Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"Oh good, a brand new sport..."}]

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Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Daily Darwin: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Oh good, a brand new sport...

Daily Darwin: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Outdoors

Activists want the famous Mollie’s Pack spared from hunters this fall and say the matter is, once again, drawing worldwide attention to Wyoming’s wolf management policy.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission on Tuesday followed the Game and Fish Department’s recommendation and voted to approve a 20-wolf quota for the 2026 hunting season. Most hunts run from Sept. 15 to Dec. 31.

Prior to the vote, Lisa Robertson of Wyoming Untrapped and Marke Cooke of Wolves of the Rockies called in to the meeting via Zoom and admonished the commission to carve out an exception for Wolf Hunt Area 1, where the Mollie’s Pack is.

The commission unanimously approved the wolf hunting seasons as recommended, including for Area 1.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Mollie’s Pack Leaves Park"}]

Included in the 20-wolf quota are four tags in Wolf Hunt Areas 1 and 2 (Clarks Fork, North Fork).

For most of its 31-year history, the Mollie’s Pack has lived within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, where hunting is prohibited.

However, the pack strayed outside the park, probably late last year.

The Mollie’s Pack is denning and raising pups on the Shoshone National Forest, in Wolf Hunt Area 1.

Wolf advocates worry that members of the pack could get shot this fall, particularly Wolf 1090F. At age 12, she’s the oldest living Yellowstone wolf and has gained a global fan base.

The Mollie’s Pack is thought to be the first pack to form in Yellowstone, in 1995, shortly after wolves were reintroduced into the park. It was originally called the Crystal Creek Pack.

In 2000, the pack was renamed the Mollie’s Pack. That was in honor of the late Mollie Beattie, the first woman director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Emails From All Over"}]

Robertson and Cooke told Cowboy State Daily on Friday that they, and many others, haven’t given up on trying to save the Mollie’s Pack.

Wyoming Untrapped is leading a social media campaign to keep pressure on the Game and Fish Commission to change its stance. Wolves of the Rockies and other groups are joining in.

Robertson said the matter will likely be brought up again at the commission’s next meeting, scheduled for Sept. 21 and 22 in Evanston.

Commissioner Carlisle "Fonzy" Haskell said he’s received "dozens of emails" about the Mollie’s Pack, including some from across the United States and other countries.

He doesn’t think the campaign will die down anytime soon but isn’t certain if, or how, it might affect any decisions from the commission.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"What Could the Forest Service Do?"}]

Robertson is encouraging people to reach out to the Shoshone National Forest headquarters in Cody.

The Forest Service could possibly order that cattle on grazing leases there be moved away from the Mollie’s Pack to avoid any possible conflicts, she said.

And she thinks there’s a chance that the Forest Service could halt wolf hunting in that area.

There could be precedent for that. A similar move has been attempted before, albeit unsuccessfully.

In the spring of 2023, environmental groups sued to have the Forest Service declare a "no-kill zone" for wolves on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, near the Colorado-Wyoming state line.

That was proposed to protect wolves crossing into Wyoming from Colorado.

The Forest Service has authority to shut down wolf hunting in its jurisdiction—and indeed at one time shut down prairie dog shooting in parts of Wyoming, the Center for Biological Diversity claimed at the time.

A message left at Shoshone National Forest headquarters on Friday wasn’t returned by publication time.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Aggressive Policy"}]

The growing controversy over the Mollie’s Pack mirrors that over Daniel resident Cody Roberts running a wolf over with a snowmobile and then capturing, torturing and killing the animal in February 2024, Robertson said.

The push to save the Mollie’s Pack, especially Wolf 1090F, is gaining momentum, she said.

"This is an extreme situation, something nobody expected. We need to address this now, not later," she said.

"A $27 wolf tag could take her life, and the pack’s life, with a long-range rifle," Robertson added.

The Mollie’s Pack not only has great social value, it’s "the most studied wolf pack in history" and could still offer a wealth of scientific knowledge about wolves, she said.

Cooke said the goal isn’t to shut down the 2026 wolf hunting season altogether, but rather to push the commission to at least suspend hunting in Area 1 to ensure the pack’s safety.

He said that Wyoming and his home state of Montana have gained a reputation for being overly aggressive toward wolves and other predators.

"The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission botched an opportunity" to boost the state’s reputation by moving to spare the Mollie’s Pack, Cooke said.

 wolves have huge value for the tourism industry.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"'Humans They’ve Never Met'"}]

Haskell said he understands the tourism value of Wyoming’s wildlife, including wolves.

However, wildlife policy must be guided by the best available science, not sentimentality, he said.

"Do we not take the science into consideration just because it doesn’t match your socio-political viewpoint?" he said.

"I think that’s a risk we run into when we try to humanize or name animals and make them somehow more special than other wolf packs," Haskell said.

"They (wolves) are a species of animal that doesn’t know they’ve been named by humans they’ve never met," he said.

He said that during Tuesday’s commission meeting, he was satisfied by the explanation from Ken Mills, a Game and Fish large carnivore biologist and wolf management specialist, regarding whether the Mollie’s Pack has special scientific value.

Mills indicated that all packs have equal value in that regard.

Haskell noted that some Wyoming animals, such as Grizzly 399, have gained celebrity status, particularly with the advent of social media.

Game and Fish field personnel should work according to hard science, Haskell said. That leaves the department’s top administrators and the Game and Fish Commission to deal with controversy or politics regarding wildlife.

The commission wants all sectors of the public to have a voice while also respecting the hard work and scientific approach of the Game and Fish Department, he said.

Game and Fish is obligated by state statute, in agreement with the FWS, to maintain a population of at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs in the state’s trophy game zone for wolves—adjacent to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, he said.

Mills and other Game and Fish biologists demonstrated a good plan to have at least 160 wolves and 13 or 14 breeding pairs by the end of the year, Haskell said.

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<title>Oldest Yellowstone Wolf Pack Strays Into Hunt Area, Activists Want Pack Protected | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Mollie’s Pack is Yellowstone's oldest wolf pack and includes the famous Wolf 1090F. The pack has strayed outside the park into a Wyoming wolf hunt area, and activists worry that 1090F will be shot this fall. They are requesting the pack be protected.

Oldest Yellowstone Wolf Pack Strays Into Hunt Area, Activists Want Pack Protected

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car, and nearly four decades after federal prosecutors convicted him of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Alfred "Buzz" Apodaca is once again headed to federal prison.

Apodaca, 72, of Riverton, was sentenced July 6 to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence in Cheyenne.

The sentence closes a case that began with a 

 by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in Fremont County.

Federal prosecutors say investigators identified Apodaca as one of the area's primary meth suppliers. Agents completed two controlled purchases totaling more than 52 grams of methamphetamine before executing search warrants on his pickup, camper trailer and storage unit.

The searches uncovered about four pounds of methamphetamine, more than 1.6 pounds of marijuana, drug distribution materials, records of suspected drug transactions and two loaded handguns. Because Apodaca is a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Apodaca was indicted Sept. 16, 2025, and pleaded guilty April 14. The investigation involved DCI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office.

For many longtime Wyoming residents, Apodaca's name is inseparable from one of the state's most infamous crimes.

As a teenager in 1973, he admitted planting dynamite that destroyed the Fremont County undersheriff's patrol car. The explosion became one of the most memorable acts of violence against law enforcement in Wyoming history. No one was injured.

The bombing cemented Apodaca's notoriety, but it wasn't the end of his criminal record.

In the early 1980s, federal authorities accused him of leading a large methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution operation spanning central Wyoming.

In 1988, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions under the federal Continuing Criminal Enterprise statute — often referred to as the federal "drug kingpin" law — finding prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence that he organized or supervised at least five participants in the operation.

[{"type":"text","text":"Back In Federal Court"}]

Federal authorities say the latest investigation showed Apodaca had returned to trafficking methamphetamine decades after those earlier convictions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the evidence recovered during the searches demonstrated continued drug distribution activity, along with illegal firearm possession by a convicted felon.

U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said repeat offenders remain a priority for federal prosecutors.

"Methamphetamine traffickers who repeatedly ignore the law will be held fully accountable," Smith said in a statement. "This defendant's lengthy criminal history, combined with his continued trafficking of dangerous drugs while illegally possessing firearms, posed a serious threat to Wyoming communities."

ATF Special Agent in Charge Chris Ashbridge said the case highlighted cooperation among federal, state and local investigators.

"Firearms are all too frequently used by violent offenders to facilitate other illicit crimes," Ashbridge said. "This case is a prime example of how seamless collaboration with our local and federal partners delivers significant sentences and tangible results that builds safer communities."

With the sentence now imposed, Apodaca will spend the next decade in federal prison.

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<title>Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth | Cowboy State Daily</title>

More than 50 years after he admitted using dynamite to blow up a Fremont County patrol car, and four decades after being convicted of running a major methamphetamine trafficking enterprise, Buzz Apodaca, 72, is once again headed to federal prison.

Decades After Bombing A Patrol Car With Dynamite, Riverton Man Back To Prison For Meth

 to bring a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl back to Wyoming has pleaded no-contest to three felony charges, ending the criminal case short of trial and leaving prosecutors free to seek the maximum possible sentence.

Christopher Steven Gravenmier, 31, entered no-contest pleas Wednesday in Lincoln County District Court to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of kidnapping.

Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred and Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Ember Oakley prosecuted the case.

Rather than agreeing to a negotiated prison term, the plea leaves sentencing open, allowing both sides to argue for the punishment they believe is appropriate.

"We're really pleased with this because we can argue up to the maximum," Oakley told Cowboy State Daily. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Sentencing is scheduled for July 29."}]

If the court orders the sentences to run consecutively, Gravenmier faces mandatory prison terms of 25 to 50 years on each of the two first-degree sexual abuse convictions, along with up to 20 years on the kidnapping conviction — a combined maximum of 120 years in prison.

[{"type":"text","text":"No-Contest Plea "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Several other felony counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement."}]

Although a no-contest plea differs procedurally from a guilty plea, it has the same legal effect in a criminal case.

"'No-contest' is legally the same as a guilty plea," Allred said. "No-contest pleas basically mean the defendant does not contest the charges against him, but it acts the exact same way as a guilty plea. He's still convicted of those counts. It's procedural. He says, 'I don't contest those charges,' but it acts the same way as a guilty plea."

By entering the plea, Gravenmier gave up his constitutional right to a trial, and the case now moves directly to sentencing.

[{"type":"text","text":"Taken From Home"}]

 April 22 when the girl, who had been reported missing from Oklahoma days earlier, called her grandmother from a Wyoming gas station and said she had been abducted.

Investigators initially encountered Gravenmier after the girl said she had borrowed his cellphone. But once she was safe, authorities say she identified him as the man who had brought her to Wyoming.

The girl told investigators she had communicated with Gravenmier for months on Snapchat before he drove from Kemmerer to Oklahoma. She alleged he told her he knew where she lived, prompting her to leave home with him because she feared what might happen if she refused.

Prosecutors allege Gravenmier drove the girl back to Wyoming, where he sexually abused her during the trip and after arriving in Kemmerer. Charging documents also allege he threatened her, attempted to prevent anyone from tracking her cellphone and warned her not to report what had happened.

Gravenmier was arrested later that day and charged with multiple felony counts. Several of those charges were dismissed as part of Wednesday's plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police Station"}]

At the police station, Gravenmier admitted to investigators that he had driven to Oklahoma and picked up the girl several days earlier.

The affidavit says agents noticed that he became "very emotional" during questioning and appeared nervous, grabbing at his shirt, wiping his face and developing a noticeably dry mouth.

[{"type":"text","text":"After requesting an attorney, the interview ended."}]

While investigators obtained search warrants for his home and vehicle, Gravenmier remained at the police station.

The affidavit states he was crying, slumped over in his chair and told agents he was "really sorry for what happened."

Gravenmeier and Lincoln County courthouse 4 30 26 1

<title>Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Kemmerer man accused of driving 16 hours to Oklahoma to bring a 12-year-old girl back to Wyoming pleaded no-contest to kidnapping and two sex abuse charges and now faces up to 120 years in jail. The affidavit said he told police he was "really sorry."

Wyoming Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Assaulting 12-Year-Old Oklahoma Girl Pleads No Contest

Courts

Federal authorities say illegal Glock "switches" have become one of the fastest-growing firearm threats in America, with recoveries of the tiny machine gun conversion devices soaring 784% nationwide in the last four years.

That national trend came into sharp focus not far beyond Wyoming’s eastern border this week when a monthslong western Nebraska investigation ended with seven arrests.

Investigators allegedly found Instagram photos and videos showing young men posing with — and in one case firing — Glock-style pistols equipped with the illegal devices, which modify semiautomatic handguns into fully automatic machine guns. 

The investigation culminated Wednesday morning when SWAT teams and dozens of officers served search and arrest warrants across Scottsbluff, Gering and Bayard, Nebraska. By the end of the operation, seven people — two adults and five juveniles — were in custody.

Authorities report that the Western Nebraska Intelligence & Narcotics Group (WING) began investigating after receiving information that adults and juveniles were allegedly involved in drug trafficking while possessing the modified fully automatic firearms.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Instagram Trail"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Court records show law enforcement soon turned to social media."}]

Investigators secured a warrant for an Instagram account they believed belonged to Preston Torres, who is one of the adults arrested Wednesday. 

When Meta returned the account records, deputies say they found multiple photos and videos allegedly showing Torres holding and firing a Glock-style handgun equipped with an illegal switch. 

A second affidavit says investigators later searched another Instagram account and found a photograph showing Rochne Gukeisen, the other adult arrested, holding a similarly modified Glock pistol. 

The affidavit says the photo showed Gukeisen pointing the handgun at Torres, who deputies had already identified in other social media posts. 

Investigators wrote that based on their training and experience, the visible conversion devices transformed the pistols into machine guns under Nebraska law. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Gang Allegation"}]

Investigators also asked a judge to temporarily seal the arrest warrants until they could be served, writing that both men were known members of the 308 BOYZ gang and that keeping the warrants confidential was necessary to safely apprehend them. 

Authorities arrested 18-year-old Torres-Isles and 19-year-old Gukeisen, each on suspicion of possessing a machine gun.

They also arrested five juveniles — three 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old.

Scottsbluff County Attorney Dave Eubanks said three of the juveniles also are accused of possessing machine guns, while two face allegations of distributing cocaine.

Sheriff Mark Overman told Cowboy State Daily the investigation remains active and declined to discuss additional evidence or whether more arrests are possible.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Tiny Device, Big Threat"}]

Although ATF was not involved in the Nebraska investigation, agency spokesperson Ashlee Sherrill said it has documented a dramatic rise in machine gun conversion devices nationwide.

Known as Glock switches or auto sears, the parts are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. But once installed, they can allow a semiautomatic pistol to fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger.

Under federal law, the devices themselves are legally considered machine guns, even if they have not been attached to a firearm.

"They present a significant public safety concern," Sherrill said, because they allow handguns to fire at rates comparable to fully automatic weapons, dramatically increasing the danger to people and responding officers.

According to ATF, recoveries of suspected machine gun conversion devices traced by the agency increased from 658 in 2019 to 5,816 in 2023.

As the devices have become more common, Sherrill said ATF has expanded training for federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to help officers identify the devices, understand trafficking trends and properly recover and trace them.

Nebraska machine gun arrests 7 16 26

<title>7 Teens Arrested In Western Nebraska SWAT Raid For Illegal Machine Guns, Drugs | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Seven teens were arrested Wednesday in a sweeping western Nebraska raid over illegal machine guns and drugs. Investigators say they found Instagram posts of the teens posing with and firing Glock-style guns equipped with illegal switches.

7 Teens Arrested In Western Nebraska SWAT Raid For Illegal Machine Guns, Drugs

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to untangle confusion over public and private land boundaries after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed to travel or recreate.

Cheyenne resident Jon Farris says the issue isn't about advocating for hunters to ignore private property rights. It's about making sure public lands remain accessible when they legally should be.

"I want other people to be able to enjoy public lands the same way I do," Farris told Cowboy State Daily.

To help, Farris has created an email address where hunters, anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts can report locations they believe may be incorrectly marked as private. 

He hopes to research each case using county records, state maps and conversations with local officials before forwarding legitimate concerns to the appropriate agencies.

"If we can streamline that process, maybe we can get some of these corrected," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Signs That Sparked Questions"}]

Farris said his interest in the issue began in 2024 while traveling in Carbon County.

A county road led toward national forest land, but along the route he encountered a sign declaring the road was crossed and private property.

"That was really what got me started in wondering how often this type of thing occurs," he said.

Since then, he said he has noticed similar situations in Carbon, Goshen and Laramie counties.

One example, he said, involved state land in Laramie County that was eventually reposted as public after previously being marked private.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Sometimes they won't be marked right,\" Farris said."}]

He said he also believes about 160 acres of state trust land within the historic Whitaker Ranch in Laramie County is marked in a way that could confuse visitors into believing it is entirely private.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Public Land Doesn't Always Mean Public Access"}]

Even when land is publicly owned, that doesn't necessarily mean the public can legally reach it.

That's one point emphasized by Rob Weppner of the Whitaker Ranch, where nearly 40,000 acres of ranchland include parcels of state trust land.

Weppner acknowledged there are "No Trespassing" and "No Hunting" signs throughout portions of the property.

"The disconnect that I see in our area — I talk to a lot of hunters — is that in various places there's state land," he said. "But to have state land (for hunting), you need to have public access to it."

Many state trust parcels are effectively landlocked, surrounded by private property that cannot legally be crossed without permission.

"Knowing which roads in this county are actually public is really challenging," Weppner said. "It's very difficult to know what's what, which roads actually have legal access and which roads don't."

He said while a county road passes through part of his ranch, portions beyond that become private property, making the transition difficult for visitors to identify.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Do Your Homework"}]

Farris said he never encourages people to ignore posted signs or assume property is public. Instead, he urges hunters to verify land ownership before setting foot on questionable ground.

"Don't take 'No Trespassing' signs at face value," he said. "Go home and do your research."

His first stop is typically OnX, the popular digital mapping platform widely used by hunters and outdoor recreationists.

Farris photographs signs he encounters in the field, then compares their locations with OnX mapping and the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments' GIS maps.

Because no mapping system is perfect, he said he compares multiple sources before drawing any conclusions.

 has been known to be off by a few yards, which is enough to potentially get users in trouble and charged with trespassing.

"It is important to check and get a clear answer from the state office before assuming it's public," he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Honest Mistakes Happen"}]

Melissa DeFratis, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI), said the agency regularly fields questions about land ownership and public access, particularly before and during hunting season.

The office serves as the administrative arm of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, which oversees roughly 3.4 million acres of state trust land.

While DeFratis said it is not common for landowners to intentionally mark public land as private, she acknowledged it does happen.

She added that more often, misplaced signs are the result of honest mistakes, outdated information or confusion over property boundaries.

When questions arise, OSLI occasionally sends field staff to investigate and work with landowners to correct misplaced signs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Complicated Landscape"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Boundary confusion isn't always the result of inaccurate maps."}]

Farris recalled one game warden telling him about a Goshen County landowner whose understanding of his property lines had been passed down through generations, based largely on where a relative decades earlier believed the boundary should be.

He also said he once was offered access to public land across private property — for a fee — which he declined.

Those experiences reinforced the need for better public understanding of Wyoming's complicated patchwork of federal, state and private lands, he said.

Rather than confronting landowners directly, Farris said he hopes his volunteer effort will encourage people to document questionable situations, verify the facts and work through the proper channels.

"I've seen this all over," he said. "If we can get the right information to the right people, hopefully we can clear up some of the confusion."

Private Road Sign Jon Farris 7 16 26

<title>Wyoming Hunter Wants To Clear Up Confusion Over Public Lands Marked ‘Private’ | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Wyoming hunter is on a mission to undo confusion after repeatedly encountering "Private Property" and "No Trespassing" signs where the public should legally be allowed. "Knowing which roads are actually public is really challenging,” said a landowner.

Wyoming Hunter Wants To Clear Up Confusion Over Public Lands Marked ‘Private’

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Jackie Dorothy.

Jackie Dorothy

A wall of water surged through East Thermopolis late Wednesday, stranding people and breaking a gas main after 4.5 inches of rain fell in an hour near the town. "You need to send rescue out here. We’re in trouble,” one resident said when he called 911.

Daily Darwin: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

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