District Court roundup: Man sentenced to probation for car burglary

Nov. 6—CHEYENNE — A local man was sentenced to probation Monday in Laramie County District Court after pleading guilty to burglarizing his girlfriend's vehicle.

Justin J. Walter was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, with a suspended sentence of two to three years in prison, by Laramie County District Judge Thomas Campbell.

Walter pleaded guilty in July to felony burglary as part of a plea agreement. Additional misdemeanor charges of stalking, theft and methamphetamine possession were dismissed at sentencing, along with a Laramie County Circuit Court case.

On Jan. 27, 2020, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a call regarding ongoing threats to a woman by her boyfriend. Walter admitted to sending threatening messages to the woman and was advised by officers to stop, according to court documents.

On Feb. 1, 2020, the woman reported to police that her vehicle's license plates and stereo were missing, and on the following day reported that her tires had been punctured. On Feb. 8, the woman's car was burned, and she reported seeing Walter outside her home the same night, when he tried to provoke her into coming out of the house, according to court documents.

Following an interview with the woman, police determined Walter had a pattern of sending threatening messages. On March 5, 2020, police executed a search warrant on Walter's home, finding the missing license plates and stereo, plus 2.8 grams of methamphetamine, according to court documents.

Walter admitted to possessing the drugs and taking the items from the woman's car, but he denied setting the car on fire.

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Also heard Monday in district court:

Jay C. Allen pleaded no contest to misdemeanor criminal trespass. He was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, with a suspended sentence of 90 days in jail, by Judge Campbell.

Allen was originally charged with three felonies: aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon, unlawful entry into an occupied structure and being a habitual criminal. Charges were later amended to the one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass. No indication was given in Monday's hearing as to why the charge was amended.

At 10:27 p.m. Nov. 29, 2020, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a disturbance. A man, who was bleeding from his hands and head, told the officer that he was stabbed by Allen, according to court documents. The man said he'd been in his room when he heard someone kick the door open, and he went out into the living room with his machete.

The man said he told Allen and a woman who was with him to leave. He said Allen then rushed him, and he dropped the machete. The man said Allen began stabbing him with the machete as he attempted to restrain Allen, according to court documents. The man said he then noticed he was bleeding badly and pushed Allen away.

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Heard Oct. 25 in district court:

Keven Wesley Smith was sentenced to three years of probation, with a suspended sentence of five to seven years years in prison, by Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe.

Smith pleaded no contest in July to felony unlawful entry into an occupied structure as part of a plea agreement. Two additional charges — felony strangulation of a household member and misdemeanor property destruction — were dismissed at sentencing, per the agreement.

At 10:29 p.m. Feb. 20, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a reported burglary. The officer then contacted the caller, a woman, who was running down the street saying that a man was breaking into her home, according to court documents. The officer saw a man through the windows, later identified as Smith, walking around in the home. The officer said Smith had blood on his hands and pants, was visually intoxicated and aggressive.

Smith said he and the woman had ended their relationship a month prior, but had planned to meet at a bar that evening. After a few drinks, Smith said, the two left, and the woman later invited him to her home, according to court documents. At the home, they ended up arguing. Smith said he left the home and the woman locked the door behind him, but he then realized he left his coat and keys in the home.

Smith said he started to break the glass on the front door, but when he couldn't get through, he climbed up onto the roof from the porch steps and broke a bedroom window, entering the home.

The woman reported to police that, when she arrived at the bar to meet with Smith, he was confrontational, and she left 15 minutes after she arrived because "nothing good comes out of it when he (Smith) has been drinking that much." The woman said Smith arrived at her home around 9:54 p.m, according to court documents. The two spoke, but the discussion escalated, with Smith calling the woman names, she said.

After the woman told him to stop, Smith grabbed her by her hair and used his other hand to grab her neck, she said, rendering her unable to breathe and feel close to fainting, according to court documents. The officer said the woman was hoarse, had a slight bloody nose, was coughing and had red lines on her neck consistent with Smith grabbing her by the neck. The woman's necklace had also been broken during the interaction, and she had a red line on the back of her neck.

During the incident, Smith caused an estimated $725 in property damage, according to court documents.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.