A Rapid City man admitted this week to shooting and robbing a Sturgis man last month.

Jeremy Thomas Smith, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of aggravated assault and one count of first-degree robbery as a part of an agreement with the state, according to Meade County State's Attorney Jesse Sondreal.

Additional robbery and assault charges against Smith were dropped in exchange for his plea.

Two other men, Chad Elkins, 24, and James Blanding, 20, still face two counts of first-degree robbery, one count of first-degree burglary and two counts of aggravated assault.

The charges stem from a May 3 break-in at a Mountain View Estates mobile-home park residence that resulted in two residents robbed and one of them shot. Judd Blakeman, 20, was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police.

William Canaday, 21, also suffered minor injuries during the incident, but he was not shot.

Sondreal said the investigation determined Smith shot Blakeman in the forearm, although Sondreal said Smith denies shooting Blakeman intentionally.

"Smith's version is, 'I didn't know the gun was loaded, and it accidentally went off,'" Sondreal said, adding that Blakeman would probably tell a different version.

Sondreal said an attempted murder charge was not pursued, because the facts did not demonstrate that Smith was trying to kill anyone.

Elkins and Blanding are scheduled for a motions hearing June 27 before 4th Circuit Judge John W. Bastian of Belle Fourche, the second judge in the case.

Smith asked his attorney, Bryce Flint of Sturgis, to request that 4th Circuit Judge Jerome Eckrich be removed. A defendant does not need to specify a reason for wanting a different judge. Because they are jointly charged in the case, the state Supreme Court has required that cases for all co-defendants be reassigned.

Bastian has scheduled sentencing for Smith at 10 a.m. July 23.

First-degree robbery and first-degree burglary are class 2 felonies that carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Aggravated assault is a class 3 felony, with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

Cash, cell phones and other items were stolen during the robbery, Sondreal said.

Blanding, Smith and Elkins are all in Pennington County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com