District Court News

A 28-year-old Bronx, New York man was sentenced for multiple felonies Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips accepted the terms of the plea agreement reached with the State and sentenced Yoharlin Mercedes-Jimenez to 3 to 5 years in prison for one count of conspiracy to commit theft and 3 to 5 years in prison for one count of theft. Both sentences were suspended in lieu of a four month split-sentence to be followed by two-years of unsupervised probation. The sentences and probation will run concurrent to one another. The plea deal was contingent on Mercedes-Jimenez paying the restitution by the date of sentencing.  Sheridan County Deputy and Prosecuting Attorney Christopher LaRosa said that the $18,149 in restitution had been paid in full.

Judge Phillips ordered Mercedes-Jimenez to pay $525 in court costs and assessments and $500 in public defender fees. He was given 95 days of credit for time served of presentence confinement. Mercedes-Jimenez was charged with the crimes for his involvement in what LaRosa described as “an organized crime case that was a multi-state scam.” Mercedes-Jimenez and co-defendant Rangel Diaz used stolen identities and fraudulent credit cards to purchase high end cellular phones at various locations in Wyoming and a number of other states throughout the country.

More from District Court:

A 33-year-old Sheridan man changed his plea on a felony charge at a hearing Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement reached with the State, Derrick Elkins pleaded guilty to the charge of sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree. The plea deal recommends a 3 to 5 year prison sentence, suspended in lieu of an eight month split-sentence to be followed by three years of supervised probation. Elkins was arrested for the crime on September 18, 2024 for unlawfully engaging in sexual contact with a victim that was 14-years of age.

Elkins, in a separate case, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony drug possession.  The recommendation from the State in that case is 2 ½ to 4 years in prison for each count, suspended in lieu of eight months of jail to be followed by three years of supervised probation. The prison terms and probationary terms will run concurrent to the sentence and probation for the sexual abuse of a minor charge.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed by the Department Corrections Division of Probation and Parole and scheduled sentencing for February 6 at 11 am. Elkins’ bond was revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the Sheridan County Detention Center pending sentencing.

Sheridan Man Arraigned for Multiple Felonies

An arraignment hearing was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for 21-year-old Julian Patino. At the hearing, Patino pleaded not guilty to one count of felony conspiracy to commit burglary and one count of felony accessory after the fact. District Court Judge Darci Phillips scheduled a three-day jury trial to begin April 28, 2025. A pretrial conference will take place April 3 at 10 am. Patino’s bond was continued under the same terms and conditions that were previously set in Circuit Court.

Patino was charged with the alleged crimes for his role in the Big Horn Y being burglarized during the early morning hours of June 17, 2024, when three co-defendants broke into the establishment and stole various forms of alcohol. If convicted on both counts, Patino faces up to 13 years in prison and fines of up to $13,000.