Pair facing trial over scheme to turn drug deal into robbery

A Casper woman has been bound over to District Court in Douglas to stand trial for assisting a friend in an aggravated robbery and vicious assault over a drug deal gone bad. 

According to court documents, Sadie Nation and Tyler Bressette conspired to rob Nation’s ex-boyfriend, Zechariah Brown, as he was returning from Denver after obtaining heroin.

Bressette was upset about a previous drug deal gone wrong, according to police, and wanted to take the heroin along with any cash Brown would have on him. Bressette was bound over for trial in District Court earlier in July, and Nation was bound over from Circuit Court to District Court July 22. 

Nation and Bressette allegedly plotted for her to ride with Brown to Denver, then, on the way back to Casper, to find a way to stop at the north Glenrock exit of I-25 where Bressette would be waiting, Nation allegedly told investigators.

Nation, Brown and a friend, Max, headed down to Denver on June 8 to pick up the drugs and headed back to Wyoming, while Nation kept in contact with Bressette via phone, court records claim. 

In Cheyenne, Nation took over driving to Casper.

When they reached exit 165 at Glenrock, Nation faked being sick and stopped at the off-ramp, Brown and Max later told officers. 

Brown, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, said he was then assaulted with a tire iron and sprayed with pepper spray.

Max, who was sitting in the back seat, looked out his window just in time to see a man open his door and spray Max in the face with pepper spray before hitting him twice on the head and once in the back before Max was able to escape the vehicle, Max told investigators. 

Later, Brown noticed his black safe, where he had stashed his two ounces of heroine, and his lanyard with his key on it were both missing from the back seat of the vehicle, according to court documents.

Max's wallet was also missing. 

In the process of investigating the incident, officers determined that both Brown and Max had been hit in the back of their heads and “were bleeding profusely,” according to the investigator’s affidavit.

While they did not identify their assailants, investigators had a stroke of luck.

Coincidently, earlier in the day a Converse County sheriff’s deputy had seen a blue Ford Taurus parked on the side of Deer Creek Road.

Because of the way the car was unusually parked, he put an abandoned vehicle sticker on it.

Later that day, on his way to responding to the incident call, he noticed the car (which had been parked about 50 yards from where the incident took place) had left.

When the deputy called the registered owner of the car, he was told Bessette was currently driving the car, according to court records. 

For her part in the incident, Nation is facing six felony charges: conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, assisting in the commission of a robbery involving the use of a deadly weapon, aggravated assault causing bodily injury and aiding and abetting aggravated robbery.

Each charge carries maximum penalties of 5-25 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Bressette faces four felony charges: aggravated assault, intentionally causing bodily injury, aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony.

Two of the charges carry maximum sentences of 10 years, while the other two carry maximum sentences of 5-25 years in prison; all also have fines up to $10,000 which could be imposed if Bressette is found guilty.