A Casper man facing up to six months in jail for trespassing now could face serious prison time for telling the frightened landowner, “I’ll get you, bitch,” in front of multiple law enforcement officers while leaving a Natrona County courtroom.
Mark Clinton Hinds, 49, was bound over to Natrona County District Court on Tuesday on one felony count of intimidating a witness, which carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.
Hinds had just pleaded no contest to the trespassing charge and was leaving the courtroom shortly before 1 p.m. on Sept. 17 when he noticed the female landowner who’d made the complaint right behind him, Casper Police Sgt. Andrea Husted wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed in his new criminal case.
“Another trial went first, so the Hinds trial had to wait,” the affidavit says. “Ultimately, Hinds pleaded no contest to the charge of trespassing and was sentenced.”
Court ended, and Hinds was directed to wait outside the courtroom for paperwork he needed to complete, Husted wrote.
“Hinds began to walk out of the courtroom at the same time as Sgt. Husted, Deputy (Roger) Burns and (the female landowner),” the affidavit says. The woman “stopped by the door so Hinds could pass by.”
With both Sergeant Husted and Natrona County Sheriff’s Deputy Burns right there with her, and within earshot of another officer serving as a bailiff in the court, Hinds made his threat, the affidavit says.
“As Hinds passed (the woman), he said, ‘I’ll get you, bitch,’ and then walked out of the door,” Husted wrote.
She ‘Began To Shake’
That threat immediately frightened the woman to the point of her shaking and being in obvious fear, the affidavit says.
“(She) appeared scared and began to shake … (and) confirmed that Hinds had said, ‘I’ll get you, bitch.’”
The woman “explained she was fearful of Hinds due to previous violent behavior,” the affidavit continues.
Because of that fear, two law enforcement officers rode the elevator down with the woman, and Husted walked her to her car “to ensure no harm came to (her) outside the police department,” the affidavit says.
“During the walk, (she) was seen scanning the area by turning her head left and right. (She) appeared visibly fearful,” Husted added.
Because they were in court and not prepared to take law enforcement action, Husted wrote that she didn’t confront Hinds that day.
He was subsequently arrested and charged with intimidating a witness, and remains at the Natrona County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash-only bond.
Not His First Rodeo
While Hinds’ alleged threat has brought him back to court, it’s a place he’s familiar with, having been charged with at least 15 mostly misdemeanor criminal cases since November 2021.
He also has another active criminal case that stems from a theft more than a year ago, court records show.
Hinds faces an as-yet-unscheduled jury trial for felony theft after he allegedly stole the tires and brakes off a high-school buddy’s pickup sometime between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4, 2025, leaving it on cinder blocks, according to Natrona County District Court records.
In that case, the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office says in an affidavit that Hinds admitted he stole the tires because he needed to fix up another truck to sell and he couldn’t afford the parts.
“During the interview with Mark Hinds, he admitted that he was the person responsible for taking wheels, tires, and rear brakes off (the other man’s) truck,” the affidavit says. “Hinds explained that he had fallen into hard times and was trying to get back on his feet.”
The way he was going to do that was to fix up a truck and sell it. Knowing the other man had a truck on his property with parts that would work, Hinds took advantage, the affidavit says.
He then took the money he made selling his repaired truck to pay for the legal registration and insurance on another truck he owned.
“Hinds informed law enforcement that he was willing to try and ‘make things right’ with (the other man),” the affidavit says. “Hinds said he knew what he had done was wrong, and he was going to try to make up for his mistake.”
Over the next three months, however, Hinds never reached out to the other man to “make things right” for the theft, which came out to nearly $2,150, according to the affidavit.
Because of that, Hinds now faces a felony theft charge, which could get him up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
