Gun Seller Charged Again

A man accused of selling a handgun that the two teen-agers used in the Columbine High School massacre was charged Wednesday with an additional count: possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

22-year-old Mark Manes, who was allowed to remain free on bond, also has been charged with selling the TEC-DC9 9 mm pistol that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold used to kill 12 students and one teacher.

The latest charge against Manes is a felony that carries 1 to 3 years in prison upon conviction. The TEC-9 charge carries a sentence of 2 to 6 years, but could go as high as 12 years if a judge finds extraordinary circumstances.

"We intend to treat Mr. Manes fairly, but we intend to hold him fully accountable," Jefferson County deputy prosecutor Steve Jensen told reporters after a court hearing at which the charge was filed.

Jensen said Wednesday that Manes, six weeks before the school attack, possessed and fired one of the sawed-off shotguns that was used by Harris and Klebold in the massacre. He said Manes and the two killers were practicing with the gun in a mountainous area several miles from the school.

Manes' lawyer, Bob Ransome, said his client has been singled out as a scapegoat for the shootings.

"He's overwhelmed," Ransome said outside the courtroom. "He's quite scared."

Ransome said the additional charges were unnecessary and "it seems to be a little bit of overkill to me."

Ransome last month said he hoped to work out a plea bargain for Manes with prosecutors because Manes knew nothing of the plot to attack the school. But Jensen Wednesday said: "I do not anticipate there will be a plea bargain in this case."

A hearing was set for Aug. 18 for Manes to enter a plea. He has been released on a $15,000 bond.

Another 22-year-old who worked at the pizza parlor with Harris and Klebold, Philip Joseph Duran, is the only other person charged in connection with the massacre.

Duran was charged last week with "unlawfully providing or permitting a juvenile to possess a handgun," a TEC-DC9, and possessing a dangerous weapon.

Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, used the two weapons and two others during their April 20 rampage at their Littleton, Colo., high school. They ended the massacre by taking their own lives.