News – Sheridan Media
A 34-year-old Sheridan man was sentenced to prison for being found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.
Following a three-day jury trial that concluded on September 10 in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan, a guilty verdict was rendered for Timothy Christensen for the charge of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. Christensen was acquitted of a second charge of second degree sexual abuse of a minor. The crime occurred on February 16 when Christensen sexually abused a 15-year-old victim. At a sentencing hearing Thursday, District Court Judge Ben Kirven sentenced Christensen to 5 to 8 years in prison with 126 of credit for time served of presentence confinement.
Christensen was ordered to pay $275 in court costs and assessments and must register as a convicted sex offender. Judge Kirven waived $4,000 in public defender fees due to Christensen’s inability to pay because of the prison sentence that was imposed.
Also from District Court:
An arraignment hearing for Diana Zaft-Freeman was held this week in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan. Zaft-Freeman, at the hearing, pleaded not guilty to one count of felony theft. District Court Judge Darci Phillips scheduled a three-day jury trial to begin May 4, and set the date for a pretrial conference for April 9 at 9 am. Zaft-Freeman’s bond was continued under the same terms and conditions that were previously set in Sheridan County Circuit Court.
According to court documents, on October 13, the Wal-Mart loss prevention manager contacted the Sheridan Police Department about an individual who had been “tag switching” at self-checkout. Tag switching is when a person switches tags on items and then only scans the less expensive items, but ends up putting all of the items in a bag at self-checkout. The information provided to law enforcement led to the arrest of Zaft-Freeman. It is alleged that between August 18 and October 9, Zaft-Freeman stole over $1,300 of merchandise by switching tags. The crime of felony theft is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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Last modified: December 20, 2025