District Court News

An 18-year-old Sheridan man changed his plea on a felony burglary charge at a hearing Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

Pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement reached with the State, Kadin Koch pleaded guilty to the charge of felony burglary. The capped plea agreement is for Koch to serve 2 to 3 years in prison, with a recommendation for the youthful offender treatment program through the Department of Corrections. Koch can argue for leniency at sentencing. District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation be completed and said sentencing would be scheduled at a later time.

According to court documents, Koch, along with three other individuals, allegedly broke into the Big Horn Y convenience store during the early morning hours of June 17, 2024, and stole various forms of alcohol from the establishment. Snapchat messages between Koch and the three other co-defendants played a pivotal role in the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office investigation and the eventual arrests of Koch and the three co-defendants in July of 2024.

Also from District Court:

A sentencing hearing for Payton Jack of Sheridan will be held at a later time after the hearing was continued Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court. Due to a change in the public defender’s office, Jack did not receive the presentence investigation report prior to Thursday’s sentencing hearing. District Court Judge Darci Phillips said a new date for sentencing would be set in the immediate future.

Jack was charged with felony blackmail last year 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. On June 4, 2024, Jack, in an unrelated case, received a deferred prosecution in District Court and was placed on three years of supervised probation for the charge of felony theft.