Casper Men Charged With Burglary, Property Destruction, Grand Theft

They're young and lack criminal records, but three 18-year-olds allegedly caused "wanton destruction throughout" the now-closed Casper's restaurant among other crimes, and required very high bonds to ensure they would appear in court, a prosecutor said during initial appearances in Natrona County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

John Craddock and Levi Kellick are each charged with six counts of burglary, one count of felony property destruction and one count of grand theft -- each count punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

Jesse Morgan is charged with one count of burglary and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary, the latter punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

Assistant District Attorney Blaine Nelson said the law outlines mitigating factors when looking at crimes, and in these cases the defendants' youth, lack of criminal records and ties to the community would work in their favor.

But the severity of the charges overrides those factors, Nelson said.

So he recommended and Circuit Court Judge Michael Patchen agreed to set $65,000 cash or surety bonds for Craddock and Kellick.

The high bonds also reflect the potential harm to the community, Nelson said. "The danger to public safety is significant."

He also recommended the bond conditions include no contact with co-defendants and victims, and that the defendants be trespassed from any of the businesses they allegedly burglarized.

Patchen asked Craddock if he had anything to say, he responded, "it seems too high for me."

Because Morgan's involvement was much more narrow than the other two, Nelson recommended and Patchen agreed to set his bond at $20,000.

The law enforcement affidavit accompanying the charging documents that details the crimes was not yet available at the Natrona County Circuit Court Clerk's office as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the Casper Police Department issued a press release about the arrests of the three men, and police believe they burglarized vehicles in addition to businesses during the past several weeks.

Detectives received information the suspects may have been involved in random property damage involving broken vehicle windows.

Casper Police are asking the public to report any vehicle window damage or auto burglarly in the last four weeks by calling the non-emergency phone number, 307-235-8278.

If you have already reported the property damage or burglary, contact Detective Andrew Lincowski, 307-235-8329, for more information on the case.