SOAP LAKE — A Soap Lake man will be spending over four years in prison in connection with a December armed robbery near Soap Lake.

Cristian Bustos, 22, of Soap Lake, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to first-degree robbery and was sentenced to 53 months in prison. Bustos was initially charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping, but the kidnapping charge was dismissed in a plea agreement.

The robbery occurred Dec. 19 and involved Bustos, along with 28-year-old David Knott Jr., of Soap Lake, and a teenager, robbing a man and stealing his vehicle. The victim said on the day of the incident he picked up the three males in the 100 block of Adrian Avenue, in the Lakeview community, according to court documents.

The victim drove toward the area of Road B Northwest in an attempt to find a spot to smoke marijuana. At some point Bustos pulled out a handgun, with Knott and the teen following suit, and the victim was told to do what Bustos instructed. They drove to the dead end of Road B and the victim was told to get out of the vehicle. The suspects stole the victim’s cellphone, car keys, $3 and some loose change and he was told to crawl under a gate at the end of the road.

The victim says he knelt on the ground after he crawled under the gate and at least one shot was fired, after which the suspects stole the victim’s vehicle and fled the area.

“All three suspects pulled weapons and threatened (the victim). Without question, Bustos, Knott and (the teen) had planned to commit such crimes. A plan had been formed as each acted in unison and knew what each other was doing,” wrote the investigating deputy. “The suspects inflicted extreme mental distress on (the victim) and he believed he more than likely would be shot and/or killed during the commission of such incident and taken to an unknown location.”

The vehicle was recovered in the Swanson Addition area of Ephrata. Bustos and Knott were apprehended Dec. 21 by the U.S. Marshals Task Force in the 100 block of Adrian Avenue Northwest. Knott is currently charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping. Charges against the teen have been dismissed.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.