All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Lander, WY) – 29-year-old Patrick Brown pled “not guilty” to felony kidnapping and felony child abuse at his arraignment hearing held yesterday, April 10, at the District Court in Lander.
The hearing was overseen by the Honorable Judge Jason Conder, with Micah Wyatt acting as Prosecution and Valerie Schoneberger as Defense.
Brown faces these charges after a February 9 incident where he was reported to have stolen a vehicle that was left running outside of a Riverton residence while the vehicle owner was unloading items into their home. An infant child was still in the vehicle when it was stolen, and court documents state Brown went on to abandon the vehicle with the baby still inside later that evening on a dark road in cold temperatures.
Following Brown’s “not guilty” plea, a jury trial was set for July 21. Brown remains in custody at this time.
The maximum punishment for felony kidnapping is no less than 20 years to life imprisonment.
The maximum punishment for felony child abuse is 10 years imprisonment.
County 10 will provide updates on the case as they become available, which can be viewed here.