Accused of stealing $3,600 in solar panel hardware then turning it in for a Facebook reward, a transient Cheyenne woman could face up to 20 years in prison — as could her two alleged accomplices.
Two of the three claimed they found the solar hardware while dumpster diving, according to an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
Treva Lynn Larson, who turns 52 this year, is charged with two variations of felony theft, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Larson’s case rose Tuesday from Cheyenne Circuit Court to the felony-level Laramie County District Court.
Her alleged accomplices Jason Brent Stricker, who turns 52 this year, and Tyronne Serrano, who turns 49, also face two felony-theft charges each.
Took A Forklift
The owner of Colorado Solar Co., Justin Baker, contacted the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Feb. 27, saying someone had stolen $3,600 worth of solar equipment from his customers at their home the night before.
The equipment had been on a pallet in front of the home, placed there by a forklift, in multiple cardboard boxes.
One person couldn’t have hefted the boxes away alone, Baker said.
So, Baker offered a $500 reward on Facebook for anyone who could return the equipment, according to an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
His Facebook post said the equipment would probably be in a dumpster. This was to give the thieves “an out” and persuade them to call him, the affidavit says.
Just Gonna Call The Sheriff Now
The document says Stricker, Larson and Serrano contacted Baker wanting to return the goods and collect the reward money.
Larson replied to the post and contacted Baker to meet at the Love’s Travel Stop. All three “accomplices” met Baker at the stop, with the equipment in Larson’s vehicle, says the affidavit.
Baker allegedly heard three different stories from the suspects about how they came to acquire the items.
Larson said her daughter found them in a dumpster. She later said she found them herself, the affidavit says.
While on the phone with Serrano before the meet, Serrano reportedly told Baker that he and Larson saw the equipment in a dumpster.
Baker inventoried the goods to make sure everything was there. Once he verified it was all there, he contacted Laramie County dispatch.
Dumpster Diving
Laramie County Sheriff’s Deputy Willie Chapman arrived while the three suspects were still on scene. Larson was talking to Baker when the deputy pulled up, the affidavit says.
Serrano was in the back driver’s side passenger seat of their vehicle and Stricker was in the front passenger seat.
Chapman talked with Larson first.
She allegedly told him they found the equipment in a dumpster in West Winds Mobile Home Park, then changed her story and said she and Stricker found the goods in a dumpster in the Willow Pond subdivision.
Next, Chapman interviewed Stricker, who said he found the items at a Loaf n’ Jug on South Greeley Highway in a dumpster with a friend named Curtis. He said they were dumpster diving and looking for food, the affidavit says.
Stricker reportedly said he and Curtis took the equipment to Larson’s house, where he also lives. She announced that the items were online and they’d have to turn them in, he added.
The affidavit makes multiple references to Larson’s “house” on New York Road, though her court file lists her as transient.
Serrano told the deputy he only came along to help the other two unload the goods, then to take care of business in town. He said he lives at Larson’s house as well.
A Fentanyl Case
Larson is facing a separate felony case on claims of repeated drug possession (this time fentanyl) stemming from a Feb. 22 traffic stop.
A Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Deputy attested to pulling Larson over, seeing open containers of alcohol in her vehicle, and noticing her pupils were constricted and her eyelids were droopy.
A police K-9 drug detection dog arrived on scene and alerted on Larson’s vehicle, says the affidavit in that case.
The deputy allegedly discovered burnt tinfoil under the floormat where Larson had been sitting, plus two small blue pills believed to be fentanyl in the glove box.
The deputy found a bag containing “several more” of those pills in the trunk, several metal and plastic straws and pieces of burnt tinfoil throughout both the front and back seats, the affidavit says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
