Sibley, Iowa — The man whom Sheldon’s police dog helped to apprehend near the Hershey Bridge north of Matlock this past summer has changed his plea and has been sentenced.
Authorities tell us then-47-year-old Jeremy Ray Bickett of Yankton, South Dakota was accused of the theft of a vehicle and firearms and eluding law enforcement. Authorities from several jurisdictions cooperated to arrest him on Tuesday, August 29th, after they said he fled from an attempted traffic stop.
Bickett pleaded not guilty in a written plea in October to the charges of second-degree theft against an older individual – motor vehicle not exceeding $10,000 in value, a class C felony; eluding at over 25 miles per hour over the speed limit; second-degree theft; and dominion/control of firearm/offensive weapon by felon, all class D felonies, as well as a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle without owners consent. Class C felonies carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and class D felonies carry a penalty of up to 5 years in prison if convicted.
Bickett pleaded guilty in a plea agreement this month and has been sentenced. Three of the six charges were dismissed outright — theft against an older individual, theft, and control of a firearm by a felon. On the eluding charge, he was sentenced to a five-year suspended prison term, a fine, and two years’ probation. On the operating without consent charge, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail with credit for time served, along with a 70-day suspended jail term, a fine, and two years’ probation. On the OWI charge, he was sentenced to 110 days in jail with credit for time served and a fine.
