Jacob Satterwhite

A Powell man is facing a stack of criminal charges in connection with allegations that he stole eight ATVs from a storage unit last month.

Jacob P. Satterwhite, 44, has been charged with eight felony counts of theft, felony burglary and a misdemeanor count of property destruction. The charges were filed in connection with a break-in at a storage unit just east of Powell city limits.

Satterwhite’s case was sent to Park County District Court last week, after Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah found there was enough evidence for the case to proceed toward a trial. Satterwhite, who was arrested July 14, was released from custody July 27 on a $25,000 surety bond. He’s being required to stay in Park and Big Horn counties and to wear a GPS ankle monitor while the case is pending.

Satterwhite’s next hearing will be an arraignment, where he’ll formally enter a plea to the charges. He’s already informally denied the allegations.

“I have seen the charges and I am not guilty of them,” he said at his initial court appearance on July 17.

Charging documents say the ATVs were being kept at Metzler Storage, on Hastings Horseshoe. On the afternoon of July 10, the vehicles’ owner discovered the latch to his unit had been cut (doing roughly $100 worth of damage) and eight ATVs were missing; the owner reported that the vehicles’ keys had been left in the ignition.

In an ensuing investigation, the Park County Sheriff’s Office learned that two juveniles had been seen using three of the stolen ATVs. Those youth said they’d gotten the vehicles from Satterwhite, charging documents say. The mother of one of the boys reported that Satterwhite brought the vehicles to their home on the morning of July 9. The mother said Satterwhite claimed the vehicles belong to his aunt, and he “wanted to know if the kids wanted to ride them,” Deputy Tyler Patterson recounted in an affidavit.

Deputies recovered those three stolen ATVs  — a 2009 Honda TRX and two 2008 Suzuki Z400s — but the other five remain missing. The sheriff’s website describes the missing vehicles as a pair of red 2008 Honda TRX 700XXs, a black 2008 Suzuki Z400, a white and blue 2007 Yamaha Raptor 700 and a blue and yellow 2002 Yamaha Banshee. Charging documents say each four-wheeler is estimated to be worth around $5,000.

Judge Darrah initially set Satterwhite’s bond at $25,000 cash.

Deputy Park County Attorney Laura Newton recommended that sum on July 17, arguing Satterwhite has a “lengthy criminal history” and the charges are “substantial.”

Satterwhite countered that he’s been “doing really, really good,” had a solid job and was needed by his family. He asked to be released so “we can go through and figure all this out.”

Darrah went with the $25,000 figure, expressing surprise that Newton didn’t request a $40,000 bond to reflect the combined value of the stolen ATVs.

“I don't know that I've ever had anybody in front of me with 10 charges before, almost all of which are felonies,” Darrah said. “And I have a concern.”

However, following last week’s preliminary hearing, the judge modified Satterwhite’s $25,000 so it could be posted by a bondsman instead of only in cash. He made bail three days later.

As of press time, Satterwhite’s arraignment in District Court had not yet been scheduled.