All NCHS Vandals Are Now Sentenced To Equal Punishments

The second and third defendants who broke into Natrona County High School and caused more than $22,000 damage in September will serve 90 days in jail, pay restitution and spend two to five years on supervised probation.

Courtland Lovato and Kasey Ford each pleaded guilty to criminal entry and felony property destruction during their arraignments before their sentencings in Natrona County District Court on Tuesday.

Two other counts -- conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit property destruction -- were dismissed as part of a plea agreement arranged with their attorney and Assistant District Attorney Trevor Schenk.

District Court Judge Thomas Sullins accepted the plea agreements.

The first count originally was burglary, which is a felony. That was amended to one count of criminal entry, which is a misdemeanor, Schenk said.

Lovato and Ford will each serve 90-day jail terms for the criminal entry charge. They will be placed on supervised probation for two to five years.

If they successfully meet the terms of their probation, state law allows for the deferral of the felony criminal charge, Schenk said. "That guilty plea will not be entered as a conviction."

They also each must pay $7493.41 in restitution to a soft drink distribution company and the high school.

The third defendant in the case, Robert Rowe, pleaded guilty to the same charges and received the same sentence two weeks ago.

The case began Friday, Sept. 19, when the three had been drinking and decided to go to the high school, which is undergoing a massive renovation.

They entered through an unsecured entrance and vandalized various rooms. They pushed over a vending machine, and even put metal cups into a microwave. The latter stunt didn’t work because the  breaker tripped and shut off the microwave.