One of three former Blue Ridge High School students charged in a 2021 attack on a former classmate pleaded guilty on Jan. 12 in Navajo County Superior Court. Emily Fogle, 18, pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit aggravated assault and will be sentenced to jail and probation. Fogle’s plea stems from an Aug. 8, 2021, assault at Show Low Lake that resulted in the victim, “J.J.,” then 19 years old, being airlifted to Phoenix for advanced medical treatment, followed by months of recovery and rehabilitation. Court documents describe Fogle, along with co-defendants Easton Denton, now 18, and Cael Stewart, now 18, conspiring to lure J.J. to Show Low Lake. After J.J. arrived, it is alleged Denton and Stewart physically assaulted him. At the time of the incident, all three defendants were Lakeside residents and Blue Ridge High School students, and the victim was preparing to attend his first semester at Northern Arizona University. When the crime was committed, Denton was 16 and Fogle and Stewart were 17. In March 2022, a grand jury indicted Fogle, Denton and Stewart on conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and threatening and intimidating. All three defendants pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances. The terms of Fogle’s plea agreement call for her to serve six months in the Navajo County Jail and be placed on supervised probation for three years. She must also pay restitution to the victim, the amount of which will be determined at sentencing. Fogle will be sentenced in Navajo County Superior Court on Feb. 14. A trial date for Denton and Stewart is currently scheduled for March 21. The charges contained in the indictment against the remaining defendants are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.
