Higgins pleads guilty

Eighteen-year-old Jay Higgins appeared in court on Monday, Nov. 8 for a status conference and to change his plea in relation to charges filed against him.

Higgins is charged with conspiracy to commit custodial interference, a felony, when he, along with Kegan Salter, took 16-year-old Kelsey Ray out of state back in May. Higgins and Salter were arrested later in June and Ray turned herself into Kirkland, Wash. police on June 8, after being reported missing on May 30.

In papers filed by Shaun Donovan, county attorney, Higgins is accused of having the purpose of taking, enticing or withholding Ray from the custody of her parents without any legal right to do so. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit custodial interference is imprisonment in the Montana State Prison for up to ten years and a fine of $50,000.

Higgins pled guilty on Nov. 8, changing his initial plea of not guilty in a plea bargain. The court ordered a presentence investigation prior to sentencing. Higgins originally tried to dismiss the charges and his attorney filed a motion to dismiss back in September.

The papers stated that Higgins behavior is not line up with what is prescribed by the statute. The papers state that, “however ill advised their plan may have been, the two young men believed they were providing safe haven for Kelsey Ray.”

The charges, however, were not dismissed.