(Lander, WY) – Fremont County juries acquitted 39-year-old Cameron Hagen and 44-year-old Eddie Carmona in July and September, respectively.
Hagen spent about eight months in jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Carmona spent about seven months in jail for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.
The charges
A suspicious vehicle call to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office led to Hagen’s arrest. According to court documents, he was originally arrested for two active arrest warrants out of Converse County on November 15, 2022. A gun was spotted on the floorboard of his vehicle, and it was confirmed he was a felon. He was later booked for being a felon in possession of a firearm as well. Hagen told the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office deputy that the gun was not his, but he had helped his friend move, and the gun belonged to his friend. The jury acquitted him in two days.
Carmona was arrested on an extraditable warrant out of Idaho on January 26, 2023, after being pulled over for a broken windshield. He was also assumed to be in possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine due to the fact that the Riverton Police Department officer found methamphetamine, a scale, bags, and other drugs inside the vehicle. The vehicle also had two passengers inside when Carmona was pulled over. He was acquitted after nine hours of jury deliberation.
The cost
According to numbers provided by Jonathan Gerard, Fremont County Public Defenders Supervising Attorney, the daily cost of incarceration has increased substantially.
As of July 1, the daily cost of incarceration is $95 per inmate, up from $75 a day.
“The cost to the county for incarcerating Eddie Carmona for seven months was $19,950,” Gerard said. “And then you also have to account that the cost of a trial is not insignificant because they pay the mileage for each juror.
“You factor in Cameron plus Eddie, between the cost of the trials and the cost of incarceration, that’s easily closing in on $50,000 that it cost the county to try these two.”
Accountability
“You have to hold people accountable when there are victims,” Gerard said. “Both of these are essentially victimless crimes. You could argue the victim’s society, but nobody went to the hospital over this.”
County 10 contacted the prosecution for comment but has not heard back as of this writing.