CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A man who was arrested on Monday after a standoff with law enforcement made his initial appearance in Laramie County Circuit Court.
During the August 5th hearing Philip Kasushagen was read the felony charge of Burglary and the misdemeanor counts of Theft and Interference with a Peace Officer read to him by Judge Thomas Lee, according to obtained court records.
An affidavit filed in the case says that during the late morning hours of August 3rd, 2020, deputies with the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of “a suspicious circumstance” at a residence on the 5900 block of Ridge Road.
Authorities say that when they arrived on the scene they made contact with the person who called in the report. They said that a black truck was on the property of their neighbor’s house that they believed wasn’t supposed to be there.
This individual informed deputies that the neighbor had asked them to “keep an eye” on their property due to it having been burglarized multiple times in the past, the affidavit said.
A deputy with the LCSO says that they observed a black Dodge pick-up truck on the south side of the property. They also reported seeing the gate to keep people from driving on the property was lying down inside of the fenceline.
“When I got close to the residence, I noticed the front door on the south side of the house was wide open,” the deputy stated in the affidavit.
Authorities say that they conducted a search of the inside of the residence with the assistance of a K-9 Unit but were unable to locate anyone.
“When we finished searching the inside of the residence, other deputies started searching the outside of the residence. When they got to the back door of the garage they saw a male coming out. One of the deputies gave the male verbal commands to stop and get on the ground. The male turned around and went back into the residence,” a deputy with the LCSO said.
According to court documents. a Throw Bot video camera was used to locate the suspect, later identified as Kasushagen, hiding in the attic. Law enforcement says that they gave warnings and commands for Kasushagen to leave the attic and surrender.
The affidavit goes on to report that when Kasushagen did not come out of the attic, authorities deployed a chemical agent called Oleoresin Capiscum into the area.
“After a short time, the male, identified as Phillip Kasushagen gave up and came down from the attic,” a deputy reported.
Kaushagen was transported to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for precautionary measures.
According to the LCSO, during an interview with Kaushagen later he stated he had only entered the property to look for water due to his truck overheating.
The suspect told deputies that he had taken water from the residence and nothing else. Kaushagen also claimed that he had fallen asleep in the attic and didn’t hear any of the commands law enforcement was giving him, according to court papers.
The affidavit says that investigators later contacted the homeowner who advised that they did not know who Kaushagen was and did not give him permission to enter their residence.
Law enforcement located a number of items in the back of Kaushagen’s truck. When given a chance to look through the items, the homeowner told authorities that those had come from inside of their house, according to the affidavit.
Any individual convicted of a felony charge of Burglary in the state of Wyoming can face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to 10k.
All of those cited or arrested are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Charges are subject to change following official filings from the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.
