CASPER — A 19-year-old Cheyenne man pleaded not guilty to pistol-whipping a 21-year-old and shooting at a car with three people in it in the early morning hours of Aug. 31.
Jeremy David Lakey stood in Natrona County District Court beside public defender Dylan Rosalez as he was arraigned before Judge Catherine Wilking on Thursday. He wore an orange jail jumpsuit in handcuffs and leg chains. A large star tattoo was visible the right side of his neck another tatoo on his right forearm.
Judge Wilking read through the charges against the teen that include three counts of aggravated assault and battery, one count of property destruction and defacement more than $1,000, and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent.
Lakey told the judge he understood the charges against him.
“How do you plead?” she asked.
“Not guilty,” he said.
Rosalez asked the judge to consider lowering his bond from $100,000 cash to $20,000 cash or surety. He said his client had been working as an electrician apprentice in Laramie County prior to the charges against him.
Assistant District Attorney Jeff Meyer said the “charges speak for themselves” and argued for the bond to remain where it was due to Lakey’s “significant juvenile history.”
“I think bond is appropriate,” the judge ruled, agreeing with the prosecutor.
The Allegations
An arrest affidavit alleges that Lakey pistol whipped a 21-year-old Casper man he had been drinking with on Aug. 31 inside a vehicle and later shot at a car with a 9 mm pistol containing three of the 21-year-old’s cousins. They had arrived in a Casper neighborhood to check on him.
Two of the aggravated assault charges involve the 21-year-old alleged pistol-whipping victim and the third involves his threatening and allegedly shooting at a 22-year-old cousin who showed up in the car.
An 18-year-old cousin who drove the car told Casper police that Lakey shot at the 22-year-old, missed and struck his car, according to the affidavit.
The three aggravated assault and battery charges against Lakey each carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The property destruction and defacement charge also carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
Rash Of Teen Crime
The allegations against Lakey is one of a rash of violent crimes by teens in Casper and follows a 15-year-old allegedly saying “I hope I killed one” after shooting up a trailer home on Aug. 12, and two teen murders in the city earlier this year.
Two teens face first-degree murder charges, accused of stabbing a 14-year-old to death at a local mall, and another is charged as an adult for allegedly shooting his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
