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Two suspects in the Appl case advised of charges

Dennis WebbPost Independent Staff

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. A man suspected of trying to aid accused cop shooter Steven Appl could face up to a decade in prison and a co-defendant could be sentenced to a far longer term if the two are convicted.Wayne Hangs and Nichole Brownell were advised in court Wednesday of the charges filed against them and potential penalties.Magistrate Lain Leoniak also set arraignment dates of Jan. 4 for the two.Hangs, who lives south of Silt, faces two counts of being an accessory to a crime, and a tampering with evidence charge. The presumptive maximum sentences for the charges would add up to 1012 years in prison.Brownell also faces the accessory and tampering charges, along with other counts including a felony charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.The felony charges carry presumptive maximum sentences totaling 1612 years. However, Brownell’s attorney, Peter Rachesky, said any sentences she might receive if convicted could be doubled because she was free on bond at the time she was charged.Brownell was due to be sentenced this month after pleading guilty to methamphetamine-related charges in Rifle. But the sentencing was delayed after she was charged in the Appl case. She also had been arrested and released on $10,000 bond for a felony drug charge in Mesa County.Police say Appl, 33, of rural Battlement Mesa, shot and seriously wounded state trooper Brian Koch Oct. 24 south of Silt. Police reported that he then shot and killed himself after the vehicle he was hiding in was stopped at a police checkpoint near Silt. DeBeque resident Cori Graham faces charges related to her alleged role as the driver of the vehicle.Police say Appl had been hiding in Hangs’ home, and that Brownell, a resident there, took Graham to the home and asked her to drive Appl to Silt in hopes of helping him elude authorities.Hangs and Brownell told Leoniak Wednesday that they understood the charges against them and potential penalties. Hangs appeared without an attorney, but indicated that he expected to get one.Contact Dennis Webb: 384-9119dwebb@postindependent.comPost Independent, Glenwood Springs CO Colorado


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