Ranchester Man Arraigned in District Court

A 22-year-old man was arraigned on a number of felony charges Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

On July 21, 2024 Jonathon Mitchell of Ranchester was arrested by a deputy with the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office for an incident where he held a gun to another individual’s head and threatened to kill the individual. Mitchell was also in possession of more than three ounces of THC wax, which led to two additional charges. Mitchell, at an arraignment hearing Thursday in District Court, pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental impairment or deficiency to the charges of aggravated assault and battery, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips scheduled a #3 stack jury trial to begin on January 6, 2025. A pretrial conference was set for December 12, at 10:30 am.  Phillips said the trial date may have to be moved depending on the timeline of when the State Hospital completes the mental health evaluation of the defendant. Mitchell’s $15,000 cash only bond that was previously set in Circuit Court was continued. If convicted on all three counts, Mitchell faces up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $30,000.

Also from Thursday’s docket:

Sheridan Woman Sentenced for Drug Distribution

On January 26 of this year, 36-year-old Christina Rhodes of Sheridan was arrested for methamphetamine distribution and possession. The arrest was part of an investigation by law enforcement into a methamphetamine distribution ring in the Sheridan area. At a hearing Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court, Rhodes was sentenced for felony conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance – methamphetamine, and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips accepted the terms of the plea agreement and sentenced Rhodes to 2 ½ to 4 years in prison for the felony charge, suspended in lieu of an eight-month split sentence to be followed by three years of supervised probation, and six-months in jail for the misdemeanor possession charge to run concurrent to the felony sentence. Rhodes was given credit for 217 days of time served of presentence confinement and was ordered to pay $525 in court costs and assessments and $500 in public defender fees. The Court also ordered that the three year probationary term begin as intensive supervised probation.