Alleged Palin stalkers plan to plead guilty

ANCHORAGE - Having been denied in an earlier attempt, a Pennsylvania father and son plan to plead guilty to charges relating to allegedly stalking Sarah Palin, this time without the safety of a plea agreement.

Both Shawn Christy and his father, Craig Christy, have notified the federal court in Anchorage that they intend to plead guilty without any kind of agreement on a sentence with prosecutors.

Both are charged with making harassing phone calls to Palin's lawyer after the attorney helped the former governor win restraining orders against the father and son. Palin's longtime friend, Kristan Cole, also alleged she was being stalked and also received restraining orders against Shawn Christy.

As for the phone calls, the Christies allegedly made threats to harm or rape attorney's office employees and placed enough calls and left enough messages to hinder business at the law firm.

In November, father and son filed notice they had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, which would have them free and back in Pennsylvania at its conclusion. Shawn Christy would have been barred from calling anyone in Alaska other than his attorney without court permission.

But U.S. District Court Judge Tim Burgess rejected those plea agreements. Though Burgess filed no written explanation of his reasoning, the Associated Press reported that he said he saw the Christys' conduct as disturbing and worried that they "seem undeterred in their conduct."

Shawn Christy's attorney, Mary C. Geddes, filed an objection to Burgess' ruling.

"Mr. Christy does wish to preserve his earlier objection to the court's rejection of the parties' plea agreements. Counsel asks that this matter be scheduled for a change of plea no sooner than Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, as she hopes for a reconsideration," the objection says.

In a plea agreement, both sides usually agree on a sentence for the charge to which the defendant pleads guilty. Without such an agreement, Burgess will be free to impose a sentence up to the limit for a harassment charge by federal law.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.