Supreme Court Shuts Down Casper Man’s Appeal to a Probation Revocation on Meth Charges

The Wyoming Supreme Court has denied a Casper man's appeal after his probation was revoked and he was sentenced to four to five years in prison.

According to court records, Clint Hammell pled guilty in May 2023 to felony possession of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to four to five years in prison, suspended in favor of three years of supervised probation.

Hammell's probation was revoked twice, in November 2023 and February 2024. Each time, the court gave him another chance and resuspended his sentence in favor of probation. Hammell was further ordered to complete an adult community corrections program.

He applied and was accepted into the Casper Re-Entry Center (CRC), but on on March 26, 2024, he failed to return and was listed as an escapee later that night.

Hammell’s probation agent testified in court that he did not arrive for his scheduled appointment with her on March 26, and that she did not hear from him until after he was found at an apartment and arrested on March 28.

The district court then revoked Hammell's probation and imposed the underlying sentence of four to five years with credit for time served.

Hammel appealed, citing car troubles. He did not deny that he violated the terms of his probation, but argued that the court "unreasonably found that his violations were willful and that a conscientious review of the evidence does not support such a finding."

The Supreme Court, however, responded that they do not override a district court's decision unless the decision is "clearly erroneous."

They conclude:

"The State’s evidence showed that Mr. Hammell left for work in the morning, informed CRC staff that he was running
late to his appointment due to vehicle issues, and was then not seen or heard from for two days before he was arrested. The district court specifically stated that it was “not persuaded at all with the explanations about car trouble” and found that Mr. Hammell’s violations were willful. It explained that his failure to contact anyone or seek transportation back to the CRC indicated willfulness, as did police finding him at an apartment two days later, apparently there of his own free will."