GILLETTE, Wyo. — A man accused of stealing $13,000 worth of tools in the Gillette area has been charged with three counts of felony theft with intent to deprive, Campbell County court records say.
Casey J. Dockter, if convicted on all three counts, could face up to $10,000 in fines and 10 years in prison for each offense relating to a series of thefts in which he is accused of stealing lock-picking tools, power tools, accessories, and other tools between March and April 2023, court documents say.
One theft occurred on March 23 in which approximately $6,000 in lock-picking tools, including a Smart Pro diagnostic machine valued at over $4,000, were stolen from an Action Lock & Key van, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Two others occurred in the parking lot at Best Western Tower West Lodge. One involved $3,000 in assorted tools reported stolen on March 27 while the other involved $4,000 in Milwaukee power tools reported stolen on April 10, the affidavit states.
Officers responded to Dockter’s residence with a search warrant after receiving a report that he may be trying to sell the stolen items on social media and seeing a vehicle parked outside that matched the suspect vehicle identified in Tower West Lodge surveillance, according to the affidavit.
Dockter himself was found hiding in the attic when officers cleared the home with an unmanned drone, per the affidavit, which says 64 items believed to be stolen were seized from the residence.
The Smart Pro diagnostic machine was not recovered, and officers chose not to field test an assortment of uncapped needles and burnt tin foil for drugs due to how many stolen items they were dealing with at the time, per the affidavit.
Dockter was arrested and charged with three counts of felony theft with intent to deprive, court documents say.
