Two men charged with attempted murder

Two men have made their first court appearance after being indicted on charges of attempted murder, along with a woman who faces charges in the same case.

A grand jury indicted all three — Timothy W. Allen, 42, of Kuna, Robert J. LaPlante, 57, of Clarkston and Kelley A. Wilson, 58, of Clarkston — on Monday, and all three will be arraigned next Wednesday.

Allen and LaPlante were indicted with attempted murder and Wilson was charged with being an accessory to attempted murder after allegedly withholding information from a peace officer. Wilson, who is on parole for a murder in Clarkston in 2005, had her initial appearance Tuesday. She is represented by public defender Randy Reed.

The Lewiston Police Department responded to an injured person call July 14 in North Lewiston. Officers arrived and found a victim unconscious with multiple stab wounds. Over the next few months, detectives determined LaPlante, Allen and Wilson were allegedly involved in the incident, according to a news release from the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Over the last several months, the Lewiston Police Department worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victim,” Nez Perce County Prosecutor Justin Coleman said in a news release. “They have spent hundreds of hours and interviewed dozens of witnesses to bring this case to the grand jury. I want to personally thank all the Officers, Troopers, and Deputies who worked throughout the last 48 hours to take these three into custody. I also want to specifically thank Detective Corporal Cody Bloomsburg, Detective Brian Erickson, and Chief Deputy April Smith for the extra work put into obtaining these indictments.”

Allen and LaPlante appeared by Zoom on Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Sunil Ramalingam. Ramalingam notified both of their rights, charges and the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison as well as a $50,000 fine. Wilson had her initial appearance Tuesday and faces the same penalty, 15 years in prison as well as a $50,000 fine.

Allen, LaPlante and Wilson are all being held on a $1 million bond, which was signed by 2nd District Judge Mark Monson. Ramalingam left the bond in place for Allen and LaPlante and Magistrate Judge Victoria Olds kept the bond for Wilson on Tuesday.

As the amount of bond was discussed Wednesday, Nez Perce County Chief Deputy Prosecutor April Smith said that in the case that Allen and LaPlante are alleged to have participated in, police found a person who had been left unconscious for “multiple hours with multiple injuries.”

Smith noted that LaPlante has a “significant” criminal history including “numerous” felonies including eluding, theft and violent crimes. She said that Allen had a criminal history of robbery and possession of a controlled substance.

Smith argued for the bond to remain in place for both defendants citing their individual criminal history and the nature of the offense.

Public defender Rick Cuddihy was in the courtroom to represent Allen and argued for a reduced bond. He said that he doesn’t know the nature of the charge because of the indictment, which is sealed, but “it’s still an allegation.” Cuddihy said that a $1 million bond for attempted murder and the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison “seems exorbitant.”

Ramalingam said that he considers public safety when determining bond and therefore found the $1 million bond sufficient. Ramalingam also said that he didn’t know the facts of the case, but Monson, who signed the warrant for the bond amount, was “more familiar with the facts” as the presiding judge in the grand jury.

Ramalingam told Allen he could argue for a reduced bond before Monson at his arraignment.

Public defender Lawrence Moran was also present to represent LaPlante, but he told Ramalingam that he had a conflict of interest from having background involvement as the case was developing and interactions with clients who might be witnesses or codefendants.

“That’s going to make it impossible to represent Mr. LaPlante and other participants here,” Moran said.

Ramalingam then appointed McFarland Law Office as public defender.

LaPlante was taken into custody in Asotin County on Tuesday and then was transferred to the Nez Perce County Jail.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.