BURNETT COUNTY -- A man has been sentenced in Burnett County Circuit Court on charges of possessing a ‘Shank’ while incarcerated in the Burnett County Jail.
Criminal charges of Class I Felony Deliver Illegal Articles to Inmate were filed against Sheldon Thayer following an incident in September 2017 in the Burnett County Jail when a fight occurred between inmates in the jail.
According to a criminal complaint filed against Thayer, a metal shank was found in Thayer’s cell. Investigating officers interviewed other inmates regarding the incident, and one inmate stated that Thayer showed him a gold colored metal shank and said that if he told anyone about it, Thayer would kill him.
According to online circuit court records, an amended complaint was filed in November 2017 against Thayer, reducing his charge to Misdemeanor Carry Concealed Weapon.
Online circuit court records show that Thayer appeared in Burnett County Circuit Court on July 25, 2018 regarding his charges at which time the Court accepted his plea of Guilty to the reduced of Misdemeanor Carry Concealed Weapon and sentenced him to 80 days County Jail - no credit for any time already served in jail.
Thayer was also ordered to pay nearly $500 in court costs.
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Inmate Charged With Possessing Shank in Burnett County Jail
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 | DrydenWire
Criminal charges have been filed against an inmate of Burnett County Jail after jail officials located a shank concealed in his cell.
According to the criminal complaint filed in Burnett County Circuit Court against Sheldon J. Thayer, a fight occurred in the Burnett County Jail on the evening of September 18, 2017. Following the fight, jail officials conducted searches of the cells located in the block where the fight occurred.
A metal shank was found in a tote in Thayer's jail cell. The criminal complaint goes on to state that five other shanks were also located. It is not known at this time if any criminal charges have been filed regarding those shanks.
The criminal complaint filed against Thayer goes on to state that on September 19, 2017, when officers interviewed another inmate of the Burnett County Jail who had been involved in the fight, that inmate stated that Thayer had shown him a gold colored metal shank. The inmate also stated to officers that Thayer told him that if he told anyone about the shank, Thayer would kill him. This inmate also told officers that another inmate was talking about using shanks to take the jail over.
Thayer is charged with Class I Felony Deliver Illegal Articles to Inmate under Wisconsin State Statute Sec. 302.095(2) which states that any person who conceals any article or thing in or about a jail contrary to the rules of the jail, and without the knowledge of the sheriff or other keeper of the jail, is guilty of a Class I Felony.
Online circuit court records indicate that Thayer also has an open criminal case in Sawyer County Circuit Court charging him with Misdemeanor Resisting or Obstructing an Officer. The details of that case are not known toDrydenWire.com at this time.
Sheldon Thayer has been previously convicted of 4th Degree Sexual Assault and Felony Intimidate a Witness according to online circuit court records, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Sexual Offender Registry indicates that Thayer is required to register as a sex offender until the year 2031.
Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6, Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Last Update: Aug 13, 2018 5:26 pm CDT
