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Troy Wichterman, Stanley, sentenced to 5 years for terrorizing, theft, reckless endangerment

Troy Eugene Wichterman, 46, Stanley was sentenced on March 4 to 10 years in prison with five years suspended, and three years of supervised probation for Class B felony theft. He received a concurrent sentence of five years in prison for Class C felony terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, concurrent sentences of two years on six Class C felony reckless endangerment charges, a concurrent sentence of 360 days on a Class C felony criminal mischief charge and a concurrent sentence on a Class C felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle charge. He will receive credit for 107 days served, plus 15 days off his sentence for good behavior.

In another case, he was sentenced to concurrent sentences of two years in prison for Class C felony possession of drug paraphernalia, two Class C felony counts of possession or sale of machine guns, automatic rifle, silencer or bomb, two Class C felony counts of felon in possession of a firearm and Class C felony possession of methamphetamine. He will receive credit for 141 days already served in jail and 20 days off his sentence for good behavior. Judge Richard Hagar also ordered him to obtain a chemical dependency evaluation and to pay court costs. Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal with the state.

In the firearms case, according to court documents, the Mountrail County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant and searched Wichterman’s home In May 2020. The search turned up brass knuckles in Wichterman’s pants pocket. Multiple methamphetamine pipes were found in the kitchen and bedroom. Heroin was found on the bedside table. Five firearms were found in the bedroom along with a large amount of ammunition and body armor. Tannerite explosive targets were also found in the bedroom. Three homemade silencers were located in the dining room along with materials to manufacture silencer parts. A stolen enclosed trailer valued at $7,000 was found outside the residence.

In November 2020, according to court documents in the theft, terrorizing and reckless endangerment case, a Mountrail County deputy clocked Wichterman driving at 89 mph in a 65 mph zone and tried to stop him. Wichterman fled at a high rate of speed and eventually drove through a fence entering a coulee, where law enforcement lost sight of him. A man then came forward and reported that he and another worker at an oil well location saw Wichterman climb over the fence of a secured area and that Wichterman then approached them and acted as though he had a weapon behind his back.

Wichterman reportedly told them, “I don’t want to hurt you. Get out of your truck.” The man complied and Wichterman then got into the truck and drove repeatedly into the locked gate until he broke through it and drove away. Law enforcement then pursued the stolen pickup, which Wichterman reportedly drove recklessly and nearly caused multiple collisions in Stanley. They continued to follow the vehicle until the pursuit was halted in Stanley, where the vehicle was abandoned at a bar.

Wichterman and his passenger got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, according to multiple witnesses. The original vehicle that Wichterman had abandoned at the oil well site was searched, and authorities found multiple empty bottles of liquor and shotgun shells. Two fences at the oil well site were damaged as well as a gate to the secured Tesoro yard.

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