Shooter who fled Baker gets seven-year sentence

A man who fled Baker City after an October shooting and later was arrested in Portland has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree assault and three other felony charges.

Judge Greg Baxter sentenced Zachary Persicke, 24, of 2690 Ninth St., Friday in Baker County Circuit Court.

In addition to the assault charge, Persicke pleaded guilty to coercion and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, all Class C felonies, District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff said.

Baxter sentenced Persicke to 30 months in prison on the assault charge and added 18 months for each of the other charges, for a total of 84 months in prison. Persicke will be required to complete three years’ post-prison supervision upon release and to pay restitution to the victim, Jesse Rounsville, 46, of 225 Bridge St.

Rounsville was shot in the torso the night of Oct. 22 at a house in the 2300 block of Fifth St. He was flown by LifeFlight to St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise for treatment. Rounsville was treated and released “fairly quickly,” Shirtcliff said, and has made nearly a full recovery.

Rounsville told police Persicke intentionally shot him, Shirtcliff said.

Persicke, who Shirtcliff said was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting, originally was charged with first-degree assault, a Class A felony that carries a mandatory minimum 90-month sentence upon conviction. That charge alleges that a person “intentionally causes serious physical injury to another by means of a deadly or dangerous weapon.”

“The evidence was clear that at a minimum Persicke was reckless in his behavior and that his recklessness caused the victim to be shot,” Shirtcliff said.

Under state law, a person commits the crime of third-degree assault by “recklessly” causing “serious physical injury to another by means of a deadly or dangerous weapon.” 

Persicke will be allowed to complete programs in prison, including drug and alcohol treatment, Shirtcliff said.

Rounsville was pleased with the resolution of the case, the district attorney added.

After the shooting, Persicke fled to the Portland area where he was taken into custody Oct. 27 by members of the Baker County Major Crime Team.

After learning Persicke’s whereabouts, investigators contacted him by phone and worked with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Portland to take him into custody. He has been held at the Baker County Jail since his October arrest.