Grandmother may leave jail after plea deal

A 57-year-old grandmother accepted a plea deal Friday that may get her out of jail. Denise Bates has been in jail since mid-August after Probation and Parole officials decided she violated her furlough when she was charged in July with misdemeanor retail theft. Bates agreed to plead guilty to the charge in exchange for the chance at freedom. Bates returned to jail after the hearing, but it's unclear how long she will remain behind bars. Bates was charged with first-degree murder for her role in the 2003 killing of an 85-year-old man in Benson. She was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for testimony against two co-defendants.