District Court News

A pretrial conference was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court for a Sheridan County man facing a felony conviction. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

A two to three day jury trial is scheduled to begin Monday, June 1 for Derek Wood. Wood is charged with property destruction and defacement, a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. During Thursday’s hearing, it was determined that 50 prospective jurors would be summoned for the jury selection process.

According to court documents, on October 24, 2025, a Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy who was working security at a Big Horn Rams football game was approached by a woman who reported that her 2025 Ford Bronco had been vandalized in the school parking lot during the football game.

A subsequent investigation, which included video surveillance of the parking lot, led to the arrest of Wood for allegedly keying the Ford Bronco while the owner of the vehicle was attending the football game. Two cost estimates to repair the damage that were provided to law enforcement by the victim ranged from $3,800 to $4,342.

Also from District Court:

A change of plea hearing was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for Ranee Diefenderfer. During the hearing, Diefenderfer pleaded no contest to one count of felony theft. The no contest plea was not part of a plea agreement between the defendant and the State. Both the defense and prosecution will be allowed to make their recommendations at sentencing with the Court having the final say in disposition of the defendant.

District Court Judge Darci Phillips ordered that a presentence investigation report be completed by the Department of Corrections Division of Probation and Parole and scheduled sentencing for July 7 at 9:45 am.

Diefenderfer was arrested by the Sheridan Police Department on November 21, 2025 for allegedly stealing cash in an amount greater than $1,000 from James Buchanan. The alleged criminal activity occurred between May 1, 2025, and November 3, 2025 when Diefenderfer was an employee of Buchanan Chiropractic in Sheridan.