Friede Changes Plea For Witness Tampering
Christpher Michael Lee Friede, 20, of Culbertson changed his plea to guilty for the charge of witness tampering. He changed his plea in district court on Tuesday, March 23.
Maximum penalties for the offense is 10 years in prison, a $50,000 fine or both. A pre-sentencing investigation has been ordered.
During the hearing, Friede admitted that he attempted to have a third party talk with an alleged victim of a crime in order to have her change her testimony.
Friede is scheduled for trial on May 13 for the charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
According to court documents, when an officer reviewed inmate Friede’s outside phone calls, it was found that Friede told his sister on Jan. 26 to contact the alleged victim and direct her to provide false information to the county attorney’s office.
According to court documents, Friede had a phone conversation on Jan. 28, where he appeared to be talking with his sister and asking her to contact someone else to talk with the alleged minor victim.
