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	Jerome Pastor Matheney Agrees to Misdemeanor Guilty Plea Four Felony Charges Dropped By Cassidy Friedman Times-News May 16, 2008 http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/05/16/news/local_state/136814.txt JEROME - All the people who might have been shocked by the Rev. Ron Matheney suddenly pleading guilty to a misdemeanor Thursday morning were absent from the courtroom. More than that, they were unaware any such hearing was taking place. On Wednesday evening, the pastor reached a deal to plead guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge, just days before his trial was to begin on four felony charges involving violence against his wife. The deal was finalized in court just hours later on Thursday morning. As a result of the quick action, not even Matheney's wife knew about the hearing or the plea agreement, county deputy prosecutor Paul Kroeger said. Kroeger told the judge that the victim, Darlene Matheney, had entrusted him to make appropriate decisions, and she knew a plea bargain deal was on the table. But Kroeger declined to say why he agreed to drop the charges. "I think there was evidence there, but there are different reasons to plead cases," Kroeger said. "Lots of things happened during the course of this case." Matheney, pastor of Jerome's First Presbyterian Church, was accused of waking Darlene in the middle of the night on Aug. 14 and forcing her to have sex, beating her and preventing her from calling police. Matheney countered that his wife was the aggressor and threw the first punch, although he admitted hitting her twice during the fight, according to a county sheriff's affidavit. Until Thursday morning, he was charged with domestic battery, attempted strangulation, rape and sexual penetration with a foreign object - all felonies. He was also charged with a misdemeanor, alleging he destroyed the phone line while she tried to call authorities. Many members of Matheney's flock rallied in support of their pastor, a response that Darlene Matheney's father said caused him great distress. Kroeger said the couple is now in the middle of divorce proceedings. Ron Matheney declined comment after leaving Thursday's hearing with his attorney Lisa Barini-Garcia. Speaking months ago in beginning of the case, he swore he would prove his innocence in court. "It sounds bad," Matheney said at the time. "I believe that if the truth is told, it will be dropped, that is, if politics don't become involved." After the hearing, as Matheney's attorney escorted him to his vehicle in the parking lot he again declined comment. It was unclear Thursday if the conviction would affect his position in the Presbyterian church. Dennis Falasco of Idaho Falls, chairman of the Presbytery's Committee on Ministry, did not return calls to the Times-News Thursday evening. In the plea agreement, Matheney made an Alford plea, meaning he does not admit to committing the crime but he agrees that a jury may find him guilty. Kroeger went further than simply dropping the felony charges against the pastor. He assured Matheney that he would not oppose the pastor in seeking a withheld judgment at a July 1 sentencing hearing. Kroeger also conceded that with good conduct, he would not interfere with the pastor's attempts to expunge his record after a probationary period, according to court records. The maximum sentence for simple battery is six months in jail. Kroeger said he has factored into his sentencing previous domestic violence charges filed against Matheney in other states. In 1992, Matheney received a withheld judgment in Florida on a domestic case and another charge was dismissed against the pastor in New Jersey, Kroeger said. Another condition of the plea agreement is that Matheney must submit to a domestic violence evaluation before his sentence. Kroeger said he expects the evaluation will answer whether Matheney has a pattern of domestic violence. Cassidy Friedman can be reached at 208-735-3241 or cfriedman@magicvalley.com.
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