LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A Leavenworth man was sentenced to 54 months in prison in connection to a pair of cases, including a bizarre criminal threat charge related to a pet spider.
In March, 26-year-old Bryan Paul Smith pleaded no contest to criminal threat charges stemming from a case where he was watching a pet spider for a friend. When the victim asked for the spider back, Smith began making demands for money, as well as his desire to keep the spider.
Prosecutors say that these demands turned into threats when Smith said that if the victim did not give him $100 and the spider, he would kill him by shooting him.
Prosecutors say that the victim was upset and fearful that Smith would hurt him and called the police. While the police were on the scene with the victim, Smith called the victim and asked if he was ready to “do this thing.” He was found guilty and ordered to serve 14 months.
Smith also pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a string of car burglaries last January. Smith and co-defendant Justin Wilder, who was convicted and sentenced to serve 10 months, admitted to police that Wilder would break into the cars while Smith acted as a look-out.
Smith and Wilder also stole items from Wal-Mart that same night as the auto burglaries. In addition, Smith stole a Siberian husky dog – later recovered by police in Smith’s home.
When police were investigating the crimes at Smith’s residence, they also found a fourteen year old juvenile hiding in a closet. Smith plead to 10 charges, which included one count of contributing to a child’s misconduct, three counts of burglary, five counts of theft, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Smith was sentenced to serve 40 months with the Department of Corrections. The cases were ordered to be served consecutively.
