Former mobster admits to marijuana possession

Wyoming News in Brief

Posted 3/28/18

A former member of the Gambino crime family admitted Friday in Laramie County District Court to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

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Former mobster admits to marijuana possession

Wyoming News in Brief

Posted

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A former member of the Gambino crime family admitted Friday in Laramie County District Court to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Henry Sentner, 81, has already spent a significant amount of time in prison after being convicted in the 1970s of murdering a nephew of infamous mob boss Carlo Gambino.

But his criminal history in Wyoming started last September, when Sentner was pulled over by a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper for speeding and the trooper found marijuana in the car.

On Friday, Sentner pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, telling Judge Thomas Campbell that he was “transporting marijuana through Wyoming” on his way home to South Carolina when he was pulled over.

The trooper found a “sizeable amount” of marijuana in the back seat of Sentner’s rental car and even more in the trunk, amounting to about 35 pounds, according to court documents and Sentner’s testimony.

But Sentner’s guilty plea could be withdrawn and the case would be dismissed if he successfully appeals one of Campbell’s orders, according to a plea agreement.

In January, Sentner’s attorney, Devon Petersen, filed a motion to exclude the marijuana as evidence for trial, arguing that the trooper’s actions amounted to an “unreasonable seizure” of the drug.

But Judge Campbell denied Sentner’s motion to suppress the evidence, saying the initial stop was justified, and the trooper’s actions were “reasonably related to the purpose of the stop.”

For now, Sentner’s guilty plea will stand. The plea agreement states that the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office will ask the judge to sentence Sentner to four to six years in prison, and Petersen is free to argue as he sees fit.

Riverton parents lose lawsuit appeal

RIVERTON (WNE) — The parents of Sophia Archer, the Riverton elementary school student who was killed in a crosswalk three years ago, have lost an appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

After the death of their 7-year-old daughter in 2015, Timothy and Ryann Archer sued both the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the city of Riverton.

The Archers claimed that negligence of both entities contributed to the death of their daughter.

While leaving Ashgrove Elementary School, the child was struck and killed by the vehicle of 78-year-old Sandra Pennock, who erroneously had been granted a driver’s license by WYDOT.

Pennock had a glass eye and monocular vision, which would have made it impossible for her to pass an eye exam.

The City of Riverton also contributed to Sophia’s death, the Archers alleged, because it had not adequately painted the crosswalk.

Even if the governmental employees had been negligent, defense attorneys argued, their rights to governmental immunity meant that they could not be held legally liable.

The Archers argued that strict application of governmental immunity is “simply unconscionable.”

The Supreme Court upheld district court judge Norman Young’s ruling that state statute does not waive immunity for the specific kind of negligence that Riverton and WYDOT were accused of.

The crosswalk at the intersection of North First Street and Sunset Drive where the girl was struck has since been painted, and enhanced warning signs have been placed.

Man pleads guilty to cocaine possession

JACKSON (WNE) — A man accused of using fake money to buy a ski pass at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and then swallowing cocaine in front of a sheriff’s deputy pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession Thursday in exchange for the dismissal of a felony forgery charge.

Michael Hagele, 48, appeared in person Thursday morning in Teton County Circuit Court with his attorney John Robinson.

The California resident was ordered to complete 20 hours of community service, successfully complete outpatient treatment for addiction and serve one year of probation.

If he does that without violating probation terms, the charge will be deferred.

Hagele was in town the week of Jan. 20 with some friends for a ski trip.