Men plead not guilty to dispensary theft

Appearing for his initial appearance, William Lucas Wyatt entered not guilty pleas in court on Tuesday to felony charges of burglary and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, stemming from a break-in at the Top Shelf Botanicals dispensary in Plains. Judge Deborah Kim Christopher set this matter for a jury trial on July 15, 2024.

Co-defendant McKenzie Allen Managhan also appeared for an initial appearance on a felony charge of burglary by accountability, in relation to the same incident. Managhan's jury trial was set for July 15, 204 as well. A third co-defendant, Isaac Samuel Warnes, will be arraigned on March 19.

As set forth in the filed affidavit, on the morning of January 18, Sanders County Detective Ethan Harvey was called to investigate a reported break-in at the Top Shelf Botanicals dispensary in Plains. Detective Harvey responded to the scene, where he spoke with the owner/manager of the property, Christopher Reyna, who had received a notification from the security company that indicated a possible break-in. Deputies Timothy Kelly and Craig McCarthy, who were already on scene, had followed footprints through the snow behind the building that led to the pullout where MCS often sets up their portable scales.

Detective Harvey noted that the glass interior door at the dispensary had been shattered, bags of the marijuana products had been knocked off their wall hangers onto the floor, and the till was open, with other small bins behind the counter were emptied and in disarray.

Detective Harvey was able to review the security footage, which showed that shortly after midnight, the adjoining business owner left their space, forgetting to lock the exterior door for the building. About 20 minutes later, the video showed two individuals entering through the exterior door, wearing dark clothing, face coverings and gloves. The individuals broke out the glass in the door and entered the shop. Upon entering, one individual, later identified as Wyatt, went directly to the room where the safe was located with what appeared to be a hammer. Wyatt walked up to the safe and entered a code on the electronic keypad, opening the safe and removing a small lock box. The video then showed Wyatt leave the building and head across the parking lot.

While Wyatt was allegedly accessing the safe, the other individual, later identified as Warnes, stayed in the front area of the shop. Detective Harvey observed that the footage Warnes walking around the space before taking marijuana products off of the walls and from behind the counter.

According to the footage, about 20 minutes after the men originally left, Wyatt returned with a trash bag, pulled money from the till and grabbed more products. As Wyatt went to leave the building through the front door, something startled him, causing him to jump back through the broken door and exit through the building's back door. Further review of the footage showed that Reyna had pulled into the parking lot as Wyatt was going to leave. Reyna told Detective Harvey that he had intended to just shine his headlights on the front of the building before checking the back, but called 911 when seeing the exterior door ajar and the broken interior door.

As Detective Harvey was finishing the initial review of the footage, a dispensary employee, identified as Managhan, arrived for his shift. Detective Harvey, still sitting at the camera monitor, observed his behavior, noting that Managhan appeared to be trying to listen to their conversation, then began cleaning up.

Detective Harvey conducted an interview with Managhan, who had been working for the dispensary for about a year. Managhan claimed he had warned his supervisor about security issues and the lack of precautions, such as the safe room always having a key in the lock and never changing the safe code. Managhan claimed he was home asleep at the time it occurred.

Another employee told Detective Harvey that there had been about two weeks worth of sales stored the safe.

On January 24, Detective Harvey and Deputy Devin Wegener met with the owner of the dispensary, who stated the value of the missing product was $10,870, the amount in the safe was $17,313 and the replacement cost for the glass door was $800.

During the evening of January 29, the Sanders County Sheriff's Office stopped Wyatt on a separate matter. He was allegedly driving a black Honda sedan with tires that appeared to match the tracks observed outside the dispensary on the night of the break-in. Detective Harvey met with Wyatt in the Sanders County Jail the next day and conducted an interview.

During the interview, Wyatt initially denied any involvement, but later admitted to being a part of the break-in. Wyatt allegedly reported that he and his friend, Warnes, had been friends with Managhan for some time, and had met up with Managhan after he got off his shift the day before the break-in. Allegedly, Managhan then suggested that Wyatt and Warnes break in to the dispensary, telling them that the owner had not picked up the deposit for two weeks and providing the safe code.

Wyatt stated that after they left initially, they had driven to Paradise. The men then returned for the second time to empty the till and grab more product. After leaving a second time, the men allegedly drove up to the Little Thompson River area, where they burned their clothing and anything else they thought could tie them to the crime. The stolen money was split between the three men.

Braden J. Jones appeared for an adjudication hearing regarding a filed petition to revoke his suspended sentence, electing to admit to several of the allegations of probation violations. Jones addressed the court, sharing how his time in jail had ended up being a blessing, allowing him to step back, take accountability, and recognize his shortcomings and his need for treatment. Judge Christopher sentenced Jones to a three-year deferred imposition of sentence, with up to nine months to be spent in a secure facility with the Department of Corrections, where Jones will be screened for chemical dependency treatment. Jones also received credit for 68 days time served and 151 days of street time.