Casper Auto Burglary Leads to Meth, Child Endangerment Charges
An investigation into an auto burglary led to methamphetamine charges for two Casper residents, and an additional child endangerment with methamphetamine charge for one.
Tonya King is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, felony theft, child endangerment with methamphetamine and giving a false statement to a pawnbroker in Natrona County District Court.
Kenneth J. Latham is charged with burglary, felony theft, conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of a controlled substance in the same alleged incident.
Neither King nor Latham has had an opportunity to enter pleas to the charges.
According to nearly identical affidavits of probable cause filed in the incident, police began investigating the incident in late January after a work truck was broken into in the Candlewood Suites parking lot in Casper. Court documents state a number of tools were stolen from the truck.
During the course of the investigation, police learned that King pawned off some of the stolen tools at two Casper pawn shops over the course of four days.
Court documents state police learned King and Latham were staying a hotel in Evansville. They also learned children were additionally staying in the room.
On Feb. 1, police watched a vehicle connected to King leaving the hotel and subsequently stopped it. A search of the vehicle yielded some of the missing tools in addition to a bolt cutter, pry bar, metal sheers and a flashlight.
Police also searched the room in which King was staying and found even more of the stolen tools, court documents state. Detectives also located methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia.
According to the affidavits, police interviewed King who said Latham was like an adopted to son to her and that they were staying in the hotel together. Latham reportedly asked King to pawn the tools for him as he did not have any form of identification. King allegedly claimed she did not know if the tools were stolen or not, but had a feeling they might.
Both affidavits state Latham told police he told a friend about money issues. The friend reportedly told him that he could make "some easy money" by taking tools from work trucks. Latham was then given a pry bar.
Court documents state King was charged with child endangerment as she was responsible for the well-being of the children in the hotel room where police found methamphetamine.
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