Alcova Lake Burglary Suspect Pleads Guilty; His Accomplice Is Still Missing
One of the suspects in the break-ins of nearly two dozen cabins at Alcova Lake in November pleaded guilty to 22 counts of burglary during a hearing in Natrona County District Court on Thursday.
In exchange for his plea, Christopher Wallace will serve four to eight years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary with a boot camp recommendation, Assistant District Attorney Mike Schafer said.
If Wallace, 19, successfully completes boot camp, he could return to the court and ask the judge for a sentence modification, Schafer said.
Judge Catherine Wilking said she is not bound by the plea agreement reached by Schafer and Wallace's attorney Rob Oldham. If Wilking finds the presentence investigation recommends too lenient a sentence, she can dismiss the plea agreement, she said.
If the case had gone to trial and Wallace was convicted on all counts, he could have faced up to 220 years imprisonment.
The case began in mid-November when the Natrona County Sheriff's Office received reports of a series of alleged burglaries, property damage and criminal entries from Nov. 12-14.
Court documents said the incidents shared a pattern of the suspects forcing entry into buildings by using blunt force or throwing something through a window.
Coincidentally, the owner of one burglarized cabin had set up a trail camera on his property just prior to the burglaries. He gave the camera's memory card to deputies.
Photos from the card showed two male suspects breaking through the cabin door, and Natrona County School District and law enforcement officials identified Wallace as one of the suspects.
Wallace was a runaway at the time, but officers found him and interviewed him. He admitted to breaking into the cabins and stealing property from cabin owners. He added Adrian "Joseph" Sixfeathers committed the burglaries with him.
During his change of plea hearing, Wallace said they entered the cabins to find things they could take, sell, and split the proceeds.
According to an affidavit, 14 of the 22 cabin owners reported a total of $19,700 in damages.
After the hearing, Schafer said authorities are still looking for Sixfeathers. Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the Sheriff's Office at 235-9282.