District Court News

A 19-year-old Sheridan man changed his pleas on three charges at a hearing Tuesday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

Jeremiah Peet, pursuant to terms of a plea agreement reached with the State, pleaded guilty to the charges of felony sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree,  misdemeanor criminal entry and misdemeanor criminal trespass. The sexual abuse of a minor charge was amended from first degree to third degree as part of the plea agreement.

The State is recommending a sentence of 4-6 years in prison, suspended in favor of a split sentence and supervised probation. The length of the probation will be argued at the sentencing hearing. District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by Probation and Parole prior to sentencing. The sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

Other hearings from District Court:

A change of plea hearing was held Tuesday for 55-year-old Lisa French. Pursuant to terms of a plea agreement reached with the State, French pleaded guilty to the charge of felony theft. The State is recommending a sentence of 2 to 4 years in prison, suspended in lieu of three years of supervised probation. French will pay restitution in the amount of $7,613.49 to the victim. District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by Probation and Parole and said that a date for sentencing would be set in the immediate future.

According to court documents, French, between May 10 and June 27, 2023, knowingly took money from an account of another individual using their bank card and PIN, which was provided to her to purchase groceries for the person, and made charges using the card without the owner’s consent. French withdrew over $7,600 at various ATM’s in Sheridan.

Jury Trial Remains on Schedule
A three-day jury trial remains scheduled for early 2024 in Fourth Judicial District Court for Levi Eipert from Washington state who was arrested in February of 2022 in Sheridan for allegedly being in possession of more than 800 grams of methamphetamine. Eipert is charged with three felonies, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver; conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance. Eipert appeared via video conference from Washington during a hearing this week that was originally set as a pretrial conference.

Judge Phillips at the hearing, said that she wanted the defendant to appear in person and said the pretrial conference would be rescheduled in the next couple of weeks to address a number of issues related to the upcoming trial, including a motion to withdraw as counsel that was filed by Stacy Kirven, Eipert’s court appointed attorney. The three day jury trial is scheduled to begin January 22, 2024. If convicted on all three counts, Eipert faces up to 47 years in prison and fines of up to $65,000.