Garret Henderson

After serving roughly four months in jail, a 25-year-old Powell man who severely injured another young man in a spring altercation has been released to probation.

At a recent appearance in Park County District Court, Garret Henderson pleaded no contest to a felony count of aggravated assault in connection with the March incident. 

In-line with a plea agreement, District Court Judge Bill Simpson credited Henderson for the 124 days he’d already served in jail and placed him on three years of supervised probation.

Charging documents indicate Henderson attacked the young man because the 18- or 19-year-old was “touching/choking” a young woman at the gathering. The young woman and others tried to stop Henderson, but he punched the young man some more after he “got into Garret [Henderson]’s face,” according to a Cody police summary.

The young man suffered a broken bone around his right eye, among other injuries, authorities said.

At the Jan. 30 sentencing hearing, Henderson’s defense attorney said a brain injury her client suffered in a crash about seven years ago impacts his ability to control himself when situations escalate. Attorney Cassie Craven indicated that Henderson is receiving care.

Henderson’s father, Tye, also told the court he’d taught his son to never put his hands on a woman, suggesting that upbringing played into the incident. Tye said his son “may have taken it a little far.”

Craven indicated that she would have presented pictures of the young woman’s injuries if the case had gone to trial, which drew an objection from Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Laura Newton.

“If this case was strong, then we should have went to trial,” Newton said.

The prosecutor later went over Henderson’s criminal history, which, she said, included a deferral on a felony charge in Montana in 2020.

At the time of the aggravated assault, Henderson was on probation for misdemeanor convictions of theft, reckless driving and fleeing police. Those stemmed from a June 2023 incident, in which Henderson reportedly stole a stranger’s car in Powell and then fled from Park County sheriff’s deputies.

Judge Simpson expressed sympathy for Henderson’s brain injury, but “I can only be sympathetic up to a point if you don’t get help and you continue to reoffend,” he said, noting that “everybody has problems and issues in this life.”

The judge added that he wants Henderson to get help, warning that if he doesn’t, “he’ll be right back here [in court] and it’ll be very painful for everybody.”

Any probation violations — including having contact with the victim or his family — could be punished by up to five years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary.

Henderson must pay $1,200 in fines and fees to the court, but no restitution was ordered, as the young man, who’s since moved out of state, didn’t submit any medical bills for consideration. According to the county attorney’s office, the victim had no objection to the plea deal.