Esteban Fermin Dominguez, 29, of Grafton, N.D., man was found guilty of attempted murder and terrorizing Wednesday for shooting at a neighbor in a dispute over stolen tires in August.
The two-day trial at the Walsh County Courthouse in Grafton concluded with the jury deliberating for about an hour before reaching the guilty verdicts.
Attempted murder is a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Terrorizing is a Class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Northeast District Judge M. Richard Geiger presided over the trial and has ordered a pre-sentence investigation.
Dominguez also faced a pair of drug counts following a search of his residence, but those did not go to trial with the more serious charges.
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Heated dispute
According to court documents, David Nelson Jr., 22, got a text message from his neighbor Dominguez around 7 p.m. Aug. 4 asking Nelson to go for a ride with him. They were joined by a friend of Dominguez, Raymond Scott Wynne of Grafton.
Dominguez drove north of Grafton to Farmington Township and pulled into a field. He started accusing Nelson of stealing rims from his car, which had been in an unlocked shed in Dominguez's yard.
Nelson said all three got out of the car where the argument got heated. He said he was chased away by Wynne, but was lured back by Dominguez, who said they could talk if Nelson was innocent.
Dominguez then got a rifle from his car and threatened Nelson with it, at one point demanding he get in the trunk.
During the ordeal, Nelson tried to flag down a passing car, but the driver didn't stop.
He eventually ran into a nearby field.
Dominguez shot at him about four times, Nelson said, before he fell to the ground in hopes that the shooting would stop.
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Dominguez and Wynne eventually drove off and Nelson walked back to Grafton.
Wynne pleaded guilty in October to a charge of being an accomplice, a Class C felony, and got a two-year suspended sentence.
Reach Bieri at (701) 780-1118; (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or send email to cbieri@gfherald.com .
