<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3pVopr_0viMpimR00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3pVopr_0viMpimR00" width="1280" height="949" ><figcaption>Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen presides at initials 1/20/23 (Gregory Hirst, Oil City News)</figcaption></figure><p>CASPER, Wyo. — Provided below are the cases of defendants who were in custody and heard the charges at their initial appearances in Natrona County Circuit Court on Monday. </p><p>Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen presided. Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Elisabeth Grill represented the state. No defense attorneys were present. </p><p>All defendants entering not guilty pleas or charged with felonies are presumed innocent unless convicted or pleading guilty. Charges may be amended in future proceedings. </p><p>Pleas on felony charges are not entered in circuit court, though bond conditions are set. Misdemeanors charged in the same information are engrossed with the felony and pled to in district court. </p><p>A bail bondsman can post a surety bond, typically requiring 10%–15% of the bond amount set by the judge. A “personal recognizance” or “signature” bond means there is no money required to get out, but the defendant could owe the full amount if they fail to appear. </p><p>Factors affecting bond and sentencing include the nature of the crime, the weight of the evidence, the defendant’s criminal history and their ties to the community. </p><p>For probation revocations, the state is only required to prove the allegations in an affidavit for revocation “to a preponderance of the evidence.” For defendants denying probation violations, a new bond is set. For purposes of this document, admissions and denials are represented as guilty and not guilty pleas, respectively. </p><p>Standard fees typically include $150 to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, $70 in court costs and $50 to a Drug Court assessment. Additional fines or restitution may be imposed at sentencing. </p><h2><b>Not guilty plea</b><b>s</b></h2><ul><li>Shakayla Cavil, 23 – Misdemeanor Property Destruction (punishable by up to six months in jail)</li><li>Elizabeth Grill and Brian Christensen agreed to set her bond at $2,000 cash or surety because the amount of damage was close to the felony limit of greater than $1,000 and because she had only been in Casper for two months and had no local contacts</li></ul><ul><li>Mary Larson, 35 – Misdemeanor Possession of a Controlled Substance: Methamphetamine (punishable by up to one year in jail)</li></ul><ul><li>Bond set at $750</li></ul><h2>Probation revocations</h2><ul><li>Gabriel Gonzales, 52 – Admitted to violating probation set in August for domestic violence and another crime. His probation officer told Christensen that Gonzales didn’t comply with the terms, and violations included substance abuse and contact with the victim. Gonzales wanted to remain on probation, saying, “I will be a model probation person.” Christensen said everything in the petition to revoke probation was a violation of the terms.</li><li>60 days in jail</li></ul><ul><li>Trey Watson, 33 – Denied violating probation for his conviction in August for possession of methamphetamine</li></ul><ul><li>Bond set at 2,000 cash or surety consecutive to other bonds</li></ul></div></body>

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Natrona County Circuit Court initial appearances (9/24/24)

CASPER, Wyo. — Provided below are the cases of defendants who were in custody and heard the charges at their initial appearances in Natrona County Circuit Court on Monday. Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen presided. Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Elisabeth Grill represented the state. No defense attorneys were present.