Special prosecutor appointed in Mannon case

A special prosecuting attorney has been appointed in the case of a Kimball man who was arrested earlier this year on drug related charges.

Paul Schaub, Cheyenne County Attorney, has been appointed special prosecuting attorney in the state’s case against Shawn Mannon. Mannon was arrested on drug related charges and violation of supervised release conditions. He was on probation for federal charges at the time of his arrest, according to the arrest affidavit.

Mannon, represented by federal criminal defense attorney David Joffe of Florida along with Don Miller of Sidney, has been charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a playground and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

The first charge is a Class 1D felony which carries a minimum penalty of three years in prison and up to 50. The second and third charges are Class 2 felonies and each carries a minimum one year sentence with a maximum of 50.

Tuesday in court, Joffe asked for a status hearing within 60 days and also asked that his client be treated in a 180-day residential lockdown treatment facility in lieu of bond, stating that both Mannon and the community could benefit from such an arrangement. Mannon, who is currently being held without bond, pled not guilty to the charges against him and he will be seen again in the courtroom on May 5. Calls to his attorneys were not returned by press time.

In addition to Mannon, the court also saw defendants Daniel Valdez, Shawn Morrison, Charles Smith and Daryl Burt on distribution of marijuana charges. They each pled not guilty.

In each of these cases, court-appointed attorney Stacy Nossaman-Pettit sought statutory discovery as well as additional discovery of information regarding the confidential informant(s), to which County Attorney David Wilson objected. According to Wilson, the defense can seek the identity of confidential informants as well as their criminal history and whether or not they have a written agreement of any kind with law enforcement. The state, however, has the privilege of keeping that information confidential so the informant can continue working and to ensure a safe working condition, he said. Once the judge hears both sides, he may either order the information released or kept confidential, in which case that testimony not be heard in court.

Valdez, Morrison, Smith and Burt have been released on bond or personal recognizance and have been scheduled to appear again in district court on March 24, when attorneys for both sides will argue the discovery of information regarding the confidential informant(s).

Steve Warner and Rusty Warren were arrested during the same “sting operation” last month, but neither were arraigned Tuesday because both asked for a continuance in county court.