Sidney Man Sentenced For Burglary In Culbertson

Riley John Chatterton, 21, of Sidney was sentenced in district court on Wednesday, March 10, after admitting taking items from a Culbertson residence on June 18, 2020.

Chatterton made guilty pleas to burglary and theft, both felonies, in district court on Dec. 16, 2020.

The plea agreement called for a five-year suspended sentence, a fine of $1,000 and reimbursement of $1,622.84, but District Judge David Cybulski expressed concern that wedding jewelry was never returned. The majority of the things taken were returned to the residents.

A victim testified how sentimental the missing items were to the couple which has been married for 50 years.

Cybulski noted that he desired to “motivate” Chatterton into finding the items. “To me, that’s a big deal,” he said.

Chatterton said he has searched his vehicle three or four times for the missing items. “If I still had it, I would give it back to them,” he said.

Defense attorney Juli Marie Pierce noted Chatterton’s youth and that he has been trying to get his life back on track by obtaining a job and receiving counseling. Along with the plea agreement sentence, Cybulski added 90 days to be served in the county jail. The sentence doesn’t need to be served all at one time. The judge said the earliest that Chatterton can begin serving part of the jail sentence is 90 days. If the missing items are found before then, Chatterton doesn’t need to serve the additional jail time.

“I want to make sure that you’re motivated to find them,” Cybulski said.