Leavenworth prosecutors use cellphone data against reluctant witness

A 22-year-old Leavenworth man who said he didn’t witness a June 10 shooting faces prison after prosecutors accused him of lying.

To make their case, prosecutors used cellphone data that they said showed Antonio Garcia III used his phone June 10 near the house in Leavenworth where a man was shot.

When questioned, Garcia denied having been at the house or witnessing the shooting. He pleaded no contest Tuesday to a felony charge of interference with law enforcement.

Prosecutors said Garcia lied when he claimed to be at a relative’s house in Missouri the entire day. Police who responded to a 911 call at the house about 5:30 p.m. said several witnesses reported seeing Garcia leave the house right after the shooting.

Detectives, with help from the FBI, obtained records from nearby cellphone towers that received data from Garcia’s phone.

The man shot in that case survived. Monica Pyles of Leavenworth was charged with attempted murder.

Garcia was on probation when the shooting occurred. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2.

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Leavenworth prosecutors use cellphone data against reluctant witness."