Former Fire Chief Found Guilty On Child Abuse, Conspiracy Charges

A former Laramie County District#1 Fire Chief has been found guilty on charges of aggravated child abuse and conspiracy.

Bond Set At $500,000

Darrick Mittlestadt could be sentenced to up to 50 years in prison and/or fines of up to 20,000 dollars if sentenced to the maximum on both counts. His bond has been set at $500,000 pending his sentencing.

The date for that has not yet been set.

Darrick Mittlestadt was Chief of Laramie County Fire District 1 when he and his wife were arrested in July of last year. The Mittlestadts were charged in connection with a 13-year-old boy the couple adopted in Colorado in 2018. According to court papers, the boy, identified as EM, was allegedly restricted to one meal a day. When he was taken to Children's Hospital in Colorado on June 24, 2025, he allegedly weighed only 55 pounds and had no detectable levels of Vitamin D.

According to court documents, Angela Mittlestadt dropped the boy off at the Youth Development Center in Douglas on June 22, 2025. Because of his poor physical condition, he was transferred to the Children's Hospital.

A doctor from Children's Hospital testified that EM resembled a concentration camp inmate. But the boy did survive and testified at the trial earlier this week.

Angela Mittlestadt pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated child abuse earlier this week. In return, prosecutors agreed to drop the conspiracy charge and ask for a sentence of 15-17 years. However, Judge Peter Froehlicher is not obligated to accept that agreement. He set Angela Mittelstadt's sentencing for Dec. 14.

If the judge throws out the plea agreement, she could withdraw her guilty plea.