District court roundup: Man sent to prison for threatening woman with crossbow

Apr. 17—CHEYENNE — A man was sentenced Thursday in Laramie County District Court to three to five years in prison for threatening a woman with a crossbow and injuring a police officer.

Before his sentencing by Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers, Jason A. Martinez pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and battery (threatening with a weapon) and no contest to felony interference with a peace officer (injury) as part of a plea agreement.

Additional charges of felony aggravated assault and battery (threatening with a weapon), felony interference with a peace officer (injury), misdemeanor interference with a peace officer (resisting) and a habitual criminal charge were dismissed.

Assistant District Attorney Rachel Berkness said the state had recommended prison time because of Martinez's "significant" criminal history.

At 7:36 p.m. Dec. 17, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a report of a threat with a gun. A woman reported that Martinez, the property manager for an apartment complex, came to her door and threatened her with a weapon, saying she needed to leave and that he would shoot her, according to court documents.

Another tenant said he heard yelling and went outside with a small crossbow he kept for protection. When he arrived, Martinez took the crossbow from the man and pointed it at the woman, saying he'd shoot her with it. After the woman shut the door, Martinez shot an arrow into it, according to court documents.

While being taken into custody, Martinez attempted to kick two police officers.

Also heard Thursday in district court:

Robert Allen Yetsick II was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, with a suspended prison sentence of four to five years, by Judge Rogers. He is also required to successfully complete residential drug treatment.

Yetsick previously pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to manufacture, deliver or possess heroin and felony delivery of methamphetamine as part of a plea agreement.

Additional charges of felony conspiracy to manufacture, deliver or possess methamphetamine, misdemeanor eluding, misdemeanor reckless driving and misdemeanor receiving stolen property were dismissed at sentencing.

On Nov. 19, 2019, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents and Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers attempted to arrest a woman who was accused of selling drugs and was a passenger in a car driven by Yetsick, according to court documents. When Highway Patrol tried to pull the vehicle over, Yetsick initiated a pursuit that the trooper later ended because they were in a residential area.

The woman was taken into custody a short time later, but Yetsick could not be located. Agents searched the vehicle and found that it was owned by Yetsick.

An agent viewed text messages on the woman's phone between her and Yetsick that he believed referred to the sale of methamphetamine and heroin, according to court documents. Agents also conducted interviews with confidential sources who said they'd purchased methamphetamine from Yetsick.

On Dec. 26, 2019, agents executed a search warrant on a residence where Yetsick was believed to be living. During the search, they found two glass pipes with white residue and a digital scale, according to court documents. A second search found 47.6 grams of methamphetamine.

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Veronica M. Hodgins was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, with a suspended prison sentence of 12 to 18 months, by Judge Rogers. She is also required to successfully complete the Laramie County Drug Court program.

Hodgins previously pleaded guilty to felony child endangering (enhancement with controlled substances) as part of a plea agreement.

Additional misdemeanor charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana were dismissed at sentencing, per the agreement.

On July 6, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents received information about a suspect in a different case possibly living at a Cheyenne residence. While executing a search warrant, agents found several individuals, including Hodgins and her juvenile daughter, as well as the suspect, who was hiding in a basement crawl space, according to court documents.

Agents also found jewelers bags, at least one appearing to contain crystal methamphetamine; other packaging for controlled substances; scales; and a marijuana pipe appearing to contain raw and burned marijuana.

Hodgins admitted to regularly using methamphetamine in the residence. Upon execution of a second search warrant, agents found several more bags containing methamphetamine and several containers of raw marijuana, according to court documents.

Heard Monday in district court:

Jermain Lashawn Wright was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, with a suspended prison sentence of three to four years, by Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe. Wright previously pleaded no contest to felony strangulation of a household member as part of a plea agreement.

Additional charges of felony aggravated assault and battery (bodily injury with a weapon), misdemeanor domestic battery (first offense) and misdemeanor interference with a peace officer were dismissed, per the agreement.

On May 15, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a domestic violence call from a woman who said Wright, her boyfriend, hit her on the forehead with a metal broom handle, pushed her against a wall and strangled her with both hands several times, according to court documents.

The woman said she could not breathe while she was being strangled, and that she pulled Wright's hair to get away. She said she fell to the floor and Wright hit her on the back of the head with a hard plastic portion of the broom, causing her to "see stars" and feel as though she might pass out.

The responding officer said the woman's injuries seemed consistent with what she said took place, according to court documents.

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Armando David Butler was sentenced to two years of probation, with a suspended prison sentence of two to three years, by Judge Sharpe.

He previously pleaded guilty, pursuant to an Alford plea, to being a felon in possession of a firearm, which is a felony. An Alford plea allows a defendant to accept the consequences of a guilty plea without having to admit guilt, while also admitting the prosecution could likely prove the charges against them in a jury trial.

Butler was also charged with felony aggravated assault and battery (threatening with a weapon), as well as felony child abuse with physical injury in a separate case. These two charges were dismissed at sentencing, as part of a plea agreement.

On July 24, a Cheyenne Police officer responded to a report of shots fired at 2:18 a.m. near the intersection of West 24th Street and Bent Avenue. A man said Butler shot at him and that he had captured video of the incident, according to court documents.

The video showed Butler standing on the porch of a residence, appearing to confront the man who captured the video. Butler stepped into the driveway of the residence, and two gunshots were heard, according to court documents. The man said neither he nor his vehicle had been struck by the bullets, but that Butler had pointed the handgun at him multiple times before the shots were fired.

Butler was previously convicted of felony aggravated assault in July 2015 in Laramie County, prohibiting him from possessing a firearm.

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.