A 364-day suspended sentence has been handed down to a Waterville town councilmember who pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges involving reckless driving, fleeing from Sheriff's deputies, and telling lies to cover it up.
34-year-old Cody Preugschat received the sentence in Douglas County Superior Court, as well as credit for one day already served in jail, in exchange for his plea to the charges, both of which are gross misdemeanors.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop felony charges of eluding and witness tampering. Those were the original counts filed after Preugschat was accused of fleeing from a Douglas County deputy who attempted to pull him over last October 9th on suspicion of DUI.
In his plea, Preugschat, who was elected to the Waterville Town Council in 2019, did not admit to wrongdoing, but said District Court Judge Eric Biggar could rely on police reports when determining his sentence. Those reports say Preugschat falsely claimed he was out of town at the time of the incident, and influenced a witness to support his alibi.
That witness later admitted the deception, deputies said, and cellphone records showed Preugschat was actually in the Waterville and Wenatchee areas on the night of the attempted traffic stop.
Preugschat now has to pay more than $1,400 in fees and fines, and serve two years on probation. If he violates his conditions during that time, he could be ordered to serve the remaining 363 days of his suspended sentence.