You Still Here

[{"type":"text","text":"When you gotta go, you gotta go..."}]

You still here play 5 3 23

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

<title>You Still Here? Wednesday, May 3, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

When you gotta go, you gotta go...

You Still Here? Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Tourism

Nobody should disobey the rules in Yellowstone National Park, established to prevent people from putting their lives at risk.

If someone does choose to do anything reckless or life-endangering, they probably shouldn’t post about it on social media.

That’s exactly what Instagram user pickupsports4u did when visiting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone recently.

 perched above the 109-foot-tall summit of the Upper Falls, admitting he climbed “off-trail” to do it.

He included the hashtags #UpperFalls #YellowstoneRisk, #CanyonThrills, #WaterfallExtreme, and #OffTrailAdventure.

“Perched at Upper Falls’ roaring 109-foot edge off-trail, my heart pounded with the river,” he wrote. “This risky view rewarded pure adrenaline —Yellowstone’s raw power unleashed. Don’t try this alone!”

[{"type":"text","text":"That climb shouldn’t be attempted at all, alone or otherwise. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"It’s illegal."}]

“We did not receive a report of this incident, but off-trail travel, which includes climbing, is prohibited in the Canyon area,” Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Linda Veress told Cowboy State Daily.

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

Rock climbing isn’t strictly prohibited in Yellowstone, or any of the national parks, but going off-trail in sensitive areas is. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of those areas.

The exact language of the prohibition can be found in the 

Yellowstone Superintendent’s Compendium

, which is reviewed annually and updated as needed. Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly signed off on this year's compendium on Jan. 9.

“Foot travel within Yellowstone Canyon between Chittenden Bridge and Upper Falls is restricted to designated trails and boardwalks due to public safety,” it reads. “Foot travel within the Yellowstone Canyon between Inspiration Point and Silver Cord Cascade is restricted to designated trails and boardwalks.”

That accounts for the entirety of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Because climbing falls under foot travel in this instance, climbing anywhere around Upper Falls is prohibited.

That also means pickupsports4u could be charged and face significant fines or jail time. Park officials weren’t aware of what he did, but now they have indisputable evidence through his Instagram post.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Charged For Climbing For Clout?"}]

Greg Jackson, a former deputy chief for the U.S. Park Service’s Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, reviewed pickupsports4u’s video. After looking up the restrictions in the superintendent’s compendium, charging him seemed fairly straightforward.

“I’d want to know a little bit more about how that person got there, but if it’s designated as a closed area, it’s an obvious crime,” he said.

Jackson went on to say that there could be a case for charging the influencer under Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding parks, forests, and public property.

 – Disorderly Conduct can be applied to anyone who is “knowingly or recklessly creating a risk” by creating or maintaining a hazardous or physically offensive condition.

Jackson said disorderly conduct could apply to anyone who decides to go off-trail in Yellowstone.

“It’s probably prohibited (to climb above the Upper Falls) because it’s hazardous,” he said. “The problem with stunts like this is it encourages other people to perform stunts like this. In addition to the charge for going off the trail, I’d say they could be charged with creating a hazardous condition under 36 CFR § 2.34.”

Jackson’s opinion hinged on how pickupsports4u didn’t discourage people from following his example. While he said nobody should “try this alone,” his post said, “this risky view rewarded pure adrenaline.”

That could be enough for someone to make a reckless decision that could easily lead to serious injury or death.

“This guy might have incredible skills, and the next person’s down at the bottom of the waterfall,” Jackson said. “That’s creating a hazardous condition.”

Jackson also had questions about posting the act on social media. That could be a violation of the National Park Service’s commercial filming restriction.

When the EXPLORE Act was signed into law, it eliminated permits and fees for commercial and non-commercial filming, still photography, and audio recording involving eight or fewer people.

However, that comes with the stipulation that projects must “occur in areas open to the public” and “do not adversely impact park resources, values, or other visitors.”

Once again, there’s a case to be made that pickupsports4u’s video was in violation of those regulations. It was filmed in a public but inaccessible area that could have impacted the resources around the Upper Falls.

“If you are filming in a closed area without a permit, and you’re doing it to make money off your platform, there may be a commercial filming violation,” Jackson said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"We Can’t Have Nice Things"}]

Julie Argyle, a wildlife photographer and postmaster at Yellowstone’s Lake Village, had strong feelings when she saw pickupsports4u’s video. She said seeing incidents like this on social media is “pretty disheartening.”

“Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something,” she said. “It's about ethics, respecting the park, and respecting the boundaries. They’re there for a reason.”

, two women were seen walking all over on the delicate microbial mats surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring. 

 was seen doing the same thing in the same place in June.

Argyle knows that signs warning and prohibiting people from exploring certain areas of the park are plentiful, yet she’s seeing more and more people ignoring them at their peril.

Posting about their blatant disregard for park regulations, in her opinion, makes it worse, even if it serves as a reliable form of self-incrimination.

“We see things every day, all day long, of people breaking rules and doing things they shouldn't be doing. To put it on social media, almost encouraging people to do it, is a dangerous situation waiting to happen.”

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<title>Dimwitted Tourist Illegally Climbs Yellowstone's Upper Falls, Brags About 'Risky View' | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A dimwitted tourist posted a video of himself illegally climbing above the Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon in Yellowstone earlier this week. He bragged about the "risky view" and how it gave him adrenaline. The Instagram post could result in charges.

Dimwitted Tourist Illegally Climbs Yellowstone's Upper Falls, Brags About 'Risky View'

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

 who had been living in a sweltering, feces-filled Manderson camper have pleaded not guilty to seven total charges.

Travis Study, 57, the infant's grandfather, pleaded not guilty to five charges during his arraignment Tuesday in Big Horn County District Court. Destynie Study, 22, the baby's mother, pleaded not guilty to two charges in Big Horn County Circuit Court on July 8.

Travis Study faces one felony count of endangering a child through exposure to methamphetamine, along with four misdemeanor charges: Reckless endangerment, endangering a child, possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Destynie Study faces misdemeanor charges of reckless endangering and endangering a child. Her next court appearance is a pretrial conference scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 25.

A four-day jury trial for Travis Study is expected to be scheduled within 180 days. He remains jailed on a $75,000 cash-only bond. 

The charges stem from conditions investigators say they discovered after the infant's death July 6. 

The family's camper had no running water, a broken air conditioner and sewage system, and measured about 95 degrees inside. Investigators reported human waste, urine and feces throughout the home, along with a urine-soaked crib and drug paraphernalia.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Morning The Baby Died"}]

The investigation began just after 10 a.m. July 6, when agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were notified of the suspicious, unattended death of an infant.

Destynie Study told investigators she fed and changed her 2-month-old daughter around 1:30 a.m., then put her back to sleep in a crib.

[{"type":"text","text":"She said she awakened around 9:45 a.m. and found the baby unresponsive."}]

Destynie grabbed the infant, got into her father's vehicle and started driving toward Three Rivers Hospital in Basin, calling 911 along the way.

By the time DCI Special Agent Anthony Giles arrived at the hospital, investigators were already documenting what they saw.

Dirt covered Destynie's arms, legs and clothing, according to an affidavit, and investigators reported what appeared to be lice eggs or significant dandruff near her scalp.

"An overwhelming smell of body odor, urine and feces was coming from her person and the room," Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Anthony Giles wrote.

Investigators reported finding dirt beneath the infant's fingernails. The same odor came from the baby's body.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"The infant's diaper was completely saturated in urine,\" Giles wrote."}]

Investigators also reported a small amount of feces and a live insect moving inside the diaper after it was removed.

The baby had lived in the Manderson camper with Destynie, Travis and another child who was just over 1 year old.

What investigators found later that day inside that camper became the foundation for the charges now moving through two Big Horn County courts.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Inside The Camper"}]

Armed with a search warrant, DCI agents went to the camper that afternoon.

Several black garbage bags that investigators believed were recently placed there were sitting outside.

When agents opened the door, they reported being hit by the same overwhelming odor of urine, feces and body odor they had encountered at the hospital.

Investigators found a 5-gallon bucket containing human waste in the bathroom.

The crib where Destynie said the baby slept was damp and smelled strongly of urine.

Investigators reported finding urine-soaked bedding and a soiled diaper underneath the mattress. Liquid had pooled inside the crib's frame, and when investigators lifted it, more foul-smelling liquid drained from the support structure.

Garbage bags outside the camper contained baby food and a comforter investigators believed was heavily soiled with urine and feces.

The DCI affidavit says agents recovered more than 21 grams of suspected marijuana and a glass pipe containing white crystalline residue.

Both Travis and Destynie told investigators that Travis regularly helped care for the children when Destynie was away.

[{"type":"text","text":"Travis described what he did as \"normal grandpa stuff.\""}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Warning Over The Phone"}]

Investigators also documented a warning allegedly made by Travis while Destynie was at the hospital.

[{"type":"text","text":"Travis remained on speakerphone while they interviewed his daughter."}]

When agents asked to take Destynie's cellphone as evidence to help establish a timeline, Travis allegedly said he didn't know what might happen if someone carrying a badge or gun showed up at his property.

[{"type":"text","text":"It would be \"a bad day for that individual,\" he allegedly said."}]

The conditions investigators documented July 6 weren't the first time authorities had concerns about the family.

Court records outline four contacts involving the Wyoming Department of Family Services and Manderson police beginning in April.

During one visit, officials investigating concerns about the family's living conditions were denied entry to the camper.

Another welfare check came after reports that Destynie had missed prenatal appointments during what investigators described as a high-risk pregnancy.

During another contact, a caseworker reported that the family's Jeep smelled strongly of cat urine and was filled with debris.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Access Denied"}]

By late May, DFS had received reports that the infant had lost 11% of her body weight and that Destynie had missed a medical appointment.

When caseworkers and police returned to the property, investigators say they were again denied access to the camper.

Travis allegedly told them to "get the f*** off his property and never come back."

Less than two months later, Destynie told investigators she awakened to find her daughter unresponsive in the crib.

The affidavit does not identify an official cause or manner of death, and neither Travis nor Destynie Study is charged with intentionally causing the infant's death.

[{"type":"text","text":"The investigation remains ongoing."}]

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<title>Mother, Grandfather Plead Not Guilty After Baby Dies In Hot, Feces-Filled Camper | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The mother and grandfather of a 2-month old baby found dead in a sweltering, feces-filled camper pleaded not guilty Tuesday to numerous charges surrounding the infant's death. Caseworkers say they were told to "get the f*** off the property" earlier in the year.

Mother, Grandfather Plead Not Guilty After Baby Dies In Hot, Feces-Filled Camper

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

A new political action committee (PAC) has come out as the top spender -- at least on the state level -- in this year’s primary election cycle, outspending the last cycle’s top-spending groups Make Liberty Win and Americans for Prosperity.

Wyoming’s Turn PAC, which has targeted Sen. Eric Barlow with negative ads during his run for governor, has spent $1,448,385 in the state’s primary election, Wyoming Campaign Finance records show.

That’s nearly $1 million more than the $549,144 spent this year by the last cycle’s top spender Make Liberty Win.

 reports receiving $1,543,550 in contributions this year, meaning it has $95,165 remaining in the final week before Tuesday’s primary election.

Of that intake, 95.2% came from the federal-level Women For Responsible Government PAC, which federal 

 or connected with the Hageman Senate Fund supporting Rep. Harriet Hageman.  

Joe Milczewski, who incorporated Wyoming’s Turn PAC in Wyoming, said the PAC has “donors big and small who rallied to support Megan Degenfelder because they know she will protect and promote Wyoming’s energy workers.”

Milczewski said that’s a contrast to the “outside Super PAC” which he said is linked to an agent of the Barlow campaign, “that is currently attacking Megan for her previous work in Wyoming’s energy industry.”

Keep Wyoming Working, a PAC that has been attacking Degenfelder, spent $228,534. Its lone contributor is a Washington DC-based Group, Government That Works PAC, which in turn lists a number of PACs as its own contributors. Its money has filtered to Democratic candidates as well, like Maine's 

Both Degenfelder and Barlow deny involvement with the various PACs attacking the other. Links between Degenfelder and the PACs attacking Barlow – and links between Barlow and the PAC attacking Degenfelder – appear 

Hageman’s campaign spokesman declined to comment.

Hageman has been an outspoken proponent of Degenfelder’s campaign.

$326,397 altogether and gave 290,000 of that to Degenfelder’s campaign. It also donated to a number of other Republican candidates, all women, running for state government offices.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Now About All These Other PACs"}]

Wyoming’s Turn, Keeping Wyoming Working and Fight Wyoming Fight differ from most high-profile, state-level PACs in that they do not appear to have a clear pro- or anti-Freedom Caucus direction.

The other high-profile PACs often coalesce around opposing or supporting the Freedom Caucus. That rivalry has churned millions of dollars into campaign advertising, events and messaging.

 supporting Wyoming Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates and attacking some of their enemies. Its top target was Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, whom it spent $14,177 opposing.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), also of Virginia, aligned itself against Freedom Caucus candidates this year but said that move was merely incidental to its support for business- and energy-friendly policies.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"AFP spent $285,988, the filings show."}]

WY Freedom PAC, which is the Wyoming Freedom Caucus’ fundraising arm, spent $223,636.

The Prosperity and Commerce PAC, funded largely by Gov. Mark Gordon, appears to have stayed away from the governor’s race. Gordon gave the PAC $100,000 this year, which comprises 98.5% of its intake. But it also carried forward $216,668 from a prior report, and spent $210,272.

It gave donations ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 each to numerous hopeful and current legislators opposing Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates.  

The Civil Leadership PAC out of Gillette spent $199,990, mostly on non-Freedom Caucus Republicans out of the Gillette area, such as Barlow, state Senate hopeful Dwayne Dillinger and County Commission incumbents Scott Clem and Jim Ford. The group also backed Rep. Steve Harshman for superintendent of public instruction, and Robert Short for secretary of state.

The Defeating Communism PAC shelled out $172,648 largely on printing and advertising.

Common Sense Republicans for Wyoming, which two Casper-area attorneys started this year to combat the Freedom Caucus, spent $95,360.

School Freedom Fund spent $609,529, but appears to have spent none of that in Wyoming. Its expenses list out-of-state or national TV and digital advertising buys. Many other federal PACS listed large spending amounts, with caveats saying nearly all that expense consisted of “non-WY disbursements.”

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<title>Wyoming PAC Spends More Than $1.4 Million Attacking Barlow, Top PAC Spender in State | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The Wyoming's Turn PAC that has been attacking Sen. Eric Barlow in his run for governor is the state's biggest-spending PAC in the primary election, at $1.4 million. That’s nearly $1 million more than last cycle’s top spender.

Wyoming PAC Spends More Than $1.4 Million Attacking Barlow, Top PAC Spender in State

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, August 13th.  I’m Mac Watson.

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

A Tinder date gone horribly wrong ended with a Newcastle man dead with a hollow-point round in his chest and a South Dakota man facing a second-degree murder charge. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that authorities say there’s vastly different stories from the couple who had just met for a hook-up.

“According to the investigators, she said she wanted to go back to this guy's place, get some of her stuff. She told him, ‘Hey, look, wait in the car, but listen, if you hear me yell come, come get me.’ The guy from South Dakota said that he heard her yell for help three times. So he grabbed the gun that was in the console of his car, went up to the trailer, and according to his account of it, the man was holding on to the woman. He said that the other man was trying to drag her into the trailer. Then he said he fired once the guy in the chest watched him stumble into the trailer and fall on the floor.”

If convicted of second-degree murder, Drake Alexander Ingalls could get anywhere from 20 years to life in prison, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

Campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show Eric Barlow out-earned Megan Degenfelder in the gubernatorial primary election with a little over $1.5 million, while Degenfelder posted nearly $1.3 million. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the whole gubernatorial race shows a roughly $3 million haul.

“Barlow earned the most money and spent the most money and had the most in donations. Degenfelder was not far behind. I think with a haul of like 1.21, point 3 million. These are historic figures. You know, Gordon, Mead. I think we were looking at half million or less in recent cycles, and so this is shaping up to be a very expensive governor's race. But also a lot of the ads, like the TV ads, and the attack pieces are not from these campaigns. So all this $3 million is not counting these outside packs that are bringing now millions to attack these candidates.”

Gov. Mark Gordon posted $541,577 in contributions in his 2022 primary election report and $155,846 in 2018. Former Gov. Matt Mead posted $100,052 in contributions in the 2014 primary election.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

An accident involving multiple motorcycles and a WYDOT truck has resulted in one reported fatality and multiple serious injuries on U.S. Highway 14-16-20 near Cody. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that one witness said, “I counted at least three bodies that I could see lying on the ground, not moving.”

“One person was pronounced dead at the scene. One was life flighted to a hospital in Billings, and three others were transported to Cody Regional Health via ambulance with severe injuries. The driver of the WYDOT truck was not injured, and based on the initial information that we have, it looks like the truck was just clipped at the very end of the accident. So whatever happened, it was primarily with the four motorcycles and the pickup truck.”

At 9:38 a.m., the Wyoming Department of Transportation closed all lanes on U.S. Highway 14/16/20 near Wapiti due to the crash.

If you need gas while traveling on Wyoming Highway 220 near Independence Rock, get ready to pay through the nose for it. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that gasoline is selling for $6 a gallon at one station.

“A remote gas station in Muddy Gap is charging $6 a gallon. Now this is significant because it's 40% higher than the statewide average of $4.24 a gallon, but for motorists that live in the area, their option is to pay the price or travel 40 miles in either direction for cheaper gas. Gas station attendant Taviana Lozier says people complain all the time. One motorcyclist that I talked to said he has to stop at Muddy Gap, but he only buys enough fuel to get him to Casper.”

The lonely station sits at a crossroads connecting travelers headed toward Rawlins, Casper, Lander and Riverton.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"   "}]

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

A Casper man faces prison time after authorities say he drove a side-by-side while intoxicated and caused a passenger to fall off a cooler in the back. Cowboy State Daily’s Dale Killingbeck reports that the passenger is on life-support after sustaining head injuries in the fall at Alcova Reservoir.

“A 37-year-old Casper man is facing a charge related to what police say was driving while drunk over in Alcoa, Wyoming. He told police that he had had a few a shot and a couple beers, and then he changed that to say that he had a couple shots and more beers and more more drinks after that. The man, along with two men as passengers and two women, took off in his Polaris RZR. And according to one of the women, who apparently, according to the affidavit, spoke to the driver and said, ‘Hey, this guy fell off.’ Then his passenger in the back fell off and apparently injured his head. And when police arrived, he was bleeding, was taken to the hospital, and was placed on life support.”

Michael Ray Watts is charged with DUI causing serious injury, and if convicted, could face up to 10 years in prison.

Dozens of residents packed the meeting room and hallway at a meeting of the Platte County Planning and Zoning Commission in Wheatland on Tuesday night. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports voices were raised as citizens shared their concerns about a massive data center project. 

“The commission made it clear that you know they're not there to talk about whether we're for or against data centers. They said you know they're coming. They haven't seen an application yet, but there is a proposal for a huge piece of land in Platte County, right near the Goshen County line. Voices got raised multiple times over people wanting to comment publicly, but public comment not really being taken. People grew frustrated because they said by the time the public hearing happens in September. Major decisions will have already been made.”

a data center and power generation complex was proposed

 for 5,344 acres of ranchland northeast of Wheatland in Platte County near the Goshen County line.

A violent storm ripped through southern Campbell County on Wednesday afternoon. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports officials are still assessing the damage and waiting for confirmation if heavy winds or a tornado was the cause of the destruction.

“Authorities say a possible tornado touched down in southern Campbell County on Wednesday afternoon. Campbell County Fire Marshal Stuart Burnham said that multiple buildings lost roofs, a camper trailer was tipped over, as well as a mobile home. Officials are reviewing footage that people have captured, and then they will send that to the National Weather Service to confirm if it was in fact a tornado.”

The storm struck near Rattlesnake Road and South Highway 59 shortly after noon, leaving pieces of roofs and other debris scattered across the rural landscape.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

Thanks to lower temperatures and light rain Wednesday, the Weiser Knoll fire near Lander was 30% contained and another blaze at Fort Washakie has been fully contained. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that the Weiser Knoll Fire remains at 16,500 acres burned.

“Fire officials are saying that rain isn't enough to make the difference with the fire, but the cooler temperatures are certainly helping. It sounds like they've got it 30% contained. I think the latest update was around 16,500 acres, but what the BLM told me this morning, they've kind of got it restricted into its perimeter, so in other words, it's not growing anymore.” 

The fire, the largest of the summer so far in Wyoming, prompted an evacuation order for residents in the Twin Creek Drainage area, east of Wyoming Highway 28. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 8 13 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, August 13, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Thursday's headlines include:
* Tinder Date Turns Fatal
* $6 A Gallon Gas In Muddy Gap
* Barlow Earns Most $$ In Gov Race

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, August 13, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

A Gillette man faces eight felony charges related to alleged sexual assaults and beatings he gave a woman, during which he reportedly called her his “little beat victim.”

Luke K. Busca is charged with five counts of sexual assault in the first degree and three counts of strangulation of a household member stemming from his alleged actions recently against a woman who had been living with him at his residence for a month, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing Tuesday before Gillette Circuit Court Judge Greg Steward.

Court officials released Busca's name late Wednesday after using his initials during the hearing.

The five sexual assault in the first degree charges all carry a penalty of not less than five years or more than 50 years in prison. The strangulation of a household member charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Gillette Police Department Detective Sgt. Ryan Mahylis testified Tuesday that when police initially contacted the woman Aug. 1 at a friend’s residence they found her with a black eye on the right side of her face and injuries along her left jawline. She also had bite marks and bruises, and was complaining about pain to her abdomen and rib area.

Mahylis said the incident on the evening of July 31 started with an argument about incense burning in a sink. Busca told the woman that he was going to a friend’s home. When he returned around 2 a.m., he found the door locked and became angry.

Once in the bedroom, Mahylis told County Attorney Nathan Henkes, the woman said Busca made sexual advances that she refused. He then allegedly grabbed her by the hair and threw her face down on the bed, put her in a choke hold and began to sexually assault her from behind with his fingers.

Mahylis testified that the woman told police after the sexual assault she was able to kick him off but during the struggle he tried to hit her and then head-butted her. She was then told to leave the residence.

“She had indicated that she had no ability to leave due to not having a ride and Busca had indicated to her that people have been shot for not leaving a residence,” Mahylis said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Message To Friends"}]

The victim then left the residence and walked to a park, where she tried to contact friends and was unsuccessful. About 3:30 a.m. she received a message from Busca to return to the residence.

A Gillette man who allegedly raped a woman and called her his “little beat victim” was charged Tuesday with eight felonies. Investigators say the woman had a black eye, bite marks, bruises, and rib and abdomen pain.

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