Man Charged With Felony DUI Changes Plea in District Court

A change of plea hearing was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for a man charged with two counts of felony DUI. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

Pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement reached with the state, 29-year-old Juan Cardenas pleaded guilty to the charge of felony DUI – causing serious bodily injury. The prosecution is recommending that a second felony DUI charge be dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The second charge was the result of Cardenas having four DUI convictions in a 10-year period, which results in a felony in Wyoming. The plea agreement recommends a sentence of 3 to 5 years in prison and is a non-binding agreement, meaning the court can reject the plea deal altogether at sentencing and the defendant cannot withdraw the guilty plea. The defendant will be able to argue for a more lenient sentence at the sentencing hearing. District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed and scheduled the sentencing for November 17 at 10 am.

According to court documents, Cardenas was arrested on April 4 in Sheridan after an officer with the Sheridan Police Department responded to a report of a single motorcycle crash near the intersection of West 5th Street and Mydland Road. Cardenas crashed the motorcycle, resulting in serious, extensive injuries to the female passenger. The motorcycle did not belong to Cardenas and his license was suspended at the time of the crash due to previous DUI convictions. The motorcycle was traveling at an estimated speed of 60 to 70 mph at the time of the crash.