charges.
