‘Inside Guy’ Sentenced to Prison, Boot Camp for 2017 Casper Taco Time Robbery Scheme
A Casper man was sentenced to prison time and a boot camp program Friday for setting up the 2017 robbery of a restaurant where he worked.
Gilbert Bo Lucas, born in 1998, was sentenced to five to seven years in prison on one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. District Judge Daniel Forgey recommended Lucas for the Department of Corrections boot camp program.
Should Lucas successfully complete that program, he would be eligible for a sentence review and early release from prison.
In August 2017, Lucas had been working at the Taco Time in Casper for just a few weeks when he and two others -- Dominic Jones and his girlfriend, Sabrina Schroefel -- set up the robbery.
According to court documents, Lucas made sure the back door was unlocked on the night of the robbery. Security footage showed him opening the door to look for Jones.
When Jones -- wearing a mask and armed with a knife -- approached the back door and knocked, Lucas opened the door and followed Jones inside.
Jones pushed the night manager to the ground, held the knife to the man's chest and demanded money.
Meanwhile, Lucas took money from two cash registers and a filing cabinet drawer. The amount of money taken totaled $1,250.
Detectives interviewed Lucas and others following the robbery. They noted that Lucas's account of the robbery differed from the events seen on security video.
The person who gave Lucas a ride home after his police interview immediately following the robbery would later tell detectives that they should investigate Jones for his role in the robbery.
Further interviews revealed Jones had threatened a woman with a knife and told her he would kill her if she told anyone about his involvement in the robbery.
A person who was originally offered a role in the robbery but did not participate told police in October 2017 that Lucas had been the "inside guy," and said Schroefel had transported Jones to and from the Taco Time area on the night of the robbery.
Jones was arrested in September 2017 following a shooting and stabbing in Worland. He was convicted of aggravated assault in that case and sentenced to a prison term of five to seven years in prison with a boot camp recommendation.
Schroefel was interviewed by police in April 2018 and admitted to having been involved as the driver. She also admitted that Jones and Lucas were involved, saying that she was only brought into their plan because she was "the girlfriend" and had a car.
Lucas entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery as part of an agreement in which prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison sentence of no more than 10 years. State law requires a minimum prison sentence of five years for the crime, while the maximum allowed sentence is 25 years.
Lucas will also have to pay $1,250 in restitution.
Schroefel was arrested and also was charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery. Her sentencing hearing is set for July 10 in Natrona County District Court.