A Natrona County man on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to four felonies alleging he was involved in a drive-by shooting that damaged a Paradise Valley home and two parked vehicles.
Matthew Nietert, 25, wore jail inmate orange apparel, handcuffs and shackles in Natrona County District Court, where he entered the pleas to two conspiracy charges, a single count of wrongful taking of property and a single count of possession of a weapon with unlawful intent.
Authorities have not alleged if anybody suffered physical injuries in the shooting and the count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault is charged with language pertaining to threats. Nietert also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit property damage.
Three teens — Quincy Brow, Isaiah White and Isaiah Dobbins — face three felonies each, in which prosecutors make similar allegations but do not charge the younger people with wrongful taking or disposing of property.
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A fourth teen faces charges in juvenile court.
Court documents filed by prosecutors in the case allege that a Facebook feud led to a fight between White and an amateur boxer. The boxer, Ashton McAulay, told police that he easily defeated White and, when Dobbins and two other teens jumped in, McAuley “handled” them, according to the documents.
White later messaged him asking for his location and McAulay again agreed to fight, this time at the Paradise Valley home, according to the documents. He went to dinner and returned to a house that had been “shot up,” according to the documents.
Police say the four teens had gotten in a car with Nietert, who produced three handguns used to shoot up the house. Accounts of the shooting published in the documents conflict in regards to who fired on the house. Of the three guns recovered, one had been reported stolen and one had missing serial numbers and was therefore not identifiable.
After his arrest, Nietert told a police detective that he had traded marijuana for two of the guns, which he said were probably stolen, according to the documents. He said he provided the guns to the teens and drove to the house but did not expect the car’s other occupants to shoot at it, according to the documents.