Anderson takes plea deal

Loren Anderson has pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment.

Court documents say Anderson purposefully chased down and crashed head-on into his girlfriend’s vehicle on Highway 281 just north of New Rockford, following a domestic dispute on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

After the incident, Anderson was charged with reckless endangerment and terrorizing, both Class C felonies, as well as domestic violence and aggravated reckless driving, both Class A misdemeanors.

Anderson originally pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his jury trial was scheduled for Thursday, May 16 at 9:30 a.m. in the Eddy County Courthouse.

However, just days before his trial was set to begin, Anderson reached a deal with Eddy County State’s Attorney Ashley Lies and pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment.

In exchange, the reckless endangerment charge was taken down from a felony to a misdemeanor, and the other three charges were dismissed.

Anderson received his sentence on Thursday, May 9.

District Court Judge John Hovey sentenced Anderson to 28 days imprisonment, with credit for 28 days already served. Anderson was also assessed a total of $560 in various fees, and will remain on unsupervised probation until May 4 of next year.

Anderson must also complete the Alternatives to Violence Program at Safe Alternatives for Abused Families, which he was first ordered to do for a 2022 domestic violence case.