Plea entered in molestation

A Gulf War veteran, who was extradited from the Kingdom of Tonga, entered a plea Friday to charges of molesting two girls, in exchange for a prosecutor dismissing two additional counts of rape.

David Frederick Achtemeier, 40, entered an Alford plea to Superior Court Judge Neal Rielly. Under that plea, Achtemeier does not admit he molested the girls but acknowledges that enough evidence exists that he could be convicted of those crimes.

Rielly did not sentence Achtemeier, who is expected to receive about 7 1/2 years in prison, minus the year he has already spent in the Spokane County Jail.

According to court records, the sexual assaults occurred between 1993 and 1999. He also was charged with the same crimes in Stevens County – charges that were dismissed as part of the plea.

Deputy Prosecutor John Love explained that Achtemeier and the victims split time between homes in Spokane and Stevens counties so he was charged in both jurisdictions for the same crimes.

Achtemeier, who was wounded as a medic in the Persian Gulf in 1991, fled Spokane in 2004 after charges were filed.

The FBI obtained a warrant charging Achtemeier with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on July 6, 2005. Last February, the FBI arrested Achtemeier in the Kingdom of Tonga, which is located on a series of islands in the South Pacific between Hawaii and New Zealand.

In a letter he sent to The Spokesman-Review, Achtemeier claimed that his arrest was the result of a government conspiracy.

Achtemeier said in his letter that his “story includes missile launching, space, nuclear waste, China vs. America, espionage, private armies, biological warfare … murder, war, government takeover …CIA cover-up, black ops,” he wrote. “This will spark world attention. Contact me ASAP!”