A Wyoming Republican Party National Committeewoman was cleared on a charge of reckless endangering on Wednesday after originally being accused of shooting bullets in close vicinity of a home and its residents while she was hunting.
On Wednesday, Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric dismissed the charge against Webber with prejudice, telling Cowboy State Daily the state did not have enough evidence to prove its case and had “an ethical obligation to dismiss.” With prejudice means the case has been dismissed permanently and charges related to the incident can’t be pursued again in the future.
“The truth has finally come out,” Webber said about the elk hunt she engaged in outside the small town of Wapiti on Nov. 30, 2022, that led to the charge.
‘Whistling Bullets’
Trout Creek Ranch Manager Cory Williams told Cowboy State Daily shortly after the incident that he and his wife were forced to seek cover outside their home as bullets rained down on them.
The couple reported the bullets came from a group of hunters shooting on the opposite southern side of the North Fork Highway, and Cory Williams said one bullet “whizzed” by his head.
Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Skoric's decision to dismiss the case.
Webber, who has largely remained silent about the allegation until now, said there was no evidence of “whistling bullets.”
“As you know, it’s been ‘open season’ on conservative Republicans, and I was the victim of a political ‘hit job’ by virtue of being the Republican National Committeewoman for Wyoming,” Webber said in a Wednesday press release. “These types of lawfare tactics are designed to hurt and damage my reputation and credibility as an elected official.”
The Park County Sheriff’s Office posted about the event on its Facebook page, describing it as an “unsafe hunting” incident.
Webber said she was the only member of the hunting party charged and that a Game and Fish warden said there had been no wrongdoing.
Evidence
Skoric said multiple hunters fired shots the morning of the hunt in the immediate area of Trout Creek Ranch and the Williams’ home in Hunt Area 53.
The county attorney said he was recently presented with “very credible evidence” showing Webber likely did not discharge her rifle until after the initial report of unsafe shooting was made to law enforcement.
“This evidence was not available to the deputy at the time he issued the citation,” Skoric said.
Scott Weber, Webber’s boyfriend, told Cowboy State Daily that her attorney Tim Blatt “peppered” Skoric with good data that led to the prosecutor quickly dismissing the case.
“It makes me angry that I did the very investigation the deputy SHOULD HAVE DONE – established a timeline, produced time-stamped photos of the morning and got seven affidavits from the other hunters,” Weber told Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday evening email.
He also said Webber hired a ballistics expert who visited the field where the shooting happened and “had a REAL LAUGH at the impossibility of any bullets getting out of the field.”
“The field is a BOWL!” Weber proclaimed.
Webber said she took her shots 45 minutes after the initial complaint was made.
If found guilty, she could have faced up to a year behind bars.
“Due to an overzealous young deputy who submitted an incomplete investigation coupled with an outgoing sheriff who opposed my political views as a conservative Republican, I was the only one cited,” Webber said.
The outgoing sheriff Webber refers to is former Sheriff Scott Steward, now a county commissioner in Park County.
‘Singled Out’
Webber believes she was singled out for the citation because of her position within the Republican Party and status as a local political figure.
“I am an American citizen and an avid sportswoman and I believe my position as Republican National Committeewoman for Wyoming and previous and potential candidate for House District 24 caused me to be singled out by law enforcement,” Webber said.
Skoric said he saw no evidence of political favoritism in Webber’s citation.
Webber has been a national committeewoman since 2021 and ran against Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, in the 2022 House 24 Republican primary, a rematch of the 2020 race. Although the second race was much closer than 2020, Webber still lost by 83 votes.
Webber said she is in consultation with her attorney about taking civil action in response to the allegations.
She thanked Skoric and Circuit Court Judge Joseph Darrah for dismissing the charges with prejudice.
“I thank everyone who stood by me while I fought these false allegations,” she said.
Contact Leo Wolfson at Leo@CowboyStateDaily.com
Related:
Wyoming GOP Committeewoman Charged With Reckless Endangerment While Hunting
Wyoming GOP Committeewoman Nina Webber Pleads Not Guilty In Shooting Incident
