Stealing over $1,800 worth of youth hockey gear from a Cody laundromat has netted a man over three months of jail time and three years of probation.

Terrance Schmidt, 28, took a bag of gear belonging to the Yellowstone Quake team from the Cody Laundromat in February. Schmidt was arrested and the stolen items recovered the following day.

In mid-summer, Schmidt pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft totaling $1,000 or more and of possessing meth for a third or subsequent time. He spent 97 days in the Park County Detention Center before being released to a drug treatment program.

The Park County Attorney’s Office and Schmidt’s defense attorney agreed to a deal that called for three years of supervised probation for the crimes and District Court Judge Bill Simpson approved it on Tuesday.

Valentine’s Day theft

Charging documents say Schmidt entered the Cody Laundromat on the night of Feb. 14 and stole a Yellowstone Quake equipment bag that contained practice jerseys, socks, undershirts, neck protectors, leggings, jock shorts and a track suit.

When the business owner learned the bag had been stolen, she reviewed the surveillance footage and recognized Schmidt from a prior encounter. Cody police arrested him on the night of Feb. 15.

Schmidt reportedly told officers they’d find the gear in his Nissan Xterra, and they did.

He reportedly told police that he believed the gear had been abandoned, but Officer Trevor Budd said the surveillance footage showed him checking for witnesses before taking the bag from the laundromat.

Police also found 1.6 grams of meth in one of Schmidt’s pockets. Possessing that small quantity is typically a misdemeanor crime, but because it was Schmidt’s third or subsequent offense, prosecutors charged it as a felony.

Taking advantage of an opportunity

Prior to being sentenced on Tuesday, Schmidt expressed gratitude to the judge giving him the opportunity to attend the Cedar Mountain Center while the case was pending. He said the program helped him find the coping skills he needed.

“Trying to get clean on your own without having those kind of tools, and that kind of knowledge, is a very hard thing to do when someone’s been in an addiction for as long as I was,” Schmidt said.

He’s since joined the drug court program and is consistently working in construction, his attorney, Sam Krone said.

Judge Simpson noted that Schmidt is still young and has a future ahead of him.

“But as you know, that future really doesn’t mean much if you continue to abuse controlled substances, particularly methamphetamine and its derivatives,” Simpson said. “So I’m hopeful that you’ll take advantage of this opportunity.”

He said it was important that Schmidt stays clean, noting two to three years of prison time could be imposed if he falters on probation. Schmidt must also pay $500 to the court.