Byron break-in suspects plead guilty to misdemeanors

Four of the five men who were charged with breaking into and vandalizing the old Byron high school building last year were sentenced Friday morning, Aug. 16 in the Fifth Judicial District Court of Big Horn County.

Kaden Christensen, Mack Page, Isaiah Halverson and Akol Ring all pled guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of criminal entry as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Each was sentenced to 30 days in jail with credit given for time served. The unserved portions of their sentence were suspended upon conditions of unsupervised probation.

Each was also assessed a $350 fine, a $150 victim's compensation surcharge assessment, a $40 court automation fee and a $10 indigent legal service fee.

In exchange for the guilty pleas, all other charges against the four men were dropped.

A fifth defendant, Teslock Thong, has not yet been sentenced. At the request of his attorney, a continuance was granted at the end of Friday's hearing.

The vandalism was reported Sept. 29, 2023. At the time, the building was privately owned and being used to manufacture products for biological farming systems. Most locals know the building as the former Rocky Mountain High School.

Charging documents indicated there were two break-ins — the first on Sept. 27, 2023, the second on Sept. 30, 2023. Isaiah M. Halverson and Mack Page were involved in both and initially faced the most serious charges, including burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, theft and property destruction.

Christensen, Ring and Thong joined them in the Sept. 30 break-in and were subsequently charged with felony counts of burglary and property destruction.

Court documents detail how members of the group discharged fire extinguishers, splashed paint on the walls and floors, punched out ceiling tiles, shattered windows and destroyed furniture during their late-night rampage through the building. Much of it was caught on video surveillance footage.

Each of the defendants were dealt with separately Sept, 16. Ring went first, followed by Page. Both entered a change of plea, admitting guilt to the same misdemeanor criminal entry charge.

In addition to the fines and fees, Ring was also ordered to pay $250 in public defender fees. He was represented in court by attorney Sarah Miles.

Brendan Vilos, who represented Page, described his client as a straight A student whose arrest came in the middle of finals week at the college.

"He's learned a valuable lesson here and I'm certain nothing like this will ever happen again," Vilos said. "He was brought to this building and knew nothing about it until he met someone (in Powell)."

Vilos said Page has paid dearly for his actions, losing his opportunity to play basketball at NWC. He has since picked himself up and plans to attend a college in Montana to resume his playing career, according to Vilos.

Christensen had previously pled guilty to the criminal entry charge. It was held in abeyance until the restitution was resolved. The only defendant who addressed the court, he apologized for his actions and thanked his attorney, David M. Hill, for representing him in the

matter.

Attorney Timothy Blatt spoke on behalf of Halverson. He had pled guilty to one of the charges, property destruction, on April 30, 2024, but on Friday, that guilty plea was withdrawn so he could plead guilty to the same misdemeanor as the other defendants.

Blatt described his client as a fine young man from a fine family who was living his dream of playing college ball when students with local ties suggested the idea of entering the building. According to Blatt, his client entered the building with others, believing it to be abandoned.

"It's a decision that has haunted Mr. Halverson for almost a year now," said Blatt. "I don't think any of them thought when they entered that it would up where it did."

Blatt said he doesn't believe any of the five students are returning to NWC. "It has nothing to do with the community, nothing to do with Northwest College ... the reason, I believe, is because of the stigma over their heads. It's weighed heavily on their minds."

According to Blatt, Halverson has enrolled at a school in California, where, he will be able to continue his basketball playing career.

The question of restitution delayed the proceedings and hung over all four sentencings. Big Horn County Attorney Marcia Bean explained early on why it was excluded from the agreement.

"There were some significant discrepancies in the amount of restitution as well as the amount of damage that seriously compromised the state's ability to present restitution to this court," she said. "I explained to the victim, Mr. Tanner, that while we would not be seeking restitution, he could address the court if he chose to and that he could also pursue the claims he has through a civil remedy."