Bozeman – In a decisive victory for justice, the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office has secured 25-year sentences to the Montana State Prison for both Santiago Machado Echeverri and Andres Felipe Lara Gonzalez following their conviction for assaulting Shane Skiff and Jared Mizner in downtown Bozeman. These sentences ensure both defendants are held fully accountable and reinforces our commitment to protecting the residents of Gallatin County.

The charges stemmed from the February 10, 2024, violent stabbing incidents in downtown Bozeman, Montana, resulting in serious injuries to two victims.

The first incident took place near Bozeman and Olive Streets around 1:37 a.m., where victim Shane Skiff was attacked by two males after their SUV struck a street sign. The suspects assaulted Skiff with edged weapons, causing severe lacerations to his face, shoulder, thigh, and hand.

Shortly afterward, at approximately 1:41 a.m., a second attack occurred near the First Security Bank at Bozeman and Babcock Streets. Jared Mizner, who had earlier been involved in a verbal altercation with the suspects outside the Rocking R Bar, was pursued and attacked by the same two males. Mizner suffered multiple stab wounds, including a deep laceration to his neck.

Investigation by Detective Thomas Lloyd of the Bozeman Police Department led to the identification of the suspect vehicle, a silver Nissan Armada with Idaho license plates.
Surveillance footage and witness statements confirmed the suspects' involvement.

Following a coordinated law enforcement operation, Echeverri and Gonzalez were located and arrested. Gonzalez later confessed to participating in both assaults and described using a wood chisel as a weapon, while Echeverri was armed with a box cutter. Both suspects admitted to attempting to clean the blood from their vehicle and disposing of the weapons.

The men pled guilty to two counts of Assault with a Weapon and one count of Tampering with Evidence, all felonies. The men have been held in the Gallatin County Detention Center on $300,000 bond since the incident. Gallatin County Detention Center served both men with ICE warrants and held them for ICE under the County’s 287(g) program.

The 287(g) program is a federal partnership between ICE and the Gallatin County Detention Center, authorized under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It allows specially trained local officers to serve and execute federal immigration warrants for civil immigration violations within detention facilities. The program aims to enhance public safety by enabling quicker transfer of removable individuals to ICE custody after local criminal proceedings.

Echeverri and Gonzalez will be sent to the Montana State Prison. The ICE holds will remain in place, ensuring that upon their release from prison, ICE will be notified to take them into custody.

Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell stated, “Today’s sentencing is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to justice. Violent crimes such as this will not be tolerated in our community.”

The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office commends the Bozeman Police Department, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, and the MSU Police Department for their thorough and coordinated investigative efforts in this case:

Detective Mike Mertz, Montana State University Police Department
Officer John Ng, Bozeman Police Department
Sgt. Ian Anderson, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Coby Ybarra, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Braden Peterson, Bozeman Police Department
Detective Thomas Lloyd, Bozeman Police Department
Deputy Nicholas Jordan, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Chris Sinclair, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Andrew Greer, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Detective Andrew Kappler, Bozeman Police Department
Sgt. Ben King, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Douglas Miller, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Lindsay Shepherd, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Marek Ziegler, Bozeman Police Department
Detective Nate Webb, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Officer Hannah Helsby, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Jackson Jenkins, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Jacob Ahmann, Bozeman Police Department
Detective Mike Emens, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Officer James Marvich, Bozeman Police Department
Sgt. Michael Chickos, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Deputy Karl Freml, Gallatin County Sheriff's Office
Detective Shay Stephens, Bozeman Police Department
Officer Jesse Stovall, Belgrade Police Department
Detective Juan Cervantes, Belgrade Police Department
Detective Kaci Hansen, Belgrade Police Department