SALEM - A man shot by law enforcement in Salem pleaded no contest last week to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Corey "Cornelius" Milk, 39, of Salem, entered his no contest plea on April 18 to one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a class 3 felony. Milk originally pleaded not guilty in November.
The charge stems from an incident on July 19, 2015, when Milk, armed with a gun, made threats of "popping holes in the roof" in Salem's Brewery Bar on Main Street and tried to instigate a fight with three patrons, court documents state. Milk then walked outside and "fired multiple rounds in the air."
After law enforcement arrived, Milk was shot by a McCook County Sheriff's deputy and was transported to a hospital. The South Dakota Attorney General's Office deemed the shooting was justified.
Charges of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, a class 2 felony, and aggravated eluding, a class 6 felony, were dismissed, as well as a habitual offender charge, which increases the penalty for other charges.
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Milk agreed to "stipulate to facts" that found him guilty, court documents state, as he does not remember all the details regarding the incident, court document state. After reviewing law enforcement reports and learning that witnesses would testify against him, he agreed the facts "constitute a factual basis" for aggravated assault.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for June.
