A packed Vilas County courtroom listened for almost two hours Monday to the sentencing hearing for Jeremiah Solis (SO-lease), 21 of Hazelhurst who pled no contest and was found guilty of neglegent handling of a dangerous weapon in the shooting death of Connor Stevens of Three Lakes Sept. 3, 2017 in an upstarirs apartment at 421 East Wall Street in Eagle River.
Judge Neal Nielson, III, after hearing from the victims parents and from supporters of Solis, sentenced Solis to state prison for a term of eight years with four years of initial confinement followed by four years of extended supervision . . . then stayed the sentence and placed Solis on probation for five years with numberous conditions, the most serious of which was one year in the county jail.
Vilas County district attorney Martha Milanowski said she would follow the recommedation of the pre-sentence report that identified eight years in prison with three years initial confinement and five years extended supervision and to suspend the sentence placing Solis on probation for five years with one year in jail.
“Incarceration is absolutly necessary in this case and one year in jail is nothing compared to what the Stevens family will go through in the years ahead,” Milanowski said.
Defense attorney Al Moustakis said Solis knows he was at fault.
“He knows he lost a friend by his own hand . . .and takes full responsibility for his actions and makes no excuses.”
Judge Nielson said there was no other way to characterize this event other than a tragic accident and that Solis “violated every rule of gun safety.” He then sentenced him to prison for eight years with four years initial confinement and four years extended supervision . . . staying that sentence and placing Solis on probation for five years including one year in jail.
Solis was immediately placed in handcuffs and escorted from the courtroom to the county jail.
