Three in court for drug deal gone awry

Two people involved in a burglary that stemmed from a drug deal gone bad were sentenced, and a third pleaded guilty to a charge Tuesday at the Davison County Public Safety Center in Mitchell.

Wyatt Thayer, 26, of Kimball, received a suspended five-year penitentiary sentence from Judge Sean O’Brien for first-degree burglary in connection with a March 24 incident in which Thayer, Jesse Leigh Whitebull, 25, and Steven Ryan Koster, 22, entered an apartment on the 500 block of West Third Avenue.

Thayer was ordered to pay a $500 fine, court costs of $104, court-appointed attorney fees and restitution of $803.65.

The restitution was ordered jointly and severally, meaning it is up to responsible parties with the same sentence to pay the restitution.

Thayer must serve 50 days in jail. Work release was authorized.

Thayer is prohibited from consuming alcohol, being in bars or associating with known or convicted drug users.

He must also obtain a substance abuse evaluation.

“I will never drink again because, every time I do, I get myself in some weird predicaments,” Thayer said.

Thayer’s lawyer, Doug Papendick, said the incident stemmed from an assault that took place after a drug deal. In retaliation for the assault, the men went to the 500 block of West Third Avenue.

Hollie Evelyn Gramling, 27, received a three-year suspended prison sentence for driving the men to and from the residence where the damage took place.

She was ordered to pay a $400 fine, $104 in court costs and repay court-appointed attorney fees.

She was ordered to serve 20 days in jail on the weekends beginning this week.

She was also ordered not to consume alcohol or drugs. She must maintain gainful employment and be re-evaluated at Dakota Counseling Institute.

“Had I not drove them, none of this would’ve happened that night,” Gramling said before sentencing.

Earlier Tuesday, White Bull, 25, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary as part of a plea bargain. In exchange for the plea, the state has agreed to remain silent on any sentencing recommendation except that involving restitution.

White Bull is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 23. He is facing a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Koster was sentenced to serve more than four years in the penitentiary earlier this year.

Tags: news, updates, crime, courts, drugs