Daily Smile

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

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, July 14, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Let's go swimming with the dog!!!

Daily Smile: Friday, July 14, 2023

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 16th.  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.

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Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand pleaded guilty to DUI in court Wednesday and was given one year probation and fined $500. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that the lawmaker faces 88 days in jail if he fails probation. 

“On Wednesday Allemand walked into court and pleaded guilty. That hearing had been set for his attorney to face a contempt charge, but it served a double purpose on Wednesday, in which Alamod also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation, 88 days in jail if he fails probation and a $500 fine. he's got to stay out of bars and liquor stores and not violate the law and has got some chemical testing and that's for a year.”

Rep. Allemand was arrested Dec. 28th in Buffalo. 

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The Department of the Interior stopped short of delisting grizzly bears from Endangered Species Act protection Tuesday when it moved to hand management of the bears over to states. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that one Wyoming outdoorsman says, “That’s the way it should be.”

“It's the 4D rule that's within the Endangered Species Act. The Biden administration moved to strengthen that rule, and now the Trump administration has come through and they're kind of revise that rule to effectively what people are saying: hand management over to the states. It's a bit murky because this does not mean that they're not going to get delisted. It's just handing more of the direct control of the bears right over to the states.”

A full delisting of grizzlies was attempted in 2007, and again in 2017. The latter led to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department issuing hunting tags for a grizzly season. However, both the 2017 and 2007 delisting efforts were overturned in court.

A blown tire on a semitrailer sent it into the opposite lane, sideswiping an SUV and closing U.S. 20/26 near Shoshoni for more than four hours Wednesday. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that motorists were stranded in near 100-degree heat. 

“Wyoming Highway Patrol says an eastbound semi had a blown tire and it crossed into the westbound lane, striking a GMC Yukon. No fatalities were reported, and the extent of injuries at this time is unknown. Even though only two vehicles were involved in the crash, there was a heavy response from law enforcement with several police and fire vehicles, as well as two helicopters and three wreckers. One witness who was stuck at the scene for nearly four hours said it was about 100 degrees outside. He was mostly concerned about horses that were confined to a trailer that were also there.”

Wyoming Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Aaron Brown said an eastbound semi truck east of Shoshoni traveling toward Casper suffered a tire failure at about 10:30 a.m., causing it to drift into the westbound lane and sideswipe a GMC Yukon. Brown added there were no fatalities. 

Meta says it is appealing a violation notice issued by Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that the company’s corporate entity, Goat Systems, LLC is arguing the city has not provided evidence that the company's construction project contaminated the city's sewer reuse system. 

“Meta is claiming that they have not received any of the underlying testing or data from the contamination from the tests that the city did and that they sent to the state lab. They're kind of taking issue with the fact that we don't have any data. The permit is wrong. Meta is arguing that the city cannot prove that the contamination actually came from the Meta project. I talked to Dr. Mark Rinnie on the Cheyenne City Council. He represents the Board of Public Utilities on the council. He was not aware of this appeal until we reached out to him.”

Meta said it is seeking review “so the facts and cause can be fully and accurately evaluated through the appropriate process.” The appeal comes more than four months after the bacteria was first detected in Cheyenne's wastewater reuse system.

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

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

As people across Wyoming raise concerns over license plate reader cameras, they're mapping cameras that might not actually be license plate readers. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that a new 

 entry saying Lusk has them is right, but it’s wrong about Cody and Gillette.

 is a mapping site where it's voluntary, right? And so the idea is the citizens that are concerned about these cameras are going to build us a map as they encounter them, but as the publicity around this has grown in Wyoming and across the nation, and also litigation and problems with that, we're seeing what look like false reports. So somebody reported a license plate reader in Cody. I called the business where it was mounted is a Quick Lube-style shop, and the guy said, ‘No, it's a vehicle counter because if I ever want to sell this place, I want to tell the buyer just how much traffic we have here.’ And then in Gillette, the PD and the sheriff's office were both emphatic, like, ‘No, we're not doing license plate readers.’”

Outspoken Green River residents earlier this month halted their police chief’s bid to install license plate readers at town entrances. Besides Lusk, the Wyoming communities of Cheyenne, Jackson, Glenrock, and the Wind River Indian Reservation all have license plate reader cameras in place.

Yellowstone National Park will spare the life of the bison that seriously hurt a 65-year-old grandpa from Washington. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that park officials said “no management action” will be taken against the bison which means it won’t be relocated or euthanized.

“The park rarely takes any management action because identifying that specific animal is difficult, and it's usually the animals are just doing what they would naturally do, whether it's because bison are in the rut or bears are defending their cubs or a food source. I spoke to bison biologist George Werthner. He reviewed the footage of the incident at Bridge Bay Campground over the weekend, and he said there really wasn't anything that Carl McDaniel could have done differently to prevent that attack.” 

Even grizzlies that attack and seriously injure park guests usually get off the hook, so long as the attack was determined to be a natural behavior, like defending cubs or a food source.

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A family hurt in a crash west of Casper that killed two people when a semitruck plowed into a construction zone is suing the trucking company and the as-yet unidentified truck driver. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that no criminal charges have yet been filed as an investigation continues.

“Nearly a month after a commercial tanker drove into six cars, killing two people and injuring eight, a family has filed a lawsuit. Representing the injured family is Casper attorney Dallas Laird. He said simply that they're hoping for a settlement. The exact number remains unknown, as the family is still receiving medical care for long-term injuries. This civil lawsuit stems from a June 26th crash that happened west of Casper, between Casper and Manita. The complaint alleges that the tanker failed to stop in a construction zone.”

The negligence lawsuit, filed Friday in Natrona County District Court, names Ryan Brothers Trucking Inc. and a John Doe defendant, identified as the tanker driver whose identity was not yet known to the plaintiffs when the complaint was filed.

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It was 47 years ago today that Cheyenne was hit by the most powerful tornado in Wyoming history. The powerful F3 tornado destroyed hundreds of homes,  caused tens of millions of dollars in damages, and killed one. Cowboy State Daily’s Kerry Drake was a reporter for the Wyoming Tribune and covered the story.

“It was obviously a terrible time for Cheyenne; most destructive tornado in the history of Wyoming. I was a photographer for the Wyoming State Tribune at the time. I was out covering a meeting, and I found out after I looked and we saw the tornado that I didn't have my camera with me. And fortunately, a good friend of mine who was at the meeting with me did. So we first saw the tornado looked like a big fire, and then we saw it move and realized what it was, so I kept telling my friend Jerry Johnson to shoot, shoot, shoot, and he did. And we got some photos that eventually we brought them down to the AP and UPI, and they were the first things that they had on the tornado.”

After the dust settled, there were 400 buildings that were damaged, including about 140 that were just totaled, 25 million dollars worth of damage, after the tornado traveled about almost 9 miles. For more on the tornado, read Kerry Drake’s two stories that Cowboy State Daily published today. There is also an interview with the former mayor of Cheyenne who recounts his experiences.

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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.

Newscast Thumbnail 07 16 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 16, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Thursday's headlines include:

Rep. Allemand Pleads Guilty
Yellowstone Bison Won't Be Euthanized
Most Powerful Tornado In Wyoming History

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 16, 2026

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Mostly sunny to sunny in Wyoming on Thursday, with a chance of afternoon and evening rain in areas of the west. Partly cloudy to mostly clear skies overnight. Highs in the 80s and 90s. Lows in the 50s and 60s.

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 Sunny today with a high near 94 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 61 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

 Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m., increasing clouds today with a high near 93 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 10 p.m. and a low near 61.

 Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 89 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 9 p.m., a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

 Chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 52.

  Increasing clouds today with a high near 93 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain before 8 p.m. and a low near 59.

Slight chance of rain after 2 p.m., increasing clouds today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 9 p.m. and a low near 48.

 Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 85 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 9 p.m. and a low near 52.

 Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 94 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 7 p.m. and a low near 53.

  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., increasing clouds today with a high near 85 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 8 p.m. and a low near 50.

 Rain likely, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 80 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 52.

  Chance of rain mainly after 2 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 90 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 10 p.m. and a low near 53.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 84 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before midnight and a low near 46.

Chance of rain mainly after 2 p.m., otherwise sunny then becoming partly sunny today with a high near 94 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 7 p.m. and a low near 63.

:  Chance of rain, otherwise sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before midnight and a low near 62.

  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise sunny today with a high near 89 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 10 p.m. and a low near 60.

   Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 11 p.m. and a low near 64.

  Chance of rain, otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 92 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 11 p.m. and a low near 60.

:  Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 11 p.m. and a low near 61.

Heat advisory until 9 p.m. tonight. Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 94 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight, a low near 63 and wind gusts as high as 17 mph.

  Heat advisory until 9 p.m. tonight. Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 94 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Mostly clear overnight with a low near 68.

:   Heat advisory until 9 p.m. tonight. Sunny today with a high near 97 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 63.

   Sunny and hot today with a high near 96 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 65.

  Sunny and hot today with a high near 93 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 63.

  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 92 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight, a low near 61 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

   Sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 59.

  Sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 54.

   Sunny and hot today with a high near 91 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 61.

  Sunny today with a high near 88 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 57.

  Sunny and hot today with a high near 91 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 54.

   Sunny and hot today with a high near 93 and mostly clear overnight with a low near 53.

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<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 16, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Thursday, July 16, 2026

Kerry Drake

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

CHEYENNE — The day after Gene Holthus’ home in Cheyenne’s Buffalo Ridge subdivision was gutted on July 16, 1979, he stood outside taking photos of the destruction. 

His three sons were busy trying to salvage anything they could from the house as Wyoming National Guard helicopters flew overhead to protect the neighborhood from looting.

Holthus told the Wyoming State Tribune that he was at work at the Wyoming Highway Department when he saw the huge twister rip past the Game and Fish Commission.

“I immediately called my wife, Alta, and told her to get in the basement,” Holthus said. “She didn’t know a thing about it.”

He said the next few minutes were terrifying as he waited for a chance to get home. Holthus learned that a gas main had broken in his basement.

“Somebody called the fire department and within about five minutes they came and dug my wife out of the basement,” he recalled. “Thank God she only had a few scratches.”

As Holthus continued talking to the reporter, one of his sons came running up and handed him an envelope he’d found several blocks away. It contained vivid color photographs of the family’s garden, which was now buried under rubble.

Holthus looked at every one of the photos. 

“I just can’t believe that something this small could remain intact while bigger things were totally destroyed,” he said. 

The reporter told him he was sorry about everything his family lost. Holthus turned around and pointed at the house.

“This can all be replaced,” he said. “We survived. And I’ll treasure these photos and all the memories.”

Holthus died in 2015, but he and his family had survived what 47 years later is still the most destructive tornado ever recorded in Wyoming. 

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The tornado that touched down was not only rare for the capital city, Cheyenne had never had one within city limits prior to July 16, 1979. 

The tornado was officially an F-3, using the EF scale that ranks tornados by damage intensity. But some scientists believe it was even more fierce, an F-4, based on the intensity of destruction it left behind.

The tornado first formed around 3:10 p.m. near the intersection of Vandehei Avenue and Valley View Road. Peak winds were estimated between 136-165 mph.

Its path through the city was 8.8 miles, which it traveled in about 30 minutes. 

The massive twister was 80 yards wide, or four-fifths as long as a football field.

It was the most destructive tornado in Wyoming’s history, and it caused one death: 14-month-old David McKinnon, who the Laramie County coroner at the time said died instantly from head injuries when his family’s trailer was ripped apart by the black funnel cloud.

Damaging about 400 homes, including 140 that were destroyed, the total property damage was estimated at $25 million, which is the equivalent to 

As people dug through the rubble, called insurance adjusters, and talked to friends and family about their ordeal, one thing about the natural disaster seemed universally described by survivors as miraculous. 

How could such an enormous tornado wreaking havoc for such a long time have not killed more people?

“This was my first major crisis,” Don Erickson, Cheyenne’s mayor from 1977-1989, told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday as he recalled the challenges he faced when the tornado hit the northern part of the city. 

“We had to show the community a lot of confidence, that we were doing the best we can,” he said. "And we did. We had a great team.”

Erickson, 89, can vividly describe everything he saw happen the day the tornado hit.

“I was sitting in my office with my risk manager looking through this great big window,” he said. “I thought, ‘My God, it looked kind of weird out there.’ Big black clouds coming around, and I said, ‘Let’s go up on the roof and see what’s going on.’”

Within 10 seconds of arriving on the rooftop, Erickson said that, “There was a big blast north of City Hall. Later on, we found that a transformer over by the governor’s mansion had been struck by lightning.”

Dave Guille, the head of civil defense for the city, called to tell the mayor that a tornado had hit the north side of Cheyenne.

Erickson, who had just dealt with one shock, called Cheyenne Police Chief Byron Rookstool, and together they made a hurried trip to the scene.

“The rescue effort was underway, and the devastation was amazing,” Erickson said. “We were so lucky that people were working and the kids weren’t quite home yet.”

He flew in a National Guard helicopter to see the path of destruction. 

“We’re fortunate that the Frontier Mall wasn’t built yet on Dell Range. It would have had a tremendous amount of damage,” he said.

Erickson said Gov. Ed Herschler immediately declared Cheyenne a disaster area.

Erickson said the entire city rallied to help take care of anyone impacted by the disaster. Scores of people opened up their homes to those who had lost theirs. 

Esther Howard formed the Interfaith Task Force, which brought local organizations together to coordinate how they could help anyone who needed it.

Erickson resurrected the group when had his next big crisis, which also involved disastrous weather that Cheyenne had never seen before: the Aug. 1, 1985, flood, which killed a dozen people and caused more than $51 million in damage. 

He said he took what he learned from the tornado tragedy, and that it helped prepare him for the even bigger disaster.

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

Tom Reed was a high school junior spending the summer of 1979 working for a construction company that was putting the finishing touches on a new house in his Buffalo Ridge neighborhood. 

On the afternoon of July 16, he was the last person at the site, cleaning it up so the house would be ready for the family that would move in soon.

He went across town to do the same thing at a house on the south side. That’s when he looked north and spotted the tornado.

“We were up pretty high so we could see it across town,” Reed said. “At first I thought it was a fire, but then I saw it move and realized what it was.”

He made another stop at the construction company, where someone told him that a twister had been heading right through his neighborhood. He raced home, but had to walk part of the way because of all the debris covering Roundtop Drive.

He said he spotted his mother, Becky Reed, outside their now heavily damaged ranch-style home doing what everyone else in the neighborhood was doing: trying to assess the damage and figure out what in the world to do next. 

Some people were looking for their pets, but his family dog was inside, unharmed.

Reed said that unlike some of their neighbors whose two-story and multi-level homes were severely damaged, with roofs blown completely off, the Reeds’ single-level house was still standing.

“The roof was kind of peeled back from where it met the west wall,” he said. “If you looked up in the family room you could look straight up to the sky.”

Reed said a lot of windows were broken, and the strong winds blew open the refrigerator door and the contents were tossed all over the house. The hallway walls were covered with ketchup and mustard.

But unlike about 1,000 other Cheyenne residents, the Reeds weren’t homeless that night. 

In fact, they never left. He said he and his father, Tom Reed Sr., who also worked for the same construction company, fixed everything themselves over time.

Reed, who has spent the last 30 years working for ESPN and living in Connecticut, talked to Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday from Dallas, where he’s on vacation. He’s headed to Cheyenne for Frontier Days.

Once he found that his mother was shaken but not hurt, Reed walked to the construction site he had left only an hour before. 

“The house was just gone,” he said. “There was nothing left but the foundation, and the furnace and a few other mechanicals in the basement. Not a stick of the house was left.”

Reed said it took him a while to process the scene. Talking about it 47 years later leaves him amazed and grateful that he got out of the area in time. 

“If I’d stayed a little longer, I would have been hiding in that basement,” he said.

Reed’s mother had been home alone working on her sewing machine when she heard the wind and realized some of the windows were open. When she looked out, she was staring at the tornado headed straight for her.

Becky Reed and the dog made it to the basement, where they went to her son’s room and pulled the mattress over them. She heard the sounds of destruction all around her as the twister plowed into homes.

“When she thought it was over, she went upstairs and out to the porch, only to see  the tornado roaring past her,” Reed said. “She told us later she thought, ‘I might have jumped the gun a little bit.’”

Reed said he’s still bewildered by what transpired that day, seeing some houses look untouched while their next-door neighbors’ homes were reduced to piles of rubble. 

Then he remembered something he said he hadn’t thought about for a long time.

“We had a coffee maker on the kitchen counter, with a pitcher and a panhandle with a metal ring around it,” Reed said. “The coffee maker was gone, but we found the handle out in the front yard. Sitting right next to it was a little dish that had $50 under it. That was just bizarre.”

Kerry Drake can be reached at: Kerry@CowboyStateDaily.com

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<title>Most Destructive Tornado In Wyoming’s History Leveled Cheyenne 47 Years Ago | Cowboy State Daily</title>

It was 47 years ago on July 16, 1979, when a massive tornado ripped through Cheyenne, leveling hundreds of homes and killing a 14-month old. Decades later, it’s still the most destructive tornado in Wyoming history.

Most Destructive Tornado In Wyoming’s History Leveled Cheyenne 47 Years Ago

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Legislature

A Wyoming state lawmaker pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving drunk in Buffalo in late December, and was sentenced to probation and a $500 fine.

Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, took a plea agreement offered by Johnson County Deputy Attorney Joshua Stensaas, and gave his guilty plea in Buffalo Circuit Court at a Wednesday hearing.

He was arrested Dec. 28 in Buffalo. Stensaas has said Allemand’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.24%. That figure is contested, Buffalo Circuit Court Magistrate Judge Jeremy Kisling noted during the Wednesday hearing.

A flurry of disputes over the chemical blood test were still in play when Allemand’s case settled.

Kisling sentenced Allemand to 90 days in jail — less the two he served when arrested — but suspended that sentence in favor of one year of unsupervised probation.

That means Allemand has a year of probation ahead of him, and if he fails probation, he may be sentenced to the remaining 88 days in jail.

For the first six months’ probation Allemand is required to submit to chemical testing between once and twice a month. He could be tested upon a law enforcement officer’s reasonable articulable suspicion as well, Kisling noted.

Under probation, Allemand is also required to stay out of bars and liquor stores, not violate any laws, complete his counseling or treatment as recommended, and pay his fines and fees. 

Kisling fined Allemand $500 but said he’d credit up to $200 upon a showing that Allemand had purchased a treatment evaluation as required.  

Kisling imposed other costs and fees: $70 in court costs, $150 for victim’s crime compensation fund, and $50 for the drug court surcharge.

Stensaas had recommended those terms, except he left the potential jail sentence length open to the judge’s discretion. 

Both the prosecutor and the magistrate said they were working to treat this case like any other first-time DUI featuring a high blood-alcohol concentration.

“Mr. Allemand I know there’s been a lot of to-do around this, and at the end of the day this court ignores the to-do,” said Kisling, adding that he’s treating this case like others of its nature.

He said he wishes Allemand luck, recognizes he’s working on the alcohol issue.

“Continue to maintain that sobriety… and put this behind you,” said Kisling.

[{"type":"text","text":"Allemand did not give a speech when it was his chance."}]

He did not immediately respond to a late-day voicemail request for comment after the hearing.

Allemand is running against Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer for the GOP nomination at the Aug. 18 primary election. 

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At the same hearing Wednesday, Allemand’s attorney Mike Vang pleaded not guilty to a separate charge alleging 

Kisling ordered Vang to appear in court Wednesday to answer why he missed a hearing that had been set for July 8, where Vang had been slated to argue his claims that the prosecutor deprived him of key evidence.

Stensaas has called those claims false. He recommended another contempt charge Wednesday due to the “heavy interplay” amid those claims, and said “that may be something that is filed.”

But Kisling said as far as the judge’s contempt action — which a court can advance — he’ll stick with a series of other issues he deemed problematic. Those were, according to Kisling:

• Vang appeared three minutes late and in a blue T-shirt for a January virtual hearing;

[{"type":"text","text":"• Vang missed the July 8 in-person-only hearing;"}]

• When asking to reschedule his July 15 contempt hearing, Vang cited a conflicting hearing in Albany County’s Laramie Circuit Court that was not actually set;

• Kisling had earlier issued an order telling counsel to be prepared and exercise due diligence in discovery, “but in summary, all orders would be taken seriously.”

Kisling noted that in light of a Wyoming Supreme Court case on these types of cases, he’d start a new criminal case, apart from Allemand’s case, for the contempt proceedings.

Vang said he’ll hire an attorney in this matter, and Kisling said he doesn’t need to set a bond for Vang.

“I can tell you I’ve never been in these shoes, so it’s not something I’ve dealt with," said Kisling, who had earlier said this action gives him “no pleasure.”

Vang had raised a protest in one of his motions, against the Johnson County Sheriff's Office's release of Deputy Caleb Campbell's body camera video of Allemand's arrest - days after Kisling ruled that 12 minutes of it 

couldn't be part of the prosecutor's main case.

[{"type":"text","text":"That issue remains unsettled since Allemand's case is concluded. "}]

Campbell had stopped Allemand on claims that after stopping at a stop sign just off Interstate 25, Allemand lurched forward, nearly hit another vehicle, then stopped abruptly.

This, coupled with the evidence that Allemand was the subject of a drunk driving report by another driver on the Interstate near Buffalo, made for enough evidence to justify Campbell’s stop, Kisling ruled earlier.

Campbell spotted a gun on Allemand's truck seat and handcuffed the man during the traffic stop over what he cast during a March court hearing as officer safety concerns. 

That was appropriate, Kisling had ruled. But Campbell also asked Allemand potentially incriminating questions while Allemand was confined, but without having given Allemand his Miranda rights. 

That's why those 12 minutes of video, spanning the time Allemand was confined but not Mirandized, could not be part of the prosecutor's main case at trial, Kisling ruled in June. 

 Wyoming state Rep. Bill Allemand pleaded guilty to DUI in court Wednesday and was given one year probation and fined $500. He faces 88 days in jail if he fails probation. 

Daily Smile: Friday, July 14, 2023

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