CASPER, Wyo. — The following are arraignments, judgments, and sentences in criminal cases heard in Natrona County District Court, along with links to additional case coverage.
This is not a complete log; it is based on hearings attended by Oil City News, filings provided by the clerk of district court, and information provided by the district attorney’s office. Misdemeanor offenses (misd.) that stem from the same circumstances as a felony charge are added to the case and heard in district court.
Negotiated dispositions and plea agreements reached between the state and defense counsel generally do not bind the court at sentencing.
Depending on the type of agreement, the defendant may or may not be able to withdraw a guilty plea if the court imposes a harsher penalty than recommended. Plea agreements are typically not included in available records, but are reported when Oil City News attends the hearing.
Most agreements include a cold plea provision, which means that if the defendant violates any bond condition or faces new charges, the state can argue for any sentence allowed by statute.
In some agreements, the state agrees to “cap” the amount of time it asks the court to impose at sentencing, while the defense may argue for less.
Sentences are rendered for each count. Oil City News has reported the effective sentence.
Some sentences include additional terms like intensive supervised probation (ISP), placement in an adult community correctional facility (ACC), or Adult Drug Court.
Many defendants are clinically evaluated for the severity of their addictive tendencies, and the results may qualify them for placement in the Wyoming Department of Corrections’ Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU).
Defendants under the age of 25 who are facing their first felony case may be eligible for the Youthful Offender Treatment Program (YOTP), which, if completed, will qualify them for a sentence review. Sentence reduction is not guaranteed.
Sentences:
- Francisco Michael Sosa – Theft: Fifth or Subsequent
- Three to five years imposed, concurrent to other theft case sentence
- Douglas William Johnson — Possession of Methamphetamine: Third or Subsequent
- Two to four years suspended, three years supervised probation
- Michael Scott Hughes — Aggravated Assault and Battery x5
- 21-25 years imposed
- Staci Dawn Barrera — Conspiracy to Deliver Methamphetamine
- Four to five years suspended, three years supervised probation
- Steven Michael Gettings Jr. — Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver, Possession of Methamphetamine: Felony Weight
- Four to five years imposed, 262 days served
Guilty Plea: Arraignments and Changes-of-Plea
- Jeremy Lee Parke – Burglary, Possession of Methamphetamine
- Plea Agreement: three to five years imposed
- Cory Morton – Escape/Failure to Return in Prescribed Time to Felony Detention
- Plea Agreement: two-year cap
- Robert William Hoover — Theft Over $1,000, Misconduct as Public Official: Pecuniary Benefit
- Plea Agreement: Suspended Sentence, $10,810 in restitution
- Justin James Wentz — Sexual Abuse of a Minor: Third Degree (Immodest, Immoral, or Indecent Liberties)
- Joshua Scott Vernon — Burglary, Theft Over $1,000
- Gina Yolanda Harris — Possession of Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine): Third or Subsequent Upon Conviction
- Diana Jean Hubbard — Possession of Methamphetamine: Felony Weight
Arraignment – Not Guilty Plea:
- Jackson Deluna — Conspiracy to Deliver Methamphetamine
- Kelley Dwight Faylor — Strangulation of Household Member (x3), Child Abuse, Domestic Battery (x3)
- Jacob William Degoyette — Sexual Abuse of a Minor: First Degree, Sexual Abuse of a Minor: Third Degree, W.S. 6-4-402
- Christopher Jon Hick — Unlawful Entry, Domestic Battery: Third in 10 Years, Property Destruction (misd.)
- Matthew James Gerhard — Criminal Entry, Property Destruction: Over $1,000
Failure to Appear
- Betty Elaine Williamson-Wyndom — Sentencing: Failure to Maintain Sex Offender Registration
- Defendant located, hearing continued
