Libby man sentenced to prison for role in October thefts
Jeremy Goucher on Monday, Jan. 29 was sentenced in Montana 19th Judicial District Court in Libby to 5 years in prison and was ordered to pay restitution. He will also serve an additional 5 years of suspended prison time.
Judge Matt Cuffe also recommended that Goucher attend a chemical dependency program while in prison.
Goucher had been charged with theft by common scheme, drug possession, criminal trespassing and attempting to tamper with physical evidence.
Goucher was ordered to pay just over $18,500 in restitution to two victims of the theft.
The sentence Cuffe passed down was more strict than the plea agreement that Goucher’s attorney, Scott Johnson, had reached with Lincoln County Attorney Marcia Boris. Cuffe had warned Goucher when he appeared in court the previous Monday that he did not intend to follow the plea agreement.
Under the plea agreement, Goucher would have spent six months in Lincoln County Jail with no time in state prison.
Goucher was originally charged on Oct. 26 after a traffic stop and search of his vehicle yielded items reported stolen Oct. 8.
After searching a storage unit rented by Goucher, law enforcement also found items reported stolen Sept. 25.
The charge of attempting to tamper with physical evidence was added after Goucher attempted to gain entry to his vehicle while it was in police custody in order to remove evidence.
Cuffe told Goucher that his decision to not follow the sentencing recommendation was influenced by Goucher’s behavior while out on bail.
Shortly before his sentencing, on Jan. 26, Goucher was implicated by two men being interviewed in connection with a burglary that occurred Jan. 25 at Mountain Mechanical Heating and Cooling, according to a law enforcement affidavit. The men said that they traveled with Goucher to Kallispell on Jan. 25 to trade stolen items for drugs.
When law enforcement officers searched Goucher’s storage unit, they found items matching those reported stolen, the affidavit states.