Originally facing up to 16 years in prison for three charges in the alleged strangulation and beating of his girlfriend, a Yellowstone concessionaire worker has struck a plea agreement reducing his case to one charge punishable by up to five years in prison.
Anthony Flores is accused of assaulting his girlfriend in Yellowstone on May 24, after she came home later than he wished from the nearby pub, court documents say.
The office of the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming filed the case May 25.
Federal prosecutor Seth Griswold on Monday re-filed the case with the domestic violence assault charge — punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines — remaining, while he dropped the strangulation (up to 10 years) and simple assault charges (up to one year).
The plea agreement itself is not public, as the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming does not make plea agreements public.
Flores’ case file does not yet reflect a scheduled date for his change of plea hearing.
The Bathroom Floor
The original complaint says that Flores and his girlfriend had moved in together after one day of dating, and had been dating for about three weeks when the alleged assault happened.
Flores worked for Xanterra, a concessionaire established in Yellowstone National Park.
The woman had decided May 23 to go to the Old Faithful pub. Flores showed up to the pub agitated, and the woman went home with him, the woman later told a Yellowstone park ranger.
She said she asked him to leave once they were in the bedroom, and he turned “scary,” pinning her to the bed, trapping her arms against it and covering her mouth with one hand, the affidavit alleges.
She wrestled for about 40 minutes, the woman told the ranger, adding that Flores carried her into the bathroom, shut the door, smothered her mouth and slammed her head against the bathroom floor repeatedly.
When she was able to break free, she grabbed her keys, went to a nearby dorm room and reported the incident.
These Wounds
U.S. Park Ranger Joe Stuart, along with Arrah La Bolle, the park ranger who conducted the woman’s follow-up interview, documented the woman’s injuries. Those allegedly included:
- Scrapes on her cheeks and chin
- Abrasions inside her mouth
- Broken blood vessels in her left eye
- Scratch marks on her back
- A contusion on her right thigh
- A golf ball-sized bump on the back of her head
- Pain on both sides of her jawbone
- General soreness to her arms and entire body
- Fresh bruising around her clavicle
- Fresh bruising to her neck on both sides
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
