By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com

A joint preliminary hearing was held Friday in Hall County Court for Jacob Weddle, 22, 720 N. Kimball, and Keith Raker, 20, 708 W. Fifth St. The men are each charged with one count of aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder.

The men will be arraigned in district court at 9 a.m. April 15. They remain in the Hall County Jail.

Grand Island police officer Jarret Daugherty was the only witness called to testify. He also testified last week at the preliminary hearing for Gabriel T. Carson, 31, of Doniphan, who is charged with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault and three counts of using a 9 mm handgun to commit a felony. Carson was bound over to district court. His arraignment is scheduled for April 8.

Daugherty gave similar testimony at both hearings.

He said he was called to El Tabares, 106 W. Fourth St., on Jan. 25 because two people had been shot inside the bar. The man and woman who were shot were struck in the legs by one bullet. Both were seated at the bar and they weren't the intended targets, Daugherty said.

According to information obtained from Carson during interviews that followed his arrest, Carson, Weddle and Raker had gone to the Conoco Motel on Jan. 25 to try to purchase cocaine from Kenneth Dandridge. When he said he was unable to provide the drugs, another man, Michael Cloud, offered to take the men to El Tabares to buy some from Ricardo "Rico" Aguilar, Daugherty said.

The men paid Aguilar, who then refused to give them any drugs or to return the money. Carson told officers he felt the other bar patrons were backing Aguilar and they were outnumbered so they left the bar and went to Weddle's home, Daugherty said.

Weddle retrieved a 9 mm gun from a safe in the living room and he, Raker and Carson went back to the bar, Daugherty said.

According to Carson, Weddle gave the gun to Raker, who said he was going to shoot Aguilar, Daugherty said. During a second interview, Carson, who had initially told officers he shot at Aguilar and had meant to fire the gun, said he felt shooting at Aguilar was too extreme so he took the gun from Raker, Daugherty said.

"He said he just wanted to scare Aguilar," Daugherty said.

When they got to the back door of the bar, Weddle opened the exterior door, Raker opened the interior door and Carson fired two shots into the bar. They returned to Carson's car, Carson gave Weddle the gun and they went back to Weddle's home, Daugherty said.

Weddle's sister, Amanda, 19, soon arrived and Weddle and Raker left with her. Carson left the home in his own vehicle, Daugherty said.

Deputy Hall County Attorney Matt Molsen argued that the men should be bound over to district court because they were involved in planning the shooting and Weddle supplied the gun. He added Carson's story changed and became a "self-serving statement." However, the evidence supports his first statement, Molsen said.

Raker's attorney, Jerry Fogarty, said there was no evidence that his client had any knowledge of Carson's plans.

Weddle's attorney, Jim Wagoner, said Carson intended to scare Aguilar and that didn't constitute the charge against his client.

Hall Count Attorney Philip Martin said the presence of the gun said a lot toward the intent of the crime.

Amanda Weddle is charged with being an accessory to a felony for the shooting. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 1. She is also charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder for the Aug. 12, 2007, death of Faud Osman.