Iron River man pleads to taking car

BESSEMER — An Iron River man pleaded guilty for taking a car from an Ironwood parking lot in Gogebic Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Kyle Cal Kontney, 26, pleaded guilty to unlawfully driving away with a vehicle and use of methamphetamine as part of a plea agreement. The agreement also requires he plead guilty to breaking and entering of a motor vehicle to steal property less than $200 in a separate case in Gogebic County District Court. The unlawful driving charge is a 5-year felony, while breaking and entering and use of meth are misdemeanors.

In exchange for the pleas, charges of possession of meth and resisting or obstructing a police officer will be dismissed at sentencing. A habitual offender designation will also be dismissed at sentencing. The plea agreement also stipulates Kontney’s sentences on the charges will be served concurrently and Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs will recommend a sentence in the middle of the state’s sentencing guidelines.

Kontney testified he is on probation in Iron River for a third drunk driving charge, which could lead to additional punishments unrelated to the contents of the plea agreement.

Kontney told the court that on Jan. 8 he took a truck from the parking lot of the Cloverland Cinema on U.S. 2 after he found the keys in the vehicle, but then decided he didn’t want to get in trouble and left it in the parking lot of a motel on the highway.

“I was out of my mind at the time,” he said, adding he felt he was being told to do things after he stopped taking his medication. He also testified he had eaten some meth he stole from from some people at Depot Park in downtown Ironwood prior to taking the vehicle because he thought it was the source of his mental issues that night.

Kontney was allowed to remain out on bond after his attorney, Doug Muskett, argued it was in everyone’s interest he continue to receive various treatments for the mental health issues that he said led to his behavior — which Muskett said stemmed from injuries his client sustained while serving in Afghanistan.

Kontney is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 27.