News – Sheridan Media
A sentencing hearing was held Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court in Sheridan for a man who pleaded guilty to sexual assault. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.
On August 12, pursuant to a plea agreement reached with the State, 24-year-old Hunter Weiss pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault in the third degree. In exchange for the guilty plea, the State agreed to dismiss a first degree sexual assault charge. At sentencing Thursday, District Court Judge Darci Phillips accepted the terms of the plea agreement and sentenced Weiss to 2 to 6 years in prison for the charge of third degree sexual assault. Weiss was ordered to pay $325 in court costs and assessments and was given 83 days of credit for time served of presentence confinement.
The sexual assault occurred on December 25, 2022 when Weiss was an employee of Volunteers of America Northern Rockies and was transporting a female VOA resident to the Emergency Room to be treated for a urinary tract infection. Weiss pulled the vehicle over before arriving at the hospital and sexually assaulted the woman.
Also from District Court Thursday:
A Sheridan man will be spending at least the next 15 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor. At a hearing Thursday in Fourth Judicial District Court, Judge Darci Phillips sentenced John Diaz to 15 to 20 years in prison for each of two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree. The sentences will run concurrent to one another. Diaz was remanded to the custody of the Sheridan County Detention Center pending transfer to prison.
According to court documents, the alleged crimes occurred between August of 2009 and June of 2016. The victim was 7-years-old when the sexual abuse began. The victim reported the abuse to law enforcement in October 2024.
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Last modified: October 31, 2025