Different paths for 2 North Dakota attempted murder cases

DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — Cases against two attempted murder suspects in southwestern North Dakota have gone in different directions.

The Dickinson Press reports that 23-year-old Michael Pope had the charge against him reduced to a misdemeanor. He pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and was given a suspended sentence.

Pope was accused of shooting another man several times after an alcohol-fueled fight in Dickinson about a year ago. Stark County prosecutors say it might have been difficult to prove that Pope did not fire in self-defense.

Fifty-year-old Kevin Gardner has been bound over for trial on an attempted murder charge in Adams County. He is accused of putting a loaded gun to a woman's head last month in Hettinger and pulling the trigger. The gun did not fire.

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