Local leader sentenced — Travel commission president pleads guilty to misdemeanor theft

Brittany May Trandahl, the president of the Weston County Travel Commission, former deputy county clerk and a past president of the Upton Chamber of Commerce, was sentenced for misdemeanor theft on Dec. 3 in the 6th Judicial District Court before Judge Michael J. McGrady.

Trandahl, who was born in 1988, according to court records, had originally been charged with felony theft after being arrested July 18 at the Walmart in Gillette.

According to amended criminal information filed Dec. 1 by prosecuting attorney Kyle Ferris, Trandahl took several items from Walmart between May 24 and July 18 without paying for them, and the value was less than $1,000. Under state law, misdemeanor theft with intent to deprive carries a penalty of up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $750 or both.

At the time of Trandahl’s arrest, charging documents indicated that she had stolen more than $1,000 worth of merchandise over three different visits to the store.

On Dec. 3, McGrady reviewed a Statement of Agreement reached between Ferris, the deputy attorney for Campbell County, and Trandahl, who was represented by Joshua B. Taylor, of Just Criminal Law. Under the agreement, Trandahl will serve one year of unsupervised probation and pay Walmart in $723.94 restitution. She must also pay $150 in crime victims compensation, $40 in court fees and a $10 civil processing fee. Her bond was exonerated.

Taylor asked McGrady to require immediate payment because Trandahl was prepared to pay in full, and McGrady granted the request.