Sheridan Man Arraigned in District Court for Multiple Charges

A 29-year-old Sheridan man was arraigned in Fourth Judicial District Court Tuesday for multiple charges, including six felonies. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

On February 12, 2025, Kolter Kekich was arrested and charged with eight crimes following a high-speed chase in Sheridan County. Kekich, at an arraignment hearing in District Court, pleaded not guilty to three counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, one for methamphetamine, one for cocaine and one for marijuana. Kekich also pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana and one count of misdemeanor eluding a police officer and one count of reckless driving.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips scheduled a #6 stack four-day jury trial to begin on August 12. A pretrial conference will take place on July 8 at 11:30 am. A request to lower Kekich’s bond was denied by the Court and he will continue to be held at the Sheridan County Detention Center on a $100,000 cash only bond. If convicted on all eight charges, Kekich faces up to 70 years in prison and fines of up to $91,500.

Other news from District Court:

A change of plea hearing was held Tuesday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for 37-year-old Lonnie Lewis of Casper. Pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement reached with the State, Lewis pleaded guilty to the charges of burglary and theft. In exchange for the guilty pleas, the State agreed to dismiss the charge of unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The plea agreement is for Lewis to serve a prison sentence of 3 to 5 years for each count, and to run the sentences concurrent to one another.

The plea agreement is a nonbinding plea agreement, which means the Court is not bound by the terms of the plea agreement at sentencing and can decide to hand down a harsher sentence than what was agreed upon in the plea deal and the defendant cannot withdraw their guilty plea. Lewis was arrested last fall for entering a vehicle with the intent to commit theft and stealing a 2003 GMC Yukon. The crimes occurred in parking lots of various businesses in Sheridan and were caught on video camera. 

District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by the Department of Corrections Division of Probation and Parole and scheduled sentencing for June 19 at 9:45 am. Lewis’s bond was revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the Sheridan County Detention Center pending sentencing.