Scooter Carey

Given his prior criminal convictions, a man who allegedly stole two trucks from a man in Sheridan and an e-bike in Cody is facing the possibility of a lifelong prison sentence.

Scooter D. Carey, 50, has been facing multiple felony charges across Sheridan and Park counties since his arrest in Cody on Sept. 17. However, Sheridan County prosecutors significantly upped the severity of their case late last month, filing notice that they want to designate Carey as a “habitual criminal.”

The sentencing enhancement can be applied when an individual with multiple prior felony convictions is accused of a violent felony; when a defendant has three or more prior felonies, the designation can result in a mandatory life sentence.

In this instance, Sheridan County prosecutors allege that Carey has five separate, prior felony convictions in Washington from between 2008 and 2016 — and they assert that he committed a robbery when he took one of the trucks.

In addition to the count of robbery, Sheridan County authorities have charged Carey with a couple felony counts of theft and burglary, plus two misdemeanor counts of theft. However, Carey must first deal with a felony count of theft and a misdemeanor count of property destruction in Park County relating to the stolen ebike. That case advanced to the county’s district court on Friday.

Thefts in Sheridan

The crimes started on the morning of Sept. 17, when Carey is alleged to have stolen a 1986 truck that had been parked at the Sheridan Wendy’s and listed for sale.

Narratives compiled by Sheridan County Sheriff’s deputies indicate the vehicle’s owner later spotted Carey driving his truck and began following the suspect.

When Carey crashed into a ditch on Upper Prairie Dog Road, the owner attempted to confront him, charging documents say. However, the owner told authorities that Carey punched him, slammed his leg in a vehicle door and knocked him to the ground. Carey then allegedly fled in the truck that man had used to pursue Carey — a 2022 GMC Sierra 3500 with an attached trailer.

Sheridan County deputies believe Carey continued down the road to Big Horn, as that’s where the 22-foot long trailer was later found abandoned. Then, Carey is alleged to have driven up the Red Grade Road toward the Bighorn Mountains. Along the way, he allegedly stole license plates from a parked vehicle and put those Wisconsin plates on the stolen GMC while ditching the truck’s original Wyoming plates in the area.

Further up the Red Grade Road, within the Bighorn National Forest, Carey is alleged to have trespassed at a private cabin.

Charging documents allege Carey cut the chain on the property’s front gate, dumped a large pile of tools and other items behind the cabin, then broke into a shed and took a 30-year-old generator. Sheridan County Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Sanders concluded that Carey was the culprit because the tools and other items — including a checkbook, vehicle registration and receipt book — all appeared to have come from the stolen 2022 GMC.

Finally, Carey is alleged to have taken the truck to Cody, where it was found parked outside the Wyoming Highway Patrol office.

The truck was towed away on the afternoon of Sept. 17, but, because it was carrying the wrong license plates from Wisconsin, charging documents say it took nearly a week before authorities realized it was the stolen GMC from Sheridan County.

Arrested in Cody

Meanwhile, Carey was arrested on Cody’s west strip on the evening of Sept. 17. That was after police caught him riding an e-bike that he’s alleged to have stolen and covered with black spray paint. Police say Carey apologized for taking the bike and his backpack, they reportedly found a title to one of the stolen trucks from Sheridan and a couple of bank cards belonging to the trucks’ owner.

At a preliminary hearing in Park County Circuit Court on Friday, Carey’s defense attorney, Brigita Krisjansons, asked to have the felony theft charge dismissed. She argued that authorities had failed to show the e-bike was worth more than $1,000.

Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah called it a “close call,” saying “there are some deficiencies in the case, potentially,” but found enough evidence to advance the case.

Carey has been held in the Park County Detention Center since his arrest, with bail set at $20,000 cash and pending holds from other agencies, Krisjansons said. His next court appearance will be an arraignment in Park County District Court, where he will formally enter a plea to the local charges.