3 of 4 Suspects Plead Guilty in Beating of Highway Patrolman

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Three of four Washington state residents accused in the beating of a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper have pleaded guilty.

Twenty-six-year-old Desiree Sukert, 24-year-old Chase Sukert and 22-year-old Jonathan Melendez pleaded guilty Tuesday to a drug charge and to being accessories to the October 2015 assault of Trooper Zachary Bader during an Interstate 90 traffic stop east of Rapid City. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

The most serious charges are against 33-year-old Donald Willingham, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges.

Authorities say the traffic stop led to the recovery of more than 50 pounds of marijuana, $33,000 in cash and a handgun. Bader spent two weeks at a Rapid City hospital being treated for injuries that included skull and facial fractures.