Man pleads guilty in shooting

A man accused of shooting at a vehicle he wrongly believed carried an angry drug dealer pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted mitigated deliberate homicide.

The driver of the vehicle was not hurt, although four or five shots reportedly hit the car and one gunshot "came extremely close to striking him," according to a Sheriff's Office report.

The incident happened in March. Albert Costa, 32, was to stand trial Oct. 31, but changed his plea to guilty Wednesday.

He will be sentenced on Dec. 8. Prosecuting deputy county attorney Dan Guzynski will recommend a prison sentence of 40 years with 25 suspended. Costa faces up to 100 years in prison.

The incident stemmed from a drug deal, allegedly involving 14 grams of methamphetamine. It began when several men went to a home at Meadow Manor Trailer Court on Conrad Drive, forced their way into a mobile home and cut a man in the face with a knife.

Threatening phone calls followed, warning the residents that they would be hurt by someone driving a white car.

A couple of weeks later at about 2 a.m., Costa was at the residence where he was reportedly called to protect people.

He and another man reportedly saw a vehicle parked outside the mobile home and started walking toward it. The driver of the vehicle was driving away when he heard four rounds fired at his car. His driver's window exploded and two rounds were later retrieved from the car. Shell casings from a .380-caliber weapon were found at the scene.

Costa admitted that he owns a .380-caliber weapon and initially said he had fired the gun at the driver.

Costa was reportedly wanted in California on a charge of assault with a weapon. The state did not want to extradite Costa from Montana.