Casper Man Sentenced to Prison for Auto Burglaries
A Casper man already imprisoned for two to four years saw his prison term lengthened Wednesday morning for committing a number of auto burglaries in the Casper and Bar Nunn area.
Brandon Matthew Pederson, 27, was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison. That sentence will run concurrently with the two- to four-year prison term he is currently serving as a result of his probation being revoked in a burglary case.
Pederson was also ordered to pay $400 restitution on each of five counts, and will receive 53 days credit for time served.
Court documents say Pederson was arrested after detectives investigating a burglary used surveillance footage to identify Pederson as the suspect. Pederson was wanted for a probation violation, so Natrona County Sheriff's deputies arrested him at a Bar Nunn home in late January.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the home of Pederson's mother and recovered a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum, a broken Winchester safe, white Oakley sunglasses, a Leica Rangefinder, an Apple iPad, a HiPoint pistol, a .22 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, four chainsaws and a black Maxx programming screen, according to the affidavit.
Their search also allegedly turned up numerous pneumatic, electric and hand tools, a tow strap and hunting and fishing gear.
Detectives described the amount of stolen property recovered in that search as "epic." Investigators believed some 34 burglaries reported in the month of January alone were related to the property found at the home of Pederson's mother.
Court documents say Pederson admitted to investigators that he committed numerous auto burglaries while either high on methamphetamine or in order to get more money for methamphetamine.
In May 2016, Pederson received first-offender status and was ordered to serve one to five years of probation after pleading guilty to one count of burglary. That plea was the result of Pederson's involvement in some 14 separate auto burglaries in the Bar Nunn area.
A probation and parole officer in late December filed a petition to revoke Pederson's probation, alleging Pederson admitted to using meth and marijuana, failed to enter an in-patient drug treatment program and tested positive for marijuana.