One More For The Road

[{"type":"text","text":"Probably one of the best bike races of all time..."}]

One more for 7 28 23

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

<title>One More For The Road: Friday, July 28, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Probably one of the best bike races of all time...

One More For The Road: Friday, July 28, 2023

 Probably one of the best bike races of all time...

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

Andrew Rossi

Wyoming Life

After a string of 90-plus-degree days in early June, the last thing you’d expect to see in Wyoming’s forecast is a chance of snow.

Nevertheless, there’s a good chance of rain and snow showers in Yellowstone National Park between Tuesday night and Wednesday. Daytime highs on Wednesday will be in the high 40s at Old Faithful.

“The peaks will get glistened up with a little bit of white when the heaviest part of the storm comes through over the next 24 hours,” said Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.

Over the next two weeks, temperatures could drop between 15 and 20 degrees below average, or even lower. Day called it "an interesting pattern" that’ll put a dent in the sunny start of summer.

“This is just the continued weirdness that we've had since November,” he said. “It's summer's trying to start, but it just can't get going yet.”

The source of this unseasonable summer weather is what Day and other meteorologists are calling “a cold trough.” It’s part of the natural ebb and flow of ongoing weather systems.

“We had an upper-level ridge and high pressure overhead last weekend, which helped have those hot 90-degree temperatures,” said meteorologist Molly Gerhardt with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Riverton. “This kind of pattern shift will have a trough, generally the opposite of a ridge, that will help keep temperatures on the cooler side.”

The cold trough will move from west to east over the next few days. Gerhardt anticipates the system will bring cooler temperatures and “some helpful moisture,” but not a lot of it.

“There isn’t an impressive amount of moisture with this system, but it is going to drop some rain, and perhaps some snow in those higher elevations of the Tetons and Wind River Mountains.”

Day agreed that there won’t be much moisture in his system, but the shift is significant. In his words, “the cool is coming.”

“This system is blowing up every seasonal forecast for June,” he said. “Whatever you’ve heard or seen about what’s happening in June, just scratch it.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Unseasonable Start To Summer"}]

Wyoming’s temperature will be on a bit of a roller coaster for the next week.

After Wednesday’s high-elevation snow, Wyoming will jump back into more summer-like temperatures.

“This cold front will drop temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal, but that won't last too long,” Gerhardt said. “We'll get back near to even above normal temperatures, 5 to 10 degrees above normal, by Friday.

By the end of the weekend, temperatures will dramatically shift again in the opposite direction. Day called them “remarkably cool” for mid-June.

“I'm looking at temperature anomalies as much as 20 degrees or more by Sunday and Monday,” he said. “That means take 20 degrees off what the average high is, so you could have daytime temperatures in the 40s and low 50s in Yellowstone.”

The NWS anticipates daytime highs in the 70s for the rest of Wyoming on Sunday and Monday.

That pattern could continue through the week. Gerhardt said the guidance being monitored by the NWS indicates “a pattern shift” toward cooler temperatures.

“Some outlooks are trending toward below normal temperatures, especially for the eastern half of the state, with maybe a slight uptick in precipitation,” she said. “That would be anywhere from the 60s to low 70s, which is generally below normal for this time of year.”

Day wanted Wyomingites to understand how baffling the next week will be across the state. It’ll be a constant back-and-forth that’s decidedly not summerlike.

We have this cool front coming through the next couple of days,” Day said. “There’s going to be a brief warm-up Friday and Saturday, then temperatures reverse and go right back down again starting Saturday night into Sunday, and then the coolness persists for most of next week. It’s blowing up the long-range forecast.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Delayed Reaction"}]

What stood out to Day about the short-range forecast was how it didn’t look like June. If anything, it looks like what May should have been.

While May brought much-needed precipitation to portions of Wyoming, the entire month was 

 for most of the state. The next week’s weather looks more like May than May did.

“Our weather’s behaving like it’s three or four weeks out of sync,” he said. “What we saw in parts of May was really what we should have but didn’t get in March and April, and now June is showing signs of what sometimes happens in May.”

The real question is whether that pattern will persist. Will July be more June-like?

Both Day and Gerhardt said it’s too early to say. Extended forecasts indicate a return to form with hotter, drier days by the end of June, but those same extended forecasts have been consistently wrong since November.

“From the NWS’s Weather and Climate Prediction Center, it looks like things will be trending back into those near-summer temperatures that we typically feel, if not above normal, by the end of June into early July,” Gerhardt said. “We’ll see how things pan out over the next couple of weeks.”

Day cautioned outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes to prepare themselves. Most people are prepared for overnight chills or a day of below-average temperatures, but the next two weeks will be beyond that.

“What's striking is that this will be multiple days of cooler weather,” he said. “We'll rebound by the end of the month, but we're definitely hitting a cool patch. If you're doing outdoor stuff, you need to be prepared for cool, wet weather in the middle of June.”

Snow yellowstone 6 9 26

<title>Merry Christmas! Yellowstone To Get June Snowstorm As Cold Front Dips Into Wyoming | Cowboy State Daily</title>

After a string of 90+ degree days, snow is heading for Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday. Meteorologist Don Day says all of Wyoming should expect cooler than usual weather in the next two weeks. “This is just continued weirdness,” Day said.

Merry Christmas! Yellowstone To Get June Snowstorm As Cold Front Dips Into Wyoming

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Crime & Courts

CASPER — A 21-year-old Casper man accused of grabbing a 

 and biting him in the groin pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Natrona County District Court on Tuesday.

Sylvester Jakeson Seaton appeared before Judge Kerri Johnson for his arraignment with defense attorney Marty Scott. He told the judge that he had dyslexia but had read the affidavit containing the charges against him “only about 20 times.”

Johnson went over the charges that include three counts of felony interference with a peace officer stemming from injuries he allegedly inflicted on two Casper police officers and one count of misdemeanor interference for his actions impeding their investigation on April 19. 

Seaton said he understood the charges and potential penalties. Johnson asked how he would plead to the charges.

“Not guilty,” he said. “I would request all body cam footage.”

Scott asked the judge to reduce Seaton’s bond from $50,000 cash or surety to $20,000 cash or surety. He said his client only has a minor criminal history.

Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Pat LeBrun argued that the bond should remain where it is and that Seaton’s previous charge also involved interference with a police officer.

“He employed a rather extreme level of violence,” LeBrun said. “The affidavit indicates a significant danger to the community.”

Scott countered and told the judge he believed there were “some mental health issues” with his client.

Johnson ruled that the bond was appropriate where it was set.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The Background"}]

Charges against Seaton stem from a call to 911 about 10 p.m. on April 19 regarding a disturbance in the 1400 block of Kearny Avenue in Casper. A woman reported that she was hearing “yelling, screaming,” and things breaking in a nearby back yard.

Arriving officers were told by a resident that people living in a small camper in his back yard were causing the disturbance. He gave officers permission to investigate.

When officers approached the camper, they saw two men and one woman inside. A 26-year-old man inside the camper was seen pulling a box cutter from his pocket, opening the blade, and crouching on the floor near the door of the camper, a police affidavit states.

A 20-year-old woman opened the camper door and closed it behind her. An officer told her he saw the man with the box cutter, the affidavit states. She told the man to drop the weapon, and when she opened the door again officers saw the man bleeding from his left arm.

“(The man) advised he cut himself to see if his knife was still sharp,” the affidavit states. The arm was bleeding significantly.

One of the officers then addressed Seaton, who appeared “dazed,” “confused,” and “possibly intoxicated.”

As one officer dealt with the bleeding man, Seaton got up and tried to leave the camper. Still trying to determine if the bleeding man was a victim or needed medical attention, officers instructed Seaton not to walk away.

The affidavit states instead Seaton approached one of the officers and to de-escalate the situation Seaton was put in handcuffs despite his “actively” resisting and trying to pull away and escape.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Continued To Fight"}]

When Seaton continued to fight, he was placed on the ground while the other man and woman were in the camper and could be observed. 

Despite police commands and requests to “relax,” Seaton continued rolling on the ground resisting and got his hands on one of the officer’s testicles and was able to “grab them away” from the officer’s body, the affidavit states

The officer pulled away, but Seaton allegedly kept hold of his testicles and pants, while at the same time biting the shin of the officer’s partner “breaking the skin” and causing bruising.

Meanwhile, Seaton was struck in the face twice by the officer whose testicles he held, which was “effective” in getting the 21-year-old to let go.

Additional officers arrived to help control Seaton on the ground in preparation for putting him in a full-body restraint system. 

Seaton continued to fight and roll on the ground and maneuvered his head and mouth to the groin area of the same officer whose testicles he had grabbed.

“(Seaton) bit (the officer) in the upper right groin area ripping (the officer’s) pants and causing an abrasion in the inner groin that broke the skin and caused bleeding,” the affidavit states.

The officer said it felt like he had been stabbed in the groin and he hit Seaton again in the face, which made Seaton roll away to his other side where he appeared to try to bite other officers, the affidavit states.

Officers finally gained control of Seaton and he was placed in a restraint. 

Both officers involved were treated by Banner Wyoming Medical Center for their injuries.

All three felony interference charges stemming from biting the shin of one officer and pulling the testicles and biting the groin of the other each carry a potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The misdemeanor interference charge is punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Testicle grab man 6 9 26

<title>Casper Man Pleads Not Guilty To Yanking Police Officer’s Testicles, Biting Groin | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 21-year-old Casper man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to grabbing and repeatedly pulling on a police officer’s testicles, biting his groin, and biting another officer. The three felony charges each carry a potential of 10 years in prison.

Casper Man Pleads Not Guilty To Yanking Police Officer’s Testicles, Biting Groin

Dave Simpson

Opinion

CSD Columnists

“I have a question that perplexes me about Trump followers,” a regular reader of this column asked via email last week.

“What attracts you to him? I find nothing admirable in this man's character. Nothing in his bearing, personality or manner is appealing to me. Help me understand how this repulsive egomaniac captured you and all the rest of MAGA? This is a very sincere question.”

[{"type":"text","text":"OK, I'll take the bait."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But, let me me start with this."}]

First off, Trump tends to talk longer than I'm willing to listen. I can't tell you the last time I sat through an entire Donald Trump speech. During his State of the Union Speech, I took numerous breaks, changing channels to watch “Gunsmoke.”

I know where he stands on the issues. And I cringe when he exaggerates a point, or praises himself, or demands praise from his staff. And I figure, “That's just Trump being Trump again. Gotta take the bad with the good.”

For years I've wished he'd tone it down, because I know how his enemies (the Democrats, the media) will bludgeon him with his own words.

I haven't read “The Art of the Deal.” I'm not an octagon fight fan. And sometimes I think he goes too far, like when he criticized Robert Mueller when he died. Trump seldom lets an opportunity to let something go unsaid, actually go unsaid.

Unlike most presidents, he loves jousting with reporters, and isn't afraid to call a dumb question a dumb question. But the vast majority of the media are so blatant in their distaste for the man that they deserve the roughing up.

He's the most accessible president of my lifetime, but he bites back.

That said, I'm 75 years old, and the actuarial tables tell me I probably won't be seeing more than one, maybe two more presidents. (My mother lived to be 99, so maybe more.)

I've seen enough of wishy-washy presidents who talk a great game, but end up just saying things people want to hear, weaseling out on tough calls (Iran), and not being that much different from the guy who came before (debt).

In Trump, I believe we've got a guy who is doing what desperately needs to be done, and he isn't afraid to knock over furniture in the process. I like that. He's unlike what has come before, and the steadfast defenders of what has come before will never forgive him for it.

From the very start, his opponents have done everything they can to defeat him, including multiple, sincere efforts to put him behind bars, and three attempts on his life. They oppose him on everything.

[{"type":"text","text":"And through it all, his appeal can be explained in one word:"}]

I believe the border with Mexico couldn't be more different today than it was during Joe Biden's tenure. I watch the news closely, and I saw Trump cut illegal entries from thousands per day to essentially none.

I saw us go from a president who claimed he couldn't stop the tidal wave of illegal immigrants without an act of Congress (an unreachable goal ever since Simpson-Mazzoli 40 years ago), to one who stopped it within days.

Without an act of Congress. By enforcing laws already on the books. Laws Joe Biden did not enforce.

In some traveling I did in college, I never encountered a country that didn't care about its borders. We must protect our borders as well. Abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the epitome of crazy, bankrupt Democrat thinking.

With the national debt approaching $40 trillion, something fundamental must change. So I supported DOGE's efforts to first cut out the outrageous spending – promoting circumcision in Africa, while controversial here, comes immediately to mind – and was saddened when Elon Musk's optimism was pecked to death by Democrat ducks, until he finally had to get back to running his businesses.

I appreciated Musk's focus on crazy waste, and I believe he saved us billions.

I think Trump has been right to say NATO nations have to pay their share of the cost of defending themselves, instead of leaving the heavy lifting to us.

I'm all for cutting red tape and over-regulation – a problem made shockingly obvious by California's pitiful efforts to rebuild Pacific Palisades. (Trump said get busy rebuilding. But Mayor Karen Bass knew that the bureaucracy beast must be fed.)

I think the ballroom – a need cited by some former presidents – is necessary, and I like Trump's effort to pay for much of it with private donations.

I think releasing Trump's tax returns was illegal, and despite all the hubbub over that $1.8 billion fund to compensate those targeted by the bureaucracy (since dropped, maybe), leaking Trump's tax returns should not go unpunished.

Inflation is up, for good reason as we pay more for gasoline to deal with the menace of a nuclear-armed Iran. But nowhere close to the 9 percent monthly inflation peak under Biden.

I could go on. But, in answer to my email friend's question, that's some of what I find appealing about Trump.

Despite all the hatred and name calling, he's getting some good results. It's about results, not personality.

[{"type":"text","text":"I don't love everything about Trump."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But, you guys HATE everything about him."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Even the good stuff."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Our bench is deep. Your party has never looked worse."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"I rest my case, Your Honor."}]

Dave Simpson can be contacted at DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com

Dave simpson head 10 3 22

<title>Dave Simpson: Never-Trumper Guy Wants An Explanation | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Columnist Dave Simpson writes, "Despite all the hatred and name calling, he's getting some good results. It's about results, not personality. I don't love everything about Trump. But, you guys HATE everything about him. Even the good stuff."

Dave Simpson: Never-Trumper Guy Wants An Explanation

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

Clair McFarland

Before the Carbon County emergency services scanner went dark at around 3:30 p.m. Monday, the dispatchers, officers, deputies and troopers on it described an 

 and manhunt in which at least one law enforcement officer was injured and a Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper’s car was “shot up.”

The saga ended with scanner reports saying the fleeing truck had come to a stop, and one person was dead inside it. 

Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced via press release late Monday evening that the shooter died on scene. 

"The subject opened fire on the initial responding deputy, striking him several times," the statement reads.

"The suspect fled the scene in a small truck.  Additional responding deputies and troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol engaged in a pursuit with the suspect vehicle on Highway 789 north of Baggs. 

"The suspect opened fire on law enforcement again before driving off the highway and coming to a stop. The suspect was declared deceased at the scene. 

"The wounded deputy was transported to a medical facility in Colorado by Intermountain Air Ambulance."

[{"type":"text","text":"How It Unfolded"}]

The public learned of the incident when Carbon County emergency services called for a shelter in place due to an active shooter situation around 1 p.m. 

Scanner traffic erupted at about that time, when a female dispatcher informed units that a “lady” had called to report a man emerged from a home near or about 49 West Cedar Street, Baggs. That's across the road from the mayor's home. 

The man "came out of the house with a long gun, fired a shot, and now he’s walking around trying to get into an apartment,” the female dispatcher related from the caller’s report. “RP (reporting party) says he has tactical equipment on.”

The male had red hair, a mustache, no shirt, and green camo pants, the dispatcher related. She’d later add from a secondhand description that he had a fanny pack containing ammunition.

A Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper who called himself “132” said he was on his way.

“He’s gone into apartment number one, and now he came out and he’s heading back upstairs,” the dispatcher narrated.

[{"type":"text","text":"The man still had a gun, she added."}]

“He’s getting into a small black truck at this time,” said the dispatcher. Male officers, troopers or deputies pressed the dispatcher for a better description of the truck, and after several minutes personnel said it was reportedly a Toyota Tacoma.

The man headed north through Baggs. The caller didn’t know his name or who he was, the dispatcher said.

One male law enforcement officer said one of the officers was stopping the vehicle.

“Subject is now shooting at the patrol vehicle,” said a male voice on the scanner.

Personnel called in night shift deputies or troopers. They asked for help from Moffat County Colorado, which reportedly later sent two drones along with other help. They asked for a special response team from the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.

“It appears one of the apartments is on fire,” said the dispatcher at about 1:18 p.m. Eyewitnesses in Baggs said the fire was related to the shooting and chase. 

Traffic indicated at some point the fleeing black truck turned back south. 

The town clerk told personnel, reportedly, that shooting sounds resounded “up on the hill south of Baggs,” said a male officer.

One man asked if law enforcement personnel had heard from a deputy called “66.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“That is negative,” answered the dispatcher."}]

Later someone on the scanner said that residents of the area were “applying aid to 66” and that “66 is down,” while the suspect had fled northward in the black Tacoma.

The sheriff’s evening statement says the suspect opened fire and struck the deputy several times. The deputy was flown to care in Colorado. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Multiple parties on the scanner coordinated medical personnel responses."}]

At 1:29 p.m. a male trooper or other officer shouted, “Shots fired! Shots fired! He’s shooting at – “

[{"type":"text","text":"“He’s right there,” an agent added after a brief silence. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"What Trooper 132 Saw"}]

Around this time the scene was unfolding around mile marker 40 on Highway 789.

[{"type":"text","text":"“Shots fired!” said a male voice again."}]

“He hit my windshield,” said a male voice that sounded like the trooper called 132. “Getting water, he hit my tire.”

But 132 wasn’t done with the incident. He asked a deputy called “64” to pick him up and take him to the next part of the incident so he could keep helping.

A deputy called “68” reported, while catching his breath audibly, that personnel had a “barricaded suspect” just off a two-track or county road, headed west, but that by then, “we have no movement.”

The dispatcher said a special response team had been “activated.” That was about 1:40 p.m.

[{"type":"text","text":"Agents coordinated shutting the highway down."}]

“Sounds like he’s barricaded in the vehicle,” said a male. “I know he shot at 132.”

One agent asked if he should bring an “OIS Bag,” or officer-involved shooting kit.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I don’t know if 132 fired a round or not,” answered the male."}]

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed via email to Cowboy State Daily that it was asked Monday afternoon to respond to an officer-involved shooting south of Baggs.

At least one agent requested a “Bear Cat” armored vehicle. It’s unclear where that vehicle was coming from: agents mentioned both Sweetwater County and Casper.

Meanwhile, a “potential structure fire and chemical situation” reportedly progressed on Cedar Street.

[{"type":"text","text":"A propane leak “appears to be there on purpose,” said a dispatcher."}]

The suspect’s vehicle was stationary. Agents weren’t sure if the suspect was still in the vehicle. The final shot was fired at about 1:08, an officer said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Someone called for a bomb squad. "}]

Cowboy State Daily asked the Carbon County Fire District to confirm whether, as scanner traffic indicated, propane tanks had exploded, and the department said it could not confirm.

The trooper known as 132 asked someone to shoot several photographs of his vehicle for the investigation.

“You can’t miss it, it’s a highway patrol car on the side of the road that’s shot up,” said 132.  

Officers wondered aloud if the suspect had fled on foot or was still in the vehicle. Multiple drones were on the way to confirm.

“One occupant deceased,” said an officer, adding a directive to notify the coroner. 

Bakken confirmed late in the evening that the shooter was dead on scene. It’s unclear how he died.

The Sweetwater County bomb squad responded to the apartment complex around 6:45 p.m. 

The Carbon County Sheriff's Office lifted its shelter in place notification for the town of Baggs at 7:48 p.m. - nearly seven hours after implementing it. 

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I Passed 17 Emergency Vehicles\""}]

Cory Overton, a Baggs resident, said he was headed home from his work in the Craig area when a Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based SWAT team passed him on the highway, also headed toward Baggs.

[{"type":"text","text":"He also saw a medical helicopter leaving the town, Overton said."}]

“I passed 17 emergency vehicles before I hit Craig,” he added. Overton said he and his son jumped into the car and headed north, then he took photographs of the aftermath of the incident.

One of the photographs Overton took shows a Carbon County Sheriff’s deputy vehicle with the window seemingly open.

It appeared to be shot by bullets, Overton said, adding that the deputy is a “local guy” known to the community.

Overton said he doesn’t know the shooter. Many people who work in Craig live in Baggs due to cheaper housing costs, he added.

Overton said he’s not sure if the apartment fire is related to the shooting incident. But when law enforcement personnel refer to “the apartment complex,” he said, only one comes to mind.

“That’s really the only apartments we have,” said Overton. That is, except for an old motel used for rent just north of town, he added.

Baggs standoff 6 8 26

<title>Deadly Shooting In Baggs, Wyoming: Deputy Injured, Shooter Dead | Cowboy State Daily</title>

An active shooter manhunt unfolded Monday in Baggs where one deputy was injured and the shooter died on scene, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken confirmed late Monday. The sheriff said the suspect opened fire on law enforcement before driving off a highway.

Deadly Shooting In Baggs, Wyoming: Deputy Injured, Shooter Dead

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

At a panel discussion on Saturday, Cheyenne leaders and industry officials said data centers are already helping stabilize electric rates and are opening new land for housing. But skeptics still aren’t buying it.

One More For The Road: Friday, July 28, 2023

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