Court Brief

Wickenhauser pleads guilty

Gunnison County resident Bryan Wickenhauser pled guilty to charges this month from his arrest in 2023, and will face sentencing on May 10. Wickenhauser was arrested at the I Bar Ranch in Gunnison last September and charged with two counts related to possession with intent to manufacture or distribute cocaine. Dominic Danni, who was arrested alongside Wickenhauser with the same charges, has pled not guilty and is facing a trial in the fall. 

Wickenhauser filed the plea agreement on April 19 with Gunnison District Court, which reads that he “unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly sold or distributed cocaine, a schedule I or II controlled substance.” The plea agreement further states that “the violation involved any material compound, mixture or preparation that weighed more than 14 grams, but not more than 225 grams.” Wickenhauser had no criminal history prior to this case, and the agreement was signed by assistant district attorney Jessica Waggoner. A level 2 drug felony is punishable by up to four to eight years in prison, and according to deputy public information officer Jon Sarche with the Colorado Judicial Department, terms could be doubled if aggravating circumstances are found, and/or fines could be assessed up to $750,000. If prosecution requests restitution it is up to the court to rule on it and the amount.