Here is a look at some of the latest news from Albany County District Court:
Laramie DJ denies stealing from pawn shop
Brandon Jay Cornejo, 26, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to one count of felony theft, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines upon conviction.
Trial was set for Nov. 14-15, and Cornejo is out on a $7,500 bond.
Cornejo told court he was a local business owner and contracted with the University of Wyoming to provide music for football and basketball games. His biography on his business website states he is a member of the Wyoming National Guard.
According to court documents, a regional Mister Money manager told a Laramie Police Department officer June 7 the Laramie shop’s assistant manager, Cornejo, made multiple fraudulent transactions by entering false items into the store’s computer system and taking money.
The regional manager claimed the fraudulent transactions included an Apple laptop pawned for $470, a PS4 system for $200, an Apple laptop and Xbox One for $400 and a Sony TV for $380, according to the documents. All the alleged transactions occurred in May and collectively amounted to $1,450.
Cornejo was terminated from his position and reportedly said in a police interview he was responsible for the false transactions, documents state.
Laramie man denies possessing marijuana
Todd Allen Cudlipp, 35, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony possession of a controlled substance — marijuana, third or subsequent offense, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Trial was set for Dec. 7-8.
According to court documents, at about 8:33 p.m. June 20, two officers with the Albany County Sheriff’s Office and a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper were dispatched to a home on Mustang Lane following a domestic disturbance report.
People at the scene claimed there was no domestic disturbance, but rather a confrontation in which one man accused another of stealing gas, documents state. Before a protective sweep of the home could be conducted, police learned Cudlipp was inside the home, and the defendant was asked to leave the building and stay outside with three other men originally in the home.
One of the men reportedly claimed he had a marijuana pipe in his bedroom, and when a deputy asked if the house contained any illegal items, Cudlipp reportedly said he had a plastic bag of marijuana and hypodermic needles on a downstairs bed, documents state.
Police searched the home and found a bag of suspected marijuana matching the defendant’s description, along with two hash wax containers and a marijuana pipe with residue, according to the documents.
Cudlipp had two prior controlled substance possession convictions, documents state.
Laramie woman denies methamphetamine charge
Rae Rae Merejilda Contreras, 34, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense — methamphetamine, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Trial was set for Oct. 13-14, and Contreras is held on a $10,000 bond.
District Court Judge Jeffrey Donnell denied a request to modify Contreras’ bond to a signature bond, arguing the defendant was a flight risk because she failed to appear in court in 2010 and was a fugitive the following year.
Contreras pleaded guilty to a marijuana possession charge in June.
Court documents indicate on June 23, an Albany County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over Contreras’s vehicle on Interstate 80 because the defendant had an outstanding arrest warrant. The driver was identified as Frederick Harnden and Contreras was identified as the passenger.
Harnden appeared to shake uncontrollably, and Contreras had a black bag on her lap, documents state. The deputy thought both occupants were under the influence of a controlled substance, and Contreras was arrested on the warrant, while Harnden was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended driver’s license.
An inventory search of the vehicle yielded a black bag containing a syringe and white powder thought to be methamphetamine, and Contreras reportedly said she used methamphetamine a week earlier, according to the documents.
Both defendants had at least two prior controlled substance possession convictions, documents state.
Harnden pleaded guilty to a methamphetamine possession charge in June.
Colorado man and woman deny methamphetamine charges
Scott McCauley, 50, and Penny Jo Fritzler, 59, each pleaded not guilty Thursday to three felony charges: possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver — methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance — methamphetamine, third or subsequent offense.
The combined charges are punishable by up to 32 years in prison and $45,000 in fines upon conviction. Trial for both defendants was scheduled for Nov. 14-15, and prosecuting attorney Kurt Britzius said the state plans to file a motion to combine the two cases.
Court documents indicate on June 16, an Albany County Sherriff’s Office deputy pulled the defendants’ vehicle over on suspicion of speeding and having a cracked windshield. The traffic stop took place on U.S. Highway 287.
The driver was identified as McCauley and the passenger as Fritzler, documents state. The deputy reportedly smelled marijuana while interacting with McCauley and McCauley admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle.
A search of McCauley’s person revealed suspected methamphetamine and a suspected marijuana joint, documents state.
During a search of the vehicle, the deputy found “numerous jewelers’ baggies,” three bags of suspected methamphetamine, a small container appearing to contain a large quantity of the drug, another jeweler’s bag with white crystalline residue and a large pipe with suspected burnt residue, documents state. The total quantity of methamphetamine reportedly weighed more than 3 grams.
The deputy also located a small digital scale with suspected methamphetamine residue in a purse along with Fritzler’s wallet, according to the documents. When Fritzler was confronted about the scale, she reportedly said she “could not go through this again” and had a problem with the drug.
Both defendants have at least two prior controlled substance possession convictions, documents state.
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