Ricardo O. McQueen dutifully appeared at the Blaine County Jail on Saturday to start serving a 90-day sentence for stabbing two Hailey brothers during a fight behind a Hailey bar last fall.
But the 30-year-old Bahamian native and former Ketchum resident will be eligible for the jail's work release program beginning June 30.
Ketchum attorney Brian Elkins, who represents McQueen, reported at the defendant's sentencing hearing on June 13 that McQueen has a temporary job lined up in Ketchum. Magistrate Judge R. Ted Israel approved McQueen's work release request but ruled that the defendant must spend 14 full days behind bars before he's eligible.
Under the work release program, inmates are allowed out of jail for work shifts.
"Once they're done with their jobs, they report back here to jail," said Lt. Jay Davis, spokesman and jail administrator for the sheriff's office. "And they have to let us know where they're at."
McQueen was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of misdemeanor battery. He was originally charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, but those charges were dismissed by the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in exchange for the guilty pleas.
McQueen was accused of stabbing brothers Rodrigo and Pier Herrara during a fight around 2 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2006, behind The Mint Nightclub and Billiards Hall on Main Street in Hailey. Both men were stabbed in the chest and transported to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center. Rodrigo Herrara was 29 at the time and Pier Herrara was 24. Both live in Hailey.
As part of the plea agreement, McQueen was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution for medical expenses for the Herrara brothers at a rate of $200 per month. Court records state that medical expenses for the brothers were actually closer to $42,000.
McQueen was also ordered to serve four years probation. Court records state that the misdemeanor convictions may be erased from his record if he successfully meets his sentence and probation requirements.
Court records list a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., address for McQueen.