Two Men Charged With Multiple Burglaries In Casper, Mills
Casper police arrested two men for burglarizing three businesses and one non-profit organization, according to Natrona County Circuit Court records.
Michael Anders and Paul Wilson heard the charges against them during their initial appearances in circuit court on Tuesday.
Anders and Wilson, both 51, have lengthy criminal histories, and Judge Michael Patchen set their bonds at $20,000 each.
Anders is charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary. He asked Patchen to lower the bond because he's "trying to get my life straight," but the judge didn't buy it.
Wilson is charged with one count of burglary, two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, and two counts of aiding and abetting burglary. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of possession of methamphetamine during the hearing.
All burglary-related charges are felonies and punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment each.
The case began on Jan. 20 when a manager of the Rocky Mountain Car Wash on CY Avenue reported two people tried to break into his business, according to police affidavits.
Security video at 12:30 a.m. showed two suspects exiting a pickup, with the driver attaching a cable or rope from the back of the vehicle to the handle of the back door of the business. The video showed the driver getting into the pickup, driving forward, and the handle breaking off.
The video also showed the two suspects trying to break into the coin collection boxes in the wash bays.
A Casper police officer identified the pickup and its owner, Wilson, and where he was living.
Early Monday, police again responded to a call from the car wash with surveillance video showing the same suspects.
This time, they were in a sedan. The passenger got out, broke into the business, pried open a file cabinet and ransacked the office. The driver went to the front of the building, the passenger exited the front door and entered the sedan, which also belonged to Wilson.
Three other establishments also reported burglaries Monday.
An officer responded to a report of a burglary at C85 Liquors on East Yellowstone Highway where a suspect, later identified as Wilson, used a tool to pry open the drive-through window. The video also showed Wilson's car.
A Mills police officer reported to a business on Lafayette Street in Mills where the front door was pried open. The cash register box, containing about $10, was missing.
A clerk at the neighboring gas station told police she saw the incident. The driver, described as a "male with dark hair with some gray and a scruffy beard driving a beat-up sedan," bought $5 worth of gas at 4 a.m. A passenger who exited the sedan earlier returned to the car.
Finally, a Natrona County Sheriff's deputy responded to the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies in Mills, which reported the lock on a gate was cut and their snow blower was missing.
Later Monday, Mills police arrested Wilson and Anders at a residence on West Yellowstone Highway.
Three others at the residence told consistent stories to police about Anders and Wilson leaving about 9 p.m. Sunday and returning by 4 a.m. Monday.
Anders told police that he did not leave the residence. He complained of chest pains and was taken to the Wyoming Medical Center. Investigators confirmed he was seen on the video from C85 Liquors.
Wilson told investigators he was living out of his car. He finally admitted he was the individual seen at all four establishments.
He admitted to "'falling into'" the window at C85 Liquors and setting off the alarm, according to the affidavit. "Wilson denied it was a purposeful attempt to gain entry."