Ex-Bar Nunn fire chief gets probation after admitting to stealing from MDA fundraiser
CASPER (WNE) — Robert Hoover, the former Bar Nunn fire chief who admitted to stealing hundreds from a Muscular Dystrophy Association fundraiser and misusing tens of thousands of dollars in fire department funds was sentenced to 3 years’ probation on Tuesday.
Hoover agreed to the sentence — which was jointly recommended to District Court Judge Catherine Wilking by prosecutors and the defense — earlier this year as part of a plea deal that saw the state drop two additional charges.
Hoover was sentenced to 3-5 years in prison suspended for three years’ probation for felony theft.
The ex-fireman was also ordered to pay $10,812 in restitution to the fire department.
“The biggest thing was to try to make the victims as whole as possible as quickly as possible,” District Attorney Dan Itzen said of the relatively light sentence.
Felony theft carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and a $10,000 fine.
Six people in total — including local business owners and some of his new coworkers — filed letters vouching for the former chief’s character.
One noted Hoover’s dependability, honesty, work ethic and kindness.
“I do not believe any of the accusations, but I do understand Robert and his family’s decision to plead as he did,” the letter-writer said.
Another called Hoover “a beacon of trustworthiness and positivity.”
Hoover pleaded guilty to the charges levied against him in August after being arrested in 2024.
The affidavit filed in the case details a three-month-long investigation conducted by the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office that began with a tip from Bennett Mayer, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper, also a volunteer firefighter in Bar Nunn.
Mayer told sheriff’s Cpl. Ken Jividen, who signed the affidavit, another firefighter informed Mayer that Hoover congratulated the department in a business meeting for raising “around $7,000” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through the department’s annual Fill the Boot fundraiser.
Receipts from the donations — which Jividen said he was provided — only showed $4,667 went to the charity.
This story was published on Dec. 13, 2025.