Man found guilty in vehicle theft

Cheyenne County district court found Wyatt Coleman, 26 guilty of one count of theft by unlawful taking, a class four felony on Wednesday. He was originally charged with theft, a class three felony, but Coleman entered into a plea agreement with the state in exchange for reduced charges.

Coleman reportedly stole a blue Chevy pickup truck from a residence in Sidney in Dec. 2013. The pickup was recovered by the Weld County sheriff’s department Greeley, Colo. a few days later. Coleman was reportedly driving the truck on Interstate 76 when he was pulled over and arrested.

According to earlier reports, items taken in the city of Sidney street department break-in, which occurred a few days before the truck was stolen, were found in Coleman’s possession. He reportedly told law enforcement that unidentified individuals had told him to pick up the truck from Sidney.

Sentencing was set for May 13 at 10 a.m. Coleman faces up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine in this matter.

In the break in at the city street department building on Dec. 9, 2013, a flatbed pickup truck was stolen. Other items taken from the building included hand and power tools, laptop computers and a portable welder. The stolen truck was found on the afternoon of Dec. 9 in a pasture north of town. It had been partially hidden with hay bales.