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Plea agreement halts deliberation

It was a rare instance in Hot Springs District Court following a three-day trial that began last Monday in a case against Christopher Decker, when the jury was stopped in its deliberations due to a plea agreement being in the works.

Decker was being tried on three counts related to children being around a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance.

The charges are from a July 1, 2017 incident, when a vehicle Decker was driving was stopped by Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Regina Schulmeister for not having illumination on its rear license plate.

Three juveniles were later located in the vehicle. A passenger in the vehicle, Holly Herrera, was recently found guilty on similar charges.

Though the vehicle was initially stopped due to there being no light on the rear license plate — such indicators could be signs of a stolen vehicle — there was quite a bit of difficulty in determining who was in the vehicle.

Papers indicating ownership could not immediately be found, and Herrera repeatedly provided false information. Schulmeister received assistance from a Hot Springs County Sheriff’s Office deputy and a BLM ranger during the investigation.

In doing an inventory of the vehicle, as part of WHP procedure, a baggy with a white, powdery substance — which later tested presumptive positive for meth — was found near the driver’s seat.

As of press time, there was no information on the details of the plea agreement.

 

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