Casper Woman Admits Sexual Contact With CRC Inmate
A former resident manager at the Casper Re-Entry Center accused of having sexual contact with an inmate entered a guilty plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors Thursday morning in Natrona County District Court.
Tosha Sheesley, 24, pleaded before District Judge Catherine Wilking to one count of third-degree sexual assault. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment as well as a fine of $10,000.
In exchange for the guilty plea, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Taheri moved for the dismissal of two counts of second-degree sexual assault initially filed against Sheesley. Wilking granted that motion and ordered the two counts dismissed.
Taheri told Wilking the state intends to recommend that Sheesley receive a suspended prison sentence of three to five years and serve three years on supervised probation in lieu of incarceration.
Sheesley would have to register as a sex offender.
It's a conditional plea based upon the dismissal of the other two charges, Taheri explained. Should the Wyoming Supreme Court at some point rule Wilking was wrong to dismiss those counts, Sheesley would be allowed to withdraw her guilty plea and the matter would be reset for trial.
The investigation began on March 15 when the inmate with whom Sheesley allegedly had a sexual relationship was arrested by the Natrona County Sheriff's Office. The arrest came after the inmate was arrested for possessing methamphetamine on CRC property.
The inmate's phone was confiscated, and investigators allegedly found personal messages between the inmate and Sheesley.
In April and May during interviews with an investigator, the inmate allegedly said he and Sheesley had sex at least three times in Sheesley's vehicle while parked behind the baseball fields in north Casper.
In a May 9 interview with the investigator, Sheesley reportedly admitted that she and the inmate had sex up to six times.
In explaining to Wilking what happened between herself and the inmate in question, Sheesley specified that her physical interactions with the inmate occurred outside the Casper Re-Entry Center.
Taheri made clear that state statute does not require the sexual contact to have occurred on the premises of a correctional facility for a conviction.
At the request of public defender Dylan Rosalez, Wilking agreed to modify the conditions of Sheesley's bond to allow Sheesley to travel to Montana.
Sheesley remains free on bond pending sentencing.