A Durango native accused of shooting a man on Main Avenue has posted bail, set at $100,000, and appeared unshackled Friday in the La Plata County Courthouse.
Anthony Pappas, 22, wore a navy blazer, a tie of the same color, a white shirt, rolled-cuff khakis and loafers.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Todd Norvell scheduled a preliminary hearing for Sept. 20, at which time prosecutors will have to present probable cause to convince a judge that a crime was committed and that Pappas is connected to it.
Pappas, through his attorney Joel Fry, declined to comment for this story.
He was able to bail out through a bondsman July 17, according to the La Plata County Jail. He will be tested for drug and alcohol consumption and is restrained from contact with the alleged victim in his case.
Law enforcement charged Pappas, a recent graduate of Norwich University – also known as The Military School of Vermont – with four felonies, including attempted second-degree murder. Pappas grew up in Durango and his parents have been at each hearing, barring his most recent appearance, since his arrest.
Law enforcement says Pappas shot Skyler Bowers, 25, in the back with a .40-caliber handgun around 2 a.m. June 13.
Bowers was treated at Mercy Regional Medical Center for a gunshot wound to his back that “narrowly missed hitting his spinal cord,” according to arresting documents. The Durango Police Department found Pappas hiding behind a dumpster.
About 1½ hours after his arrest, Pappas had a 0.235 blood-alcohol level, almost three times the legal driving limit of 0.08, according to arresting documents. While in custody the night of the incident, Pappas reportedly said: “I planned to kill a person”; “I walk around town every night with my handgun”; “I just wanted to save the world”; and “... I shot a guy that was assaulting me. I didn’t even kill him.”
Pappas asked three times to have his bail reduced, twice suggesting that his pretrial release could be confined to an in-patient rehabilitation facility in Arvada. The court denied each of his requests.
In addition to attempted second-degree murder, Pappas is charged with first-degree assault, punishable by four to 12 years in prison, and menacing and tampering with evidence, both felonies.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
