Coming before Judge Molly Owen for his initial appearance, Brent Allen Wiegele entered a not guilty plea to one felony count of burglary on Tuesday. A jury trial was set for July 23, 2024.

As alleged in the charging documents, on or around March 22, 2023, Sanders County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig McCarthy was advised of a reported trespass at a property between Thompson Falls and Trout Creek. According to the property owner, they had recently inherited the ranch and its equipment. The first time they had noticed anything amiss was the previous day, when they noticed footprints in the snow, leading them to file a report with Sanders County Dispatch. New footprints were seen at the property on March 22, with the property owners making another report.

Deputy McCarthy and Reserve Deputy Byron Ekberg followed the tracks to a barn, where the property owners confirmed various items were taken. On March 23, the owners arrived at the property to find the lock on the front gate cut, more footprints to the barn, and a 2001 Dodge Ram flatbed truck missing. Footage from recently installed game cameras showed what appeared to be two men dressed in camouflage walking around inside the barn with flashlights, wearing gloves and masks. Both men dug around in the different vehicles before leaving with the flatbed truck. In a later statement, it was disclosed that another vehicle and a tractor in the barn had been vandalized. Additional items were also missing, including a diesel slip tank with pump.

The property owners reported that the previous owner’s nephew, Wiegele, had been very vocal about his disapproval of his uncle’s decision to leave the ranch to a non-family member. Wiegele allegedly had repeatedly texted the new owners, requesting that he be given or sold tractors and other equipment. Copies of the text messages were provided to Deputy McCarthy.

On July 9, 2023, Deputy McCarthy was contacted by Detective Brandon Holzer of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, who had recently received some information about the burglary. Joshua Hoffman, while speaking with Detective Holzer about an unrelated matter, stated that he was involved in the theft of the flatbed truck with Wiegele. Hoffman claimed that Wiegele stated the truck was his when they drove the truck off the property. Hoffman also reported that a short time later, the flatbed truck had been sold to James Vernon Day, Jr. The truck was later recovered from Day’s property, where it had been mostly disassembled and spray painted.