Courts

Jul 26, 2023

STRANGULATION

ISAIAH ELIZER SANTIAGO, 25, was sentenced May 17 to four to six years in prison for strangulation of a household member. He also was sentenced to two to four years for child abuse after the deferred sentence he’d received in 2016 was revoked because he violated his probation. District Judge John R. Perry ordered that the two sentences be served consecutively. Santiago also was sentenced to 180 days in jail (all served) for domestic battery. He also was fined a total of $1,475 and ordered to pay $452 in restitution to the Wyoming Division of Victim Services. Santiago was accused of beating up a 21-year-old woman at his home Jan. 8. The woman said he threw her on the bed, struck her on the head multiple times and choked her. At one point he swung a knife at her, but it did not connect. He later allegedly choked her again while she was trying to leave. The woman said he had experience in MMA fighting and she thought at one point he was trying to tap her out. She had injuries on her face, head and neck. Santiago said the two got into a verbal argument and she kicked him in the stomach. The incident escalated from there. On the child abuse, he spanked a 2-year-old hard enough that it left red and purple bruises on his buttock and up on the left hip above his diaper. Santiago reportedly had been asked to care for his friend’s son for a few days in 2015 while she moved from one house to another. While in his care, the boy reportedly unbuckled himself out of his car seat, took off his diaper and defecated all over the back seat. Santiago told the mother in text messages that the boy “went full on demon mode,” and that Santiago was “fuming with anger” and “I spanked him black and blue,” according to court documents. He told police he didn’t think he left marks.

THEFT

MICHELLE TALLMAN, 55, was given a deferred sentence May 27 for theft, meaning that if she successfully completes three years of supervised probation, the charge will be dismissed. District Judge Thomas W. Rumpke also ordered her to pay $275 in fees and $10,886 in restitution. Tallman was accused of stealing from Integrity Truck and Auto during her employment there, which ended in November 2018. She was entitled to $75 per vehicle in commission for the 17 vehicles that she sold, but she paid herself $9,286, which was $8,011 more than she was entitled. She also is accused of overpaying herself for vacation, taking petty cash without permission and buying a TV stand without permission, according to court documents.

ESCAPE

BRITTANY R. BORDER, 29, was sentenced May 27 to two to three years in prison for escaping from the Volunteers of America community corrections facility. The sentence is to be served consecutively to a Natrona County case with credit for 16 days serve. District Judge Stuart S. Healy III also fined her $800. Border had left the VOA for work at 6 p.m. May 3 and was supposed to return to the VOA but hadn’t arrived by about 10 p.m., when officials called the Sheriff’s Office. She had been at the VOA since Feb. 23 and was supposed to stay there until December.

JOSHUA COLE PETERSEN, 28, was sentenced May 21 to one to two years in prison for escape, which is to be served consecutively to a reimposed two- to four-year sentence for possession with intent to deliver after his probation was revoked. Perry also sentenced him to 164 days in jail (all served) for a misdemeanor count of possessing heroin. Perry also fined Petersen a total of $11,100 and ordered him to pay $60 in restitution to Dominoes. Petersen ran away from deputies two times during a traffic stop early in December. Shortly after 1 a.m., deputies stopped a 2010 Audi Q5 with Kansas license plates on Interstate 90 near South Douglas Highway. There was a warrant for Petersen, who was driving. While the deputy was placing him under arrest, Petersen ran north across I-90. Deputies were able to run him down and put him in handcuffs. But while deputies were questioning Petersen’s passengers, Petersen was able to roll down the window of the patrol vehicle. He got out of the car and ran away again. Officers found him later outside of Common Cents, still in handcuffs. During his first arrest, deputies found heroin wrapped in tin foil in his possession, according to court documents. In the forgery case, he was accused of paying for delivered pizza with three counterfeit $20 bills July 9. The delivery person identified his apartment because he was the only one that day to pay with three $20 bills, which turned out to have the same serial number and had some sort of plastic coating.

DRUNKEN DRIVING

STEVEN E. RICHARDSON, 50, was given a suspended four- to six-year prison sentence and placed on five years of supervised probation for felony driving while under the influence of alcohol. Perry also suspended a $10,000 fine, ordered him to pay $1,125 in fees and to complete intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment. Richardson was pulled over Oct. 30 after a sheriff’s deputy saw his vehicle weaving on Highway 51 and traveling 20 mph in a 45 mph zone before abruptly speeding up to 45 mph. He had a 0.27% blood alcohol content, according to court documents.

DRUGS

ZACKARIAH L. BISSETT, 22, was given a suspended three- to five-year prison sentence May 27 for possessing meth, his third or more offense, making it a felony. Rumpke also fined him $875, ordered him to complete high-intensity residential substance abuse treatment and placed him on three years of supervised probation. Since his sentencing, a bench warrant has been issued for his arrest for violating probation by failing to complete details required by Rumpke to transfer his probation to Nebraska and to apply for substance abuse treatment. Bissett also had failed twice to show up for his 24/7 daily swab, which was required, according to court documents. Bissett was in a car that was pulled over Sept. 22 for using no turn signal when it entered Highway 59 from Union Chapel Road. A drug dog indicated drugs were present and a syringe with liquid meth was found in the center console and on his seat, some crystal meth was found, according to court documents.

CHARLIE D. RIDGWAY, 45, was sentenced May 27 to 30 to 60 months in prison for delivering meth. Rumpke fined him $825 and credited him with 44 days already served. Deputies arrested a man Aug. 7 after they saw him driving with a meth pipe in his mouth and a non-working license plate light. He had less than 3 grams of meth in his car, but when he was at jail later, he indicated the drug came from Ridgway and that he’d seen two bags of meth in Ridgway’s apartment that he thought weighed an ounce each. Deputies got a search warrant for Ridgway’s apartment and found 3.39 grams of meth, two digital scales, a case with residue and two Alprazolam pills, according to court documents.

Fines include any order to pay court costs, a contribution to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund and attorney fees.

District court items are taken from court documents filed in the Clerk of District Court Office. Their availability may have been delayed while judges signed the court orders.

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