All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Riverton, WY) – The Riverton Circuit Court preliminary hearing for 44-year-old David Daughtry was waived, and the case is now bound for District Court, according to court documents filed on July 16.
Daughtry faces various charges after he was reported to have escaped from custody at the Wyoming Honor Farm, a minimum classification correctional facility in Riverton, on July 7. He was apprehended at around 4:55 PM, about 25 minutes after he was officially reported missing from the facility.
Daughtry, who was serving an 18-month-to-3-year sentence in Natrona County for burglary, was charged with felony escape from official detention; misdemeanor duty to stop where an accident involves damage to an attended vehicle or property; misdemeanor property destruction or defacement; and misdemeanor reckless endangering.
The case affidavit on file states that on July 7, an on-duty Fremont County Sheriff’s Office Deputy heard a page from the Wind River Police Department, indicating that a reporting party had said that “someone was trying to kill her.”
Upon arrival, law enforcement made contact with the reporting party, who stated that she and a male subject were helping a woman, whom she identified as Daughtry’s girlfriend, move out of the camper where she was staying in the Whitetail Drive area. The reporting party told the deputy that Daughtry had become “agitated” after accusing the girlfriend of cheating on him with the male subject who was helping her move.
The reporting party stated that after Daughtry escaped from the Honor Farm, he located the group, grabbed a “billy club” that was in her backseat, and broke the driver’s side window with it, leading to injuries on her left arm. She then told the deputy that Daughtry got back into his truck and intentionally struck her vehicle while she was in it before fleeing the scene. The male subject, who also witnessed the events, confirmed her account.
The deputy soon left the scene and found Daughtry’s reported girlfriend walking in the area. She confirmed the reporting party’s account as well, adding that the vehicle Daughtry fled in belonged to both of them, and that she “did not know why (he) would do that.” The affidavit states that it was around this time that the FCSO confirmed Daughtry had escaped from the Honor Farm, further corroborating the accounts.
The vehicle Daughtry fled in was soon located at a residence on Behan Lane, the affidavit continues, where he was found hiding under the porch with the assistance of K9 Kratos. The deputy noted the fresh damage on Daughtry’s vehicle.
As stated above, Daughtry’s Circuit Court preliminary hearing was waived, and his case now moves on to District Court. As of this writing, no date was available for his arraignment hearing.
County 10 will continue to provide updates on this case as they become available, which can be viewed here.