Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"And why wouldn't you try this on a stairwell??"}]

Darwin 5 18 23

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

<title>Daily Darwin: Thursday, May 18, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

And why wouldn't you try this on a stairwell??

Daily Darwin: Thursday, May 18, 2023

 And why wouldn't you try this on a stairwell??

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Courts

It was the hard kick to the groin of a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper that could get a 47-year-old Laramie man up to 10 years in prison after a high-speed chase through two counties in a pickup towing a camper.

The alleged assault on Trooper Brandon Todd came after Nicholas J. Blocker ditched his truck and camper in Curt Gowdy State Park following Todd flattening the truck's tires with Stop Sticks just after 11 p.m. July 2.

Blocker ditched the disabled Chevy truck and camper and tried to hide in the underbrush of the park at night, Todd recounts in an affidavit of probable cause he filed in Laramie County Circuit Court on Tuesday ahead of a Friday court hearing for Blocker.

Todd flushed Blocker out, tackled him and, with the help of another trooper, handcuffed the uncooperative man’s hands behind his back, the affidavit says.

That’s when the Blocker’s trouble exploded from a laundry list of misdemeanor charges into suspected felony assault on a peace officer.

“While standing near blocker after he was on his feet, Blocker then proceeded to square up to me, and using his right leg and foot, kick me as hard as he could in the groin,” Trooper Todd wrote in his affidavit.

That caused him to experience “severe and intense pain in my groin area that was causing me to be nauseous and making it hard to walk on my own power,” he wrote.

Todd continued to assist in apprehending Blocker, but then was transported to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released in the early morning hours of July 3, according to the affidavit.

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

Blocker is scheduled for a Friday appearance in Albany County Circuit Court to face at least three criminal charges and 12 other traffic citations related to the chase and arrest.

That chase began in Albany County, and Todd wrote that he picked it up at about 10:51 p.m. when dispatchers alerted other agencies about the truck and camper trying to elude law enforcement driving eastbound on I-80.

“While monitoring the radio, I heard that the suspect vehicle had taken exit 335 (Buford Road) and had begun traveling eastbound on Buford Road,” the affidavit says.

Blocker continued driving east until he crossed into Laramie County, while Todd set up Stop Sticks at the juncture of Buford and Crystal Lake roads.

At about 11:08 p.m., Blocker’s truck ran over the disabling device, but he continued driving anyway, the affidavit says.

“The pursuit continued eastbound on Crystal Lake Road, where the suspect vehicle then made a left-hand turn and continued westbound on Wyoming 210 (Happy Jack Road),” Todd’s affidavit continues.

Blocker then turned into Curt Gowdy State Park, where he ditched the truck and camper and took off on foot “through a drainage and into the thick timberline,” the affidavit says.

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

Trooper Todd followed the man through the timberline and “found Blocker hiding in thick vegetation, attempting to hide from law enforcement,” the affidavit says.

Blocker continued to resist law enforcement, ignoring commands to come out of his hiding spot, then trying to run on foot again, Todd wrote.

“I intercepted Blocker at the edge of the thick vegetation and the edge of the beach,” the affidavit says. “When I made contact with Blocker, he had his right hand behind his back as if attempting to reach for a concealed weapon.”

He didn’t have a weapon, and instead “made a quick and sudden movement with his right hand and arm, and pointed his fist at me,” Todd wrote.

That’s when Todd and another trooper took Blocker to the ground, handcuffed him, and stood him up — then Blocker kicked Todd in the groin.

The man failed to get away, however, and was instead put into a wrap restraint and handed over to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, the affidavit says.

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

Court documents don’t detail what started the chase with law enforcement in Albany County.

However, in addition to a long list of alleged crimes and violations related to the chase, he also faces a domestic battery charge from earlier that evening.

[{"type":"text","text":"His tally from the chase includes one felony:"}]

• Interference with a peace officer causing injury, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

[{"type":"text","text":"And multiple misdemeanor charges:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Driving while under the influence."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Interference with a peace officer — resisting."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Two counts of reckless driving."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Speeding six-plus mph over the 75 mph speed limit on I-80."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Failure to travel in a single lane."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Two stop sign violations."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Failure to comply with a red traffic signal."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Following too closely."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Fleeing or attempting to elude."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"• Not signaling before making a turn."}]

Highway patrol and Buford 7 8 26

<title>Laramie Man Allegedly Kicks Trooper In Groin At End Of Truck Towing Camper Chase | Cowboy State Daily</title>

It was an alleged kick to the groin of a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper that could get a Laramie man up to 10 years in prison after running from the law in a pickup towing a camper. The “intense pain was causing me to be nauseous,” the trooper said.

Laramie Man Allegedly Kicks Trooper In Groin At End Of Truck Towing Camper Chase

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

A Natrona County judge Wednesday denied a former Wyoming state senator’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against him by U.S. House candidate and Casper businessman Reid Rasner.

Judge Kerri Johnson told defendant Austin Jennings that under the Wyoming Rules of Civil Procedure the legal rule cited in his motion to dismiss was a “drastic remedy”, and that under Wyoming civil law rules the court is required to look at the facts supplied by the plaintiff as “true.”

Johnson noted that the allegations from Jennings that Rasner committed “serious sexual misconduct” would fall under the law for defamation. She said that given Rasner’s political and business standings, if facts presented in the case were taken as true it would mean he has lost business and political support for his House race.

Arguments that Rasner has suffered emotional distress and that there was a conspiracy against him by Jennings and former State Sen. Anthony Bouchard as outlined in Rasner’s suit also had to be considered “true” under civil procedure, Johnson ruled.

“The court would deny Mr. Jennings’ motion to dismiss,” she said. 

Johnson directed Jennings to have an answer to Rasner’s complaint filed by July 31.

Before Johnson’s ruling, Jennings told the court that his motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) was made because there was “not sufficient facts” provided in the suit by Rasner that prove he posted statements on social medial against Rasner, was part of a conspiracy or defamed Rasner. The rule Jennings cited lets court dismiss cases where the claims don't line up with the laws the plaintiff has invoked. 

Jennings' written argument was that Rasner’s suit “to survive dismissal … must contain sufficient factual matter to state a claim that is plausible on the face.

“Mere speculation, conclusory statements, and unsupported allegations are insufficient to establish a plausible claim for relief.”

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

In his motion to dismiss, Jennings wrote that statements he made as part of an affidavit in the lawsuit Rasner has against Bourchard are “protected by the judicial-proceeding privilege.”

“I request dismissal,” Jennings told the court Wednesday.

Rasner attorney John C. Matthews told the court his client had provided specific statements in his filing that fit defamation. He cited a paragraph where Jennings is alleged to have used a pseudonymous social media profile on Nov. 16, 2025.

“They allege the defendant has engaged in sexual acts with children,” Matthews said. 

He argued that statements made by Jennings before his affidavit in the Bourchard lawsuit were not protected.

Matthews told the court allegations of Rasner’s actions while at Casper College are not substantiated by any college records or reports to the Casper Police Department.

“It’s harmed his business,” Matthews said. “It’s hurt him in the polls.”

Rasner’s lawsuit states that Jennings’ statements against him in concert “with other parties, including Anthony Bouchard” cost him $1 million in damages.

According to Rasner’s complaint, Jennings since 2010 has continued to make “knowingly false and highly salacious allegations” against him and that Jennings made statements using false names or directed others to make statements using false names.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"“Whisper Campaign”"}]

Rasner’s suit charges Jennings started a “whisper campaign” against him as he ran for the U.S. Senate seat against Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and that the effort “continues to this day.”

The Jennings affidavit cited in Rasner’s suit states that in 2010 Jennings told Bouchard that while Rasner worked at Casper College he had been involved in a sexual misconduct incident in the college’s drama department.

Rasner alleges that Jennings stated a complaint had been filed with the college and the college never followed up on it.

“Defendant Jennings knew the statements were untrue each time he made an allegation against Mr. Rasner,” Rasner’s complaint states.

Rasner’s filing states a subpoena to Casper College for the complaint filed by Jennings produced no documents. His complaint asks for damages, plus punitive and exemplary damages.

Jennings, Matthews and others representing Rasner all appeared via video for the hearing. Rasner did not join the hearing.

Rasner jennings court 7 8 26

<title>Judge Rules Reid Rasner Can Keep Suing Former Lawmaker For Defamation | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Casper-based judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss U.S. House candidate Reid Rasner's defamation suit against former state legislator Austin "Kit" Jennings.  The judge said allegations Jennings accused Rasner of “serious sexual misconduct” fit defamation law.

Judge Rules Reid Rasner Can Keep Suing Former Lawmaker For Defamation

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

A vocal crowd of Green River residents opposed a nearly $112,000 anti-terrorism 

 Tuesday, and the City Council and mayor voted 6-1 against approving the grant award.

That means the Green River Police Department will not receive the $111,956 in federal Department of Homeland Security money that the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security had awarded it.

Green River Police Chief Shawn Sturlaugson had planned to install around four Motorola brand license-plate readers, largely at city entrances, to respond quickly to criminal getaway or vulnerable-person situations, he told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.

He defended the plan at the City Council meeting Tuesday evening, saying a guardrail policy is in progress. He hoped to limit data storage to 30 days and he had no intention of using the cameras proactively or on things like expired registration.

Green River City Councilman Gary Killpack moved to accept the grant award. Councilman Robert Berg seconded the motion for the sake of holding a vote, he said. Then Berg, Mayor Pete Rust, and the other four council members – Jessica Maser, Mike Shutran, Sherry Bushman, and Ron Williams – voted nay. Some of them applauded with the crowd after their nay votes.

The people's proactive shutdown is unique. Oftener in Wyoming cities such as Cheyenne, Jackson and Glenrock, the major outcry against license-plate reader cameras unfolds after the cameras are already in place.

In the case of license-plate readers that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Wind River Intertribal Council had installed at the entrances to the Wind River Indian Reservation, it is unknown if any public meeting was held on the topics prior to installation. 

But first, numerous people attended the meeting and 10 spoke against the cameras.

No one spoke in favor of the license plate reader grant or installation effort.

Marshall Burt – a former lawmaker and the first Libertarian elected to the Wyoming Legislature – acknowledged that he’d “kicked the hornet’s nest” by raising awareness of the meeting and urging people to attend.

“I don’t know you, chief; I want to say you’re a good person and I believe you have good intentions,” Burt said to Sturlaugson.

Yet, he warned, Motorola would store the license-plate reader data and could aggregate or share it. Litigation is unfolding on these data problems nationwide. And the government can work around the Fourth Amendment by going through third-party data holders, said Burt.

“Now yes, I’d say we are more than (surveilled) every day of our lives,” he said. “A lot of those choices come from myself. If I use my phone and I add an app, and it says I’m going to be monitored, then I make the choice to be monitored myself, right?”

Burt suggested “strongly” that the city study Motorola’s software system closely.

Gregory Sherwin, who identified himself as a lifelong resident of Green River, cast the system as just another slow, well-intentioned erosion of freedom.

He urged the City Council to “defend these principles of due process, presumption of innocence and freedom of association – and the simple right to move about our communities without being constantly monitored, analyzed and profiled.”

Sherwin added, “These are not outdated ideals. They’re the foundation of a free people.”

[{"type":"text","text":"As with many speakers, robust applause followed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Another resident, Dr. Blaine Saunders, reflected on others’ comments."}]

“I’m grateful to be in this town. It’s nice to hear people stand up for their rights. Nice to hear they’re standing up for the Constitution,” said Saunders. “My grandfather was a Wyoming pioneer, and I think he’d be proud of what we heard tonight.”

Multiple people paid respects to Sturlaugson or thanked him for his service. He acknowledged their concerns and their passion.

“Ther’s no one who takes the Constitution and civil liberties more seriously than me,” said Sturlaugson, adding, “I also took an oath to protect the citizens of Green River … This is my job.”

He later said, “Outside of my uniform, I might be sitting with them (the critics).”

Some council members apologized for voting in favor of the grant application months earlier.

“I also want to kind of issue an apology on my part,” said Councilwoman Jessica Maser. “Because when we applied for this grant – I know I voted in favor of it – I did not fully understand what this was.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Councilman Mike Shutran said he wanted to echo Maser’s comments."}]

“This type of a situation I think the gravity’s probably a little bit more than we anticipated. I think public safety is always at the forefront, but undermining the trust of the citizens is something we probably can’t undo,” said Shutran.

Councilman Berg touted the advances of technology. But, he said, “I cannot vote for this due to the fact I’d be telling the citizens of Green River that I think I know what’s best for them. And they have spoken.”

Councilwoman Bushman gave an example of the cameras’ potential benefits – of flagging a sex offender near a school – but she voiced concerns about the potential for a data breach of Motorola’s system.

Ten people urged against the camera installation during the public comment segment. Several more sat in the room and watched. As of Wednesday morning, the YouTube stream of the meeting had garnered 118 views.

Rust and Killpack both speculated that though they heard staunch opposition Tuesday evening, “another side” would emerge from the residents with time.

Rust theorized some people with children want the cameras and will trade their privacy concerns for that safety reassurance.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We are only hearing one side tonight,” said Rust."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Berg countered: “The other side had the same opportunity.”"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Spectators erupted with applause."}]

Killpack moved to table the vote to a workshop to draw out that other side. His motion died without a second.

Though Rust defended the cameras and speculated about the silent “other side,” he explained his later nay vote on the grant approval by saying he’s concerned about the third-party data holding issues.

Green river council meeting 7 7 26

<title>Green River Residents Shut Down License Plate Reader Camera Project | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A vocal crowd converged Tuesday on the Green River City Council meeting and opposed a $112,000 federal grant for the police department to install license plate reader cameras. Then the City Council and mayor voted 6-1 against finalizing the grant.

Green River Residents Shut Down License Plate Reader Camera Project

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Public Safety

A Jackson airport taxi owner had just dropped off passengers in Victor, Idaho, and was heading home over Teton Pass when traffic slowed behind a dump truck hauling asphalt Tuesday. 

Motorcycles slipped around it. A camper pulled to the shoulder near the 8,431-foot summit to let vehicles by. A few pickups followed.

[{"type":"text","text":"Dumitru Cebotari was next. Instead, he hesitated."}]

Moments later, he watched a deadly highway crash unfold just seconds in front of him.

"I feel like I had an angel protecting me," Cebotari told Cowboy State Daily. "One second changed everything."

Just before 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, the Kenworth dump truck lost its brakes while descending WY 22 on the east side of Teton Pass near milepost 6.8, wrote the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

[{"type":"text","text":"The truck struck six vehicles before flipping onto its side."}]

Two people — 66-year-old Nicholas Besobrasow of Tetonia, Idaho, and 57-year-old David Page of Mammoth Lakes, California — were killed. Four others were injured.

Besobrasow founded Alupka Asset Management in Driggs, Idaho. Page was executive director of the Winter Wildlands Alliance based in Boise, Idaho.

[{"type":"text","text":"For Cebotari, the horror began before the first impact."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Something Was Wrong"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Cebotari said traffic was climbing the steep grade slowly. "}]

"We almost reached the top," he said. "The motorcycles passed him because we were going so slow."

[{"type":"text","text":"A camper then pulled over near the summit."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I thought the dump truck was going to do the same,\" he said. "}]

Instead, it accelerated on the sustained 10% descent.

"I was about to pass him too, but he started rushing down the hill super fast,” Cebotari said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Cebotari immediately sensed something wasn't right."}]

"I saw smoke coming out of his tires, and they started smoking worse and worse and worse,” he said.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"They started smelling so bad,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Oncoming motorists appeared to notice it too."}]

"Everybody who was driving from downhill passing him were looking at him because they realized he was driving way too fast,” Cebotari said.

Cebotari stayed back, leaving roughly five or six seconds between his SUV and the truck, he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Around The Corner"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"When he rounded the next curve, the crash had already begun."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I saw the motorcycle on the road.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Ahead of it sat mangled pickup trucks."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"He pulled over and jumped out."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I went to the cars to see if there were any survivors,” he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"One pickup had begun smoking."}]

Another man stopped with him, and together they called 911 while checking the damaged vehicles.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I only saw a lady moving,\" Cebotari said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Gasoline covered parts of the roadway, he said."}]

"There were people crashed and smashed inside," Cebotari said quietly. "I couldn't stay there anymore."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Crash Summary"}]

In a preliminary crash summary, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said the dump truck first rear-ended a Triumph motorcycle, causing the rider to lose control and slide across the highway.

The truck then slammed into a Chevrolet Silverado, pushing it head-on into a Ford F-150.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Ford overturned, left the road and struck an electronic message sign."}]

The dump truck continued downhill, struck a guardrail, rolled onto its driver's side and slid across both lanes.

A Chevrolet Equinox swerved almost entirely off the roadway but was sideswiped by the truck as it slid past.

The truck then struck a Subaru Outback, pushing it into a drainage ditch before going airborne over the Subaru and finally coming to rest on its passenger side.

The Highway Patrol said preliminary evidence indicates the truck suffered a brake failure while descending the steep mountain pass.

The truck was owned by Avail Valley Construction-ID, LLC, of Victor, Idaho.

Investigators continue examining the vehicle and other evidence to determine the cause of the crash and whether citations or criminal charges are warranted.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Happy To Be Alive'"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"After leaving the scene, Cebotari called his wife."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I told her what happened,\" he said. \"'I'm happy to be alive.'\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"He couldn't bring himself to drive for the rest of the day."}]

Now, he keeps thinking about how close he came to being directly in front of the dump truck instead of behind it.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I was supposed to be right in front of the truck,\" he said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"His wife encouraged him to share what he witnessed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I was there,\" he said. \"People deserve to know what happened.\""}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Motorcyclist struck first"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The motorcyclist struck first also survived."}]

Caleb Rodriguez, who said he had ridden from Austin, Texas, to Jackson, wrote 

 that he was less than 10 minutes from finishing the trip when the dump truck hit him from behind.

"I was the first one the dump truck hit on the way down," Rodriguez wrote.

He said he suffered a dislocated shoulder and a broken foot but credited his riding gear with saving his life.

"I don't know how he didn't run me over," Rodriguez wrote. "I'm just lucky to be alive."

[{"type":"text","text":"For Cebotari, the images from Tuesday continue to replay in his mind."}]

He thinks about the families who lost loved ones and about the split-second decision he made not to pass.

"I definitely feel their pain," he said. "I'm really sorry for what happened. I wish it didn't happen that way."

Teton crash 7 8 26

<title>Eyewitness: Dump Truck Driver In Deadly Crash On Teton Pass "Driving Way Too Fast" | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Jackson driver who watched Tuesday's deadly Teton Pass crash unfold says he nearly passed the dump truck moments before its brakes failed and crashed into six vehicles, killing two people. "He was driving way too fast,” the eyewitness said.

Daily Darwin: Thursday, May 18, 2023

In case you missed it

More in Daily Darwin

Daily Darwin: Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Daily Darwin: Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Daily Darwin: Monday, July 6, 2026

Daily Darwin: Sunday, July 5, 2026

Most read