District Court News

A 26-year-old Sheridan man was sentenced for a recent conviction Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

A three-day jury trial was held in District Court May 6-8 for Mitchell Wiley. The jury returned a verdict of guilty to the charge of misdemeanor domestic battery. Wiley was acquitted of two felony charges; strangulation of a household member and aggravated assault and battery. Wiley was charged with the crimes on November 17, 2023. At a sentencing hearing Thursday, District Court Judge Darci Phillips sentenced Wiley to 180 days in jail, with credit for 73 days of credit for time served of presentence confinement, meaning Wiley must serve an additional 107 days before he’s released from the Sheridan County Detention Center.

Judge Phillips ordered Wiley to pay $6,797.45 in restitution to the Division of Victim Services for the victim’s medical expenses and $1,631.80 in restitution to Wyoming Medicaid for counseling services for the victim. Wiley must also pay $275 in court costs and assessments. 

Sheridan Man Arraigned on Blackmail Charge

An arraignment hearing for 18-year-old Payton Jack of Sheridan was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Jack pleaded not guilty to the charge of felony blackmail. District Court Judge Darci Phillips scheduled a two-day jury trial to begin on Monday, December 2. A pretrial conference will be held November 5 at 9 am. Jack’s bond was continued under the same terms and conditions that were previously set in Circuit Court.

Jack was charged with the crime for allegedly contacting a minor through Instagram on April 17, 2024 and threatening to post nude photos of the minor on social media. The charge of felony blackmail is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Jack was recently sentenced for an unrelated case in District Court when he received a deferred prosecution on June 4 and was placed on three years of supervised probation for the charge of felony theft.

Change of Plea

A change of plea hearing was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for Lauri Liptak. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of a plea agreement that was reached with the State, Liptak pleaded guilty to the charge of delivery of a controlled substance – methamphetamine. The plea deal recommends a sentence of 2-4 years in prison, suspended in lieu of three years of supervised probation. It is a non-binding plea agreement, meaning that the Court can reject the plea deal at sentencing and the defendant cannot withdraw their guilty plea.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by the Department of Corrections Division of Probation and Parole. Sentencing will take place Tuesday, October 1 at 9 am.

According to court documents, Liptak was charged with the crime for allegedly arranging a delivery of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on September 29, 2023. The controlled by was part of an investigation by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Northeast Enforcement Team.