Felony Defense Attorney Sheridan, WY

Your Sheridan Felony Case Moves Through Two Courthouses

Felony cases do not end where they begin. Your first court appearance is in Sheridan County Circuit Court, where a judge will read the charges, set bond conditions, and schedule a preliminary examination. This hearing is the first real test for the state. The prosecutor must show probable cause through the testimony of a single police officer, and we have the opportunity to cross-examine this officer under oath before the case goes to a jury pool.

If the circuit court finds probable cause, the case is sent to the Fourth Judicial District Court, which covers Sheridan and Johnson counties. There, arraignment takes place. So do motions to suppress evidence, evidentiary hearings and trials.

Under the Wyoming Rules of Criminal Procedure, the preliminary examination is generally held within 10 days of your initial appearance if you are in custody, and within 20 days if you are not. This window is short, but it is also one of the few times early in a felony case when the defense can force the state to bring a witness to the stand and have them answer questions.

Bond Conditions Set Early Follow You for Months

Bond is argued at the initial hearing, often before most defendants have spoken with an attorney. Whatever the court decides, you must live with it. The court can impose cash amounts, no-contact orders, travel restrictions, and monitoring conditions that keep you away from work sites in Campbell County or across the Montana border, all in a hearing that lasts ten minutes.

Sitting in the Sheridan County Detention Center, while your case is pending, your defense in practical ways is limited. You cannot help to locate witnesses, you may lose your job, and the pressure to accept whatever the state offers grows every week. We argue for conditions of release that you can actually comply with, and we file for modifications when circumstances change.

Wyoming Does Not Grade Felonies. Each Statute Sets Its Own Penalty.

Wyoming skips the lettered and numbered classification systems that Montana, Colorado, and South Dakota use. Instead, every felony statute has its own sentencing range. Some felonies carry a sentence of 18 months or two years. First-degree murder can result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Most charges fall somewhere between these extremes:

• Aggravated assault and battery can result in up to ten years in prison.
• Possession of Schedule I or II controlled substances above the legal limit can lead to up to seven years in jail.
• First-degree arson can result in a sentence of up to twenty years.
• Felony theft, burglary, and other property crimes have penalties that vary depending on the value of the stolen property, any prior convictions the person has, and whether or not anyone was in the home at the time of the crime.

The specific statute under which you are charged determines your exposure, your argument about the bond, and the overall shape of your defense. That’s why a general answer to “How much time am I facing?” is useless. The charge itself has to be carefully read, and sometimes the state charges the wrong section.

What a Felony Conviction Costs You in Sheridan County

The sentence is not the entire punishment.

Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), federal law permanently bars anyone convicted of a felony from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition. Wyoming’s permissive gun laws do not override that. In a county where elk season, ranch work, and family rifles are part of ordinary life, this consequence hits harder than most people expect when they are first arrested.

Licensed work is the next casualty. Nurses and techs at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, employees at the VA Medical Center, teachers, CDL holders hauling for energy and construction outfits, and anyone holding a state professional license can lose that credential or be denied renewal after a felony. Landlords run background checks. So do employers in Sheridan’s tight rental and job market.

A felony record does not expire on its own. It follows you.

Call Before Charges Are Filed

The most valuable phone call in a felony case is often the one made before anything has been filed.

Sheridan County investigations often last for weeks. Cases involving drugs, the Division of Criminal Investigation, financial crimes, and allegations against children can all be in the investigation stage while officers collect statements. If we are involved during this time, we can monitor the investigation, protect you during questioning, and, in some situations, speak with the county attorney’s office before a charge is decided. This contact can change the severity of the charge or prevent charges altogether.

If a detective asks to talk to you, do not go alone. Call us first.

How a Former Prosecutor Reads the State’s Case

Christina Williams spent years deciding what to charge and how to prove it. We use that same lens in reverse. We read the file the way the prosecution does and look for where the probable cause is thin, which witnesses won’t hold up under cross-examination, whether the search that produced the evidence was lawful, and whether the charge was overfiled to create leverage for a plea. Prosecutors stack charges all the time. Knowing why they do it is half the battle in knowing how to take it apart.

We won’t promise a dismissal or an acquittal, because no honest lawyer can. What we will do is make the State prove every element of the charge and make sure no one talks you into a plea that’s worse than what the evidence actually supports.

Why Clients in Sheridan Choose Just Criminal Law

• Former prosecutor perspective: Christina L. Williams charged and tried cases for the State before founding the firm.
• 25+ years, 10,000+ cases: Our team has handled more than 10,000 criminal matters since 2009.
• Straight answers: You’ll hear what the evidence says, not a pitch.