PERHAM - A Perham landlord accused of shooting a tenant in September has taken a plea deal that calls for a 15-year prison sentence.
Gerald Duane Skolte, 63, is set to plead guilty to second degree attempted murder in the shooting of Mike Marcell Jr. on Dec. 17. Charges of first-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon would be dismissed under the deal filed Monday in Otter Tail District Court.
The criminal complaint says Skolte shot Marcell, who was living in a trailer on Skolte's Perham property, after putting an eviction notice on the trailer that morning. Video showed that Skolte shot Marcell after the two had a conversation and as Marcell turned to walk away, the complaint says.
