Carldale Hunter, who engaged in a standoff with police at the Court Street parking ramp in December 2022, was sentenced to 43 years in prison on Monday after taking a plea deal.
In the plea deal, Hunter agreed to plead guilty to six of 30 charges against him, which included 22 counts of contempt for violating a no-contact order.
Carldale Hunter pleaded guilty to the following:
- Kidnapping in the third degree
- Going armed with intent
- Felon in possession of a firearm
- Domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury or mental illness
- Child endangerment
- Robbery in the second degree
Before the sentencing hearing on Monday, Carldale Hunter sat with his mother, Sandra Bell, and his family in a Johnson County courtroom. While waiting for the hearing to begin, Carldale Hunter said in an interview with The Daily Iowan that he believed his story was not fairly represented during the trial.
Carldale Hunter told the DI he would have fought the charges but could not afford an attorney and had to be represented by a public defender. He said he believed his best chance was to take the plea deal instead of risking a longer sentence following a trial.
“I’m copping out because I never had fair representation,” Carldale Hunter told the DI.
Carldale Hunter initially pleaded not guilty for the charges against him on Dec. 21, 2022. At that point, a jury trial was put on the court docket but was pushed several times. It was eventually scheduled for Oct. 24, 2023, according to court documents.
On Oct. 18, 2023, six days before the trial, Carldale Hunter changed his plea to guilty for the same six counts in return for a reduced sentence. However, before the sentencing hearing, Carldale Hunter filed to withdraw counsel on Dec. 21, 2023, and another motion was filed to withdraw his plea of guilty which was approved on Jan. 7, 2024.
Court records reflect Carldale Hunter felt misled by his attorney on what the plea deal would entail for his sentencing. In light of this, Carldale Hunter was allowed to withdraw his plea of guilty, and another jury trial was scheduled for June 6, 2024.
In early March, with a new attorney, Carldale Hunter took a plea deal again and a new sentencing hearing was scheduled for Monday.
During court proceedings, Carldale Hunter went through three public defenders before he was represented by Aaron Eddy, who put together the final plea deal. Hunter told the DI Eddy was an “okay” attorney but wasn’t confident about going to trial.
While waiting for the sentencing hearing to start on Monday, Carldale Hunter told the DI he did not think the charges of kidnapping and robbery were valid. He said his wife, Shalitha Hunter, was not there against her will, which conflicts with police reports that she was held hostage in the parking ramp.
The criminal complaint filed by the Iowa City Police Department on Dec. 12, 2022, which is the date of the standoff, states they intended to conduct a welfare check after receiving a report from a third party that Shalitha Hunter was in danger and being taken to Chicago against her will.
The report states Carldale Hunter was at the Trailways Bus Station on Court Street and pulled out a gun from his pocket when police arrived. Further, the reports state Carldale Hunter pressed his gun to his wife’s head and warned officers he would kill her if officers didn’t “back off” and moved into the parking garage while using her as a human shield.
Carldale Hunter told the DI this account was allegedly inaccurate. He said his wife’s mother was upset her daughter was going to Chicago with him and had contacted law enforcement, lying that he was taking her there against her will.
While in prison, court documents reflect that Carldale Hunter violated a no-contact order multiple times for talking on the phone with his wife and kids.
Carldale Hunter said he had a gun with him at the bus stop because he wanted to protect himself and his wife out of fear for their safety once they arrived in Chicago. He acknowledged he should not have had the gun because he is a convicted felon.
Carldale Hunter said he and his wife were the only ones in the bus station when he said police “approached with aggression.” He said they allegedly both ran into the parking ramp together.
Once in the parking garage, Carldale Hunter said he saw an SUV, which he and his wife approached. He said they asked the woman driving for a ride to get away and didn’t attempt to steal the vehicle. He said his wife told the woman Carldale Hunter had a gun. This encounter resulted in the robbery charge against Carldale Hunter.
Police reports reflect the SUV was a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe and that Carldale Hunter and his wife stopped on the second floor of the parking garage as a woman was getting into the car. The report then states Carldale Hunter tried to pull her out of their vehicle and put a gun in her face to get her out of the vehicle. The attempt, however, was unsuccessful.
Eventually, Carldale Hunter said they became pinned down in the parking garage by police. Police reports reflect that snipers and other law enforcement surrounded the parking garage.
RELATED: Man who held his wife hostage in the Court Street Parking Ramp pleads guilty
At that point, Carldale Hunter told the DI he felt like he would become a victim of a police shooting. He said he decided he would rather commit suicide instead of the police killing him. Carldale Hunter then shot himself which ended the standoff. Carldale Hunter survived his injuries.
Before sentencing, Carldale Hunter said he was not nervous about going to prison.
“As long as I keep my faith in God, I’m not worried,” Carldale Hunter said. “This is not the end for me.”
Once the sentencing was read in the courtroom and Carldale Hunter was about to be taken out, his mother asked the police if she could give him a hug before he left. This request was denied as it was against policy.
Right before Carldale Hunter was taken away, he told his mother he loved her. His mother responded: “I love you so much” before the doors closed.