Two sentenced in district court

Monday afternoon saw an additional two sentencings in Hot Springs District Court.

Arthur Grieve was sentenced to a total seven years supervised probation and five years unsupervised probation in three cases against him. In the first case, Grieve previously pleaded guilty to a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 4-6 years in prison on the charge, though that sentence was suspended for seven years supervised probation.

In the second case, Grieve had pleaded guilty to felony forgery. The charge states he modified a notice to quit, whiting out a name on it and putting another name. On that charge, Grieve was sentenced to 18-24 months in prison. That sentence was also suspended in favor of three years supervised probation. The possession and forgery charges both stem from a Nov. 16, 2015 incident, and the probation sentences were ordered served concurrently.

In a third case, stemming from a Nov. 25, 2016 incident, Grieve pleaded guilty to felony strangulation of a household member and misdemeanor domestic battery. According to the charges, he assaulted Deanna Morgan. He was sentenced to 3-5 years on the strangulation and 90 days on the battery. However, he has served the 90 days, and the 3-5 years was suspended for five year unsupervised probation, served consecutively to the seven years supervised probation. Additionally, Grieve will have to pay a $5,000 fine.

Boone Myers was sentenced to five years supervised probation for possession of marijuana, third or subsequent offense. Though he entered his guilty plea to the charge in September, it was held off record until the plea agreement was accepted Monday. The charge stems from a July 6 incident, during which a vehicle Myers was driving was stopped. Following field sobriety maneuvers, Myers was arrested for driving under the influence. Upon search of the vehicle, an open bottle of liquor was found as well as a baggy with a substance that later tested positive for marijuana. Prior possession convictions against Myers are listed from June 4, 2009 and Dec. 20, 2010.

Also in District Court, Brandon Foster pleaded guilty to felony possession of controlled substance, marijuana. The charge, which stems from a July 17 incident, state Foster had more than three ounces in his possession. Foster was stopped for being in a “passing only” lane. When questioned, he admitted to having non-prescription marijuana in his possession. As part of an agreement, Foster entered his plea in exchange for a sentence of five years supervised probation. It was noted during proceedings that Foster had no prior drug-related felonies and the probation sentence would best serve the interests of justice.

Though Foster has entered his plea, it will be held off record and the agreement will not be accepted until a pre-sentence investigation Foster is formally sentenced. Foster was advised to go over the terms of probation prior to his sentencing, and he has the option to withdraw his plea should the agreement change and he no longer accepts it.

Christopher Mitchell pleaded not guilty to theft. The charge stems from an incident on Sept. 4 or 5, during which Mitchell allegedly stole a vehicle belonging to Billie Jo Norsworthy. Mitchell was later stopped in Riverton, and it was discovered he was involved in a chase across several counties. Mitchell requested a modification of his bond, from a $100,000 cash bond to $1,000 cash or signature bond.

However, attorney Marcia Bean advised against the bond modification, due largely to Mitchell’s past record, which showed he not only stole a vehicle here, but also from Big Horn, Park and Washakie counties. Bean further pointed out Mitchell has had several charges against him including driving under the influence, failure to appear and reckless endangerment. She described him as a flight risk and a danger to the community. The bond was continued at $100,000 cash. Though no date is set, trial for Mitchell is expected to take two days. If found guilty, he could be subject to a maximum 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Michael Wilkinson pleaded not guilty to charges of felony strangulation of a household member and misdemeanor domestic battery. The charges stem from a Sept. 5 incident during which Wilkinson allegedly assaulted and strangled a female. Trial for Wilkinson is expected to take two days, though no date has been set. If found guilty, Wilkinson could face a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Though initially held on a $10,000 cash bond, that bond was modified to a cash or acceptable bail bond. Bean argued that the cash bond was appropriate due to the severity of the crime, as well as Wilkinson’s criminal history involving theft and possession of controlled substances.