HAZARD – A Perry County man who in March pled guilty to kidnapping and sodomizing a teen was in court again last week in an attempt to withdraw his guilty plea and fire his attorney.

Brett Combs, 19, of Hazard, was one of four men indicted on charges that they held a male juvenile at knifepoint and sexually abused him in 2009. During his appearance in court last week, Combs said his appointed attorney, Linda West, had intimidated him into taking a plea deal for a 15-year sentence.

In his motion heard before the court, Combs said West misrepresented him and he moved to withdraw his previous guilty plea and represent himself in further court proceedings, though he later noted orally in court that he did not want to represent himself.

“I feel like she intimidated me to take [the plea deal],” Combs said in court. “I felt like she was trying to scare me into taking it.”

According to Combs, West had told him he could get more than 50 years in prison if his case goes to trial.

But according to West, she was merely informing her client of the possible sentence he could receive if he had gone to trial and been found guilty.

“I was fully informing him of the maximum years he could serve if he had gone to trial,” West said. “He knows that I didn’t intimidate him.”

According to his plea announced in March, Combs pled guilty to several charges, including kidnapping and first-degree rape, for a total sentence of 15 years to serve, though it wasn’t the first plea deal he made. Prior to the trial of Combs’ codefendant in the case, Jared Fields, Combs had agreed to testify on behalf of the Commonwealth, in exchange for a total of five years to serve in prison. But while on the stand, Combs changed his story, and the first deal was withdrawn. Fields was eventually found guilty during the trial, and sentenced to serve 30 years in prison.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Teresa Reed said she saw no reason for Combs’ plea to be withdrawn, and noted that he had previously changed his story on what had happened during the Fields trial.

“He in fact changed his story 180 degrees,” she said.

Following discussion, Circuit Judge Bill Engle said by Combs’ own admission West did not misrepresent him during the course of his court proceedings as noted in his motion, and denied Combs’ request to withdraw his guilty plea.