One More For The Road

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<title>One More For The Road: Friday, September 29, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Friday, September 29, 2023

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Three of the Republicans hoping to become Wyoming’s next governor answered questions at a Tuesday forum in Cheyenne that were tailored to, and delivered in front of, a largely Christian audience.

Wyoming Family Alliance, an advocacy group that emphasizes Biblical principles and Christian ideals, also hosted U.S. House and U.S. Senate candidates at the forum.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien, and former state House Speaker and current Sen. Eric Barlow took the stage in the packed Metropolitan in downtown Cheyenne.

Wyoming Family Alliance president Nathan Winters posed questions about parental rights and autonomy, the role of faith in governance, education, abortion and religious freedom.

The governor’s candidates displayed minor policy and philosophical differences - yet greater disparities in tone.

Bien spoke in bold tones, pulled from his past experiences in active duty in Bagdad and elsewhere, and called for Wyomingites and every level of government to wage war on evil and usher in a revival of good.

Degenfelder, assertive in tone, pointed to what she cast as her own strong Christian faith, her studies of the Bible, her Wyoming roots and work as superintendent.

Barlow, the most conversational in tone, leaned on his work in the Legislature, spoke of his faith in personal terms as a matter of daily living, and brought an edge of pragmatism to the highly idealistic debate.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"On Abortion"}]

A rare policy difference between the three candidates surfaced when Winters asked a question about whether abortion ends a human life, and whether the candidates would support any exemptions to an abortion ban.

All three candidates agreed that abortion ends a life. Degenfelder and Bien said they wouldn’t accept any exceptions.

“I can’t accept any exception when it comes to life,” said Degenfelder, adding that a Jan. 6 decision by the Wyoming Supreme Court - proclaiming that abortion is a health care right - “has gotten it wrong.”

Bien said, “I unequivocally support zero, no exceptions, all the way across the board.”

When serving in Iraq, said Bien, a 6-year-old child had been shot in the head. He and his fellow service members were trying to get the kid to Bagdad in the middle of the night, but he bled out, said Bien. He said he was pro-life before that, but, reflecting on how dependent even 6-year-olds are on their parents, he said, “something about that made me absolutely resolute.”

Barlow said in his heart, he would not want exceptions to an abortion ban- except possibly an exception to spare the life of a mother in a medical emergency. But he warned that the Legislature gets messy when crafting laws.

“I believe in life and I voted multiple times for life in the Wyoming Legislature,” he said.

Some of the many abortion bans and restrictions Wyoming has tried to pass since 2022 contained exemptions, like abortion allowances for women who’ve suffered rape or whose unborn children are a product of incest.

That’s because the Legislature is a collaboration between numerous people, Barlow said.

“Because in the legislative process, you actually have to bring people on board. You actually have to advance policy,” said Barlow.

The governor’s role on abortion policy is limited. He or she can sign, passively enact, or veto abortion legislation. But, more pivotal right now, he or she chooses the state Attorney General - who then defends Wyoming in abortion litigation from pro-choice groups.

The state has been facing - and losing - abortion lawsuits for about four years. It is taking a fresh start now under the leadership of Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz, who has said in court that his office seeks to bring evidence that a state ban on abortion is justified. It’s a high bar given the court’s broad protections of abortion, but technically not impossible under the legal definition of those protections. To overcome those protections, the government would have to show a compelling state interest for a ban, and that its ban is narrowly tailored to meet that interest. 

Deciding Who Leads The University Of Wyoming

Winters asked about how a governor should approaching choosing trustees to lead the University of Wyoming.

Minor differences between candidates emerged here as well.

Degenfelder said UW should return to its rightful mission of being a land-grant university and feeding the Wyoming economy and job demands in useful and meaningful ways, rather than educating people for “women’s studies” and “careers that don’t exist.”

It’s time to find efficiencies in the university’s workings as well, she indicated.

She talked of her work to help rid the institution of diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, and her own time at UW and as a member of the College Republicans.

Barlow said people ask him the UW trustee question a lot while he’s on the road.

In choosing trustees he’d emphasize finding people of character, he said.

“People who actually have a heart, and an ear for Wyoming. Who will listen to the interests and needs of… Wyoming’s people,” he continued. “And who abide by the constitution” and work well with other people.

UW is so “foundational,” he added, the Wyoming Constitution carves out its existence.

Community colleges, the K-12 school system, and industries all work in conjunction with UW as well, he said.

“UW may be a culmination for many folks,” said Barlow. “But there are many other opportunities” outside of UW as well.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Elect Them"}]

Bien said he’d like to see UW trustees face election, rather than the governor’s appointment process - but that that would require a change to the state Constitution.

He said he graduated from UW’s college of engineering in 1991.

“Since then, things have changed a lot, and I have not been pleased,” he said. Like Degenfelder, he expressed dislike toward the more modern-social-movement degrees available and urged UW to “get back to our roots.”

He’d appoint people who understand Wyoming’s job needs, show leadership, and “understand what this state is all about,” said Bien, adding that they should also be people of sound moral judgment.

He said he’d like to strive for UW to be a top institution in the nation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The American Library Association"}]

Winters asked a question about a decision that falls uniquely under the purview of the Wyoming governor: whether Wyoming’s state librarian should be in league with the American Library Association.

The Montana State Library cut ties in 2023 with the American Library Association over the ALA president of the time self-identifying as a Marxist.  

The group has also garnered controversy for touting and defending sexually explicit books that are marketed toward kids and youth.

Montana was the first state to break from the 147-year-old organization.  

Unlike Montana, Wyoming doesn’t have a state library board, rather, a state library director under the governor’s direction.

 when Cowboy State Daily pressed the state library director and the governor’s office on the issue after Montana’s break from the ALA.

“My hat’s off to Montana,” said Bien at the Tuesday event. “We stop funding anything that promotes any type of hypersexualization.”

Degenfelder said that by taking ALA book suggestions in libraries and schools, Wyoming has let an organization that had been led by a Marxist determine material in them, and that that system is “broken.”

She agreed with Bien that the state shouldn’t pay dues to that group, and said state leaders should take the issue further, by equipping school boards with policy guidance, and letting parents know what problematic materials are in the libraries now.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Barlow pointed to the power of the purse."}]

Though the Legislature determines the state’s budget, the governor starts that process by proposing the budget, and he also can line-item veto certain provisions in the final budget.

“And then… there’s that red pen that says, nope, we’re not doing this,” he said. Certainly, he added, the governor can direct one person under his purview to do something or not do it. But the budget is a bigger tool, and “you hold (agencies) accountable to it.”

He also emphasized the need for parents’ to be involved in their children’s library access, and said he’d encourage that as governor.

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<title>How Wyoming Gov Candidates Handled Questions From The Christian Lobby | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Gubernatorial candidates Eric Barlow, Brent Bien, and Megan Degenfelder fielded questions on Tuesday at a forum in Cheyenne before a largely Christian audience. Policy differences emerged on abortion, university leadership, and library policy.

How Wyoming Gov Candidates Handled Questions From The Christian Lobby

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Riverton woman whose hands were bleeding sat trapped behind the wheel of a car outside a Catholic church Saturday morning while a stranger wearing only a white bathrobe lay across her body, according to a charging affidavit filed in Fremont County Circuit Court by Riverton Police Sgt. Charles Marshall.

The bizarre scene unfolded in broad daylight outside St. Margaret's Catholic Church and the parish school where a passerby spotted what she believed was a woman in trouble and flagged down police.

By Monday afternoon, Christopher Adkins was sitting in court facing three felony charges — kidnapping, robbery and aggravated burglary.

If convicted on the most serious charge, Adkins could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Court records show Adkins made his initial appearance Monday and is being held on a $10,000 cash-only bond. He has not entered a plea. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 16.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'The Lady In The Car Needed Help'"}]

Officers were dispatched shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday to St. Margaret's Catholic Church on East Fremont Avenue for a report of a possible domestic dispute, wrote Marshall. 

When they arrived, a woman pointed toward a white passenger vehicle parked beside the church and school and immediately told the officer the woman inside needed help.

[{"type":"text","text":"Marshall sprinted toward the vehicle."}]

The officer wrote that he found the driver's-side door open and observed a man later identified as Adkins "clad in a white bath robe, laying across a female that was seated in the front driver seat of the car."

The man was talking to the woman, though Marshall wrote he could not understand what was being said.

[{"type":"text","text":"Marshall grabbed Adkins and pulled him from the vehicle."}]

The officer said he immediately took him to the ground and placed him in handcuffs.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Was Going To Kill Me'"}]

The woman told investigators she was at the church to place flowers inside.

While she was entering the combination code to the door, she was approached by an unknown male, later identified as Adkins, telling her he needed inside. 

She said Adkins was "talking non-stop," according to court records, "and she got concerned and did not feel comfortable letting him inside the church." 

[{"type":"text","text":"Then the woman went back to her car and got inside. "}]

"As she went to put the key in the ignition and shut her door," says the affidavit, Adkins got into the car and immediately "grabbed for her keys." 

She told investigators she was assaulted by Adkins for about 15 minutes before police showed up. She sustained a 1-inch gash to her index finger during the scuffle that ultimately required stitches.

At one point, according to the affidavit, she told investigators, "I thought he was going to kill me." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Charges Carry Decades Behind Bars"}]

"Based on the investigation," wrote Marshall, "Adkins entered a vehicle without authorization and physically assaulted the vehicle owner by cutting her right index finger while attempting to get the keys away from her."

He continued, "Adkins unlawfully confined the vehicle owner from being able to leave, inflicting bodily injury and terrorizing the victim in the process." 

Adkins was booked into the Fremont County Detention Center on Sunday; the affidavit made publicly available in the court system on June 8. 

The felony offense of kidnapping is a serious crime with the possible sentence of 20 years to life in prison. 

Both the robbery and aggravated burglary charges carry a potential sentence up to 10 years in prison for each count. 

St Margarets Church 6 9 26

<title>Man In Bathrobe Accused Of Trying To Kidnap Woman From Riverton Church Parking Lot | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Riverton man in a bathrobe could spend life in prison after police say they found him lying on top of a bleeding woman in a church parking lot in an alleged attempted kidnapping. "I thought he was going to kill me,” the woman told police.

Man In Bathrobe Accused Of Trying To Kidnap Woman From Riverton Church Parking Lot

A barefoot Michigan man accused of threatening two women, smashing windows and running from police through downtown Jackson allegedly told officers, "Please just kill me," moments before a foot chase that ended with him being tased.

Kadin James Decker, 24, made his initial appearance in Teton County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon after being charged with two counts of property destruction and one count of interference with a peace officer.

An affidavit filed by Jackson Police Officer Liam Fowler shows the incident unfolded shortly before midnight June 5 in the heart of Jackson's busy downtown district.

[{"type":"text","text":"Foot Chase Thru Townsquare"}]

Court records show a flurry of 911 calls came in shortly after Decker, his girlfriend and another woman spent part of the evening drinking at Jackson's Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

Dispatchers told officers a shirtless man wearing black shorts and no shoes was yelling in the street near Jackson's Town Square. Callers reported the man had access to a firearm and was threatening to shoot people and himself.

When Fowler arrived, he found Decker walking eastbound near East Broadway and South King Street.

The officer noted Decker appeared to be bleeding from multiple injuries and had a large cut above his right elbow.

Fowler said he activated his emergency lights, stepped from his patrol vehicle and ordered Decker to stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"Instead, Decker looked toward the officer and replied:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Please just kill me.\""}]

What followed was a foot pursuit through downtown Jackson as officers tried to catch the 6-foot-4, 220-pound man.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police say Decker repeatedly ignored commands to stop."}]

Officer Chase Decker — no relation to the defendant — eventually joined the pursuit. The affidavit says officers warned Decker several times that he would be tased if he continued running.

[{"type":"text","text":"He allegedly kept going."}]

Even after being tased, police say Decker continued resisting commands before finally being taken into custody.

[{"type":"text","text":"Broken Window And Threat"}]

Court records suggest the trouble began sometime after Decker and his girlfriend, Lucy Wadaga, spent part of the evening in downtown Jackson, including a stop at the Cowboy Bar.

Witnesses told police Decker became increasingly agitated and emotional as the night wore on.

After the women left the Cowboy Bar and returned to their car parked near East Broadway, Decker allegedly followed them and began shouting profanities.

Decker threatened to kill his girlfriend and repeatedly referenced having access to a gun, wrote Fowler.

The confrontation escalated when Decker reportedly punched the passenger-side window out, shattering the glass and scattering debris onto the street.

Witnesses described his demeanor as volatile and unpredictable. One told police Decker could appear calm and apologetic one moment before abruptly becoming angry and destructive the next.

After smashing the window, investigators say Decker crossed East Broadway and punched the glass door of Jackson Hole's Old Time Photos.

The damage to the vehicle and storefront was estimated to exceed $1,000, forming the basis for the two felony property destruction charges.

[{"type":"text","text":"Gun Recovered After Arrest"}]

Several witnesses reported hearing Decker make references to having a gun.

One woman told investigators she was particularly alarmed because Decker had access to a firearm inside their vehicle.

She said as she positioned herself between Decker and the car, she feared he might retrieve the weapon.

After Decker was arrested, officers searched the car and recovered a Sig Sauer P365 pistol from a black fanny pack.

The handgun contained a loaded magazine but did not have a round chambered, says the affidavit. 

Court records show he was released from custody June 8 after posting a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

As conditions of his release, Decker is prohibited from contacting the two women identified as victims in the affidavit.

[{"type":"text","text":"He is also barred from returning to Jackson Hole's Old Time Photos. "}]

The court did not require Decker to remain in Teton County, allowing him to return to Michigan as the criminal case moves forward.

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<title>Michigan Tourist Accused Of Drunken Window-Smashing Rampage In Downtown Jackson | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Police say a drunken, shirtless, barefoot Michigan man threatened two women, smashed storefront windows and led authorities on a foot chase in downtown Jackson last week before getting tased. Court documents say he threatened to shoot people and himself.

Michigan Tourist Accused Of Drunken Window-Smashing Rampage In Downtown Jackson

A Missouri truck driver is facing criminal charges after an alleged 

 involving a commercial vehicle and failing to demonstrate the English proficiency required of interstate truck drivers. 

What might have been an obscure traffic citation a year ago has become part of a national debate. 

Wyoming lawmakers, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, have all spent 

 pushing for stricter enforcement of English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers operating on Wyoming highways. 

Anvarjon Ganiyevich Muminov, whose listed address is in Columbia, Missouri, was charged Monday afternoon in Sweetwater County Circuit Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, commercial vehicle operator non-English proficiency, careless driving and failure to maintain a single lane.

A settlement conference is scheduled for July 14. A jury trial is set for Oct. 15.

[{"type":"text","text":"'Luckily No One Was Struck' "}]

The case began around 5:12 p.m. June 5 when Sweetwater County Sheriff's Deputy Otte was dispatched to Interstate 80 near mile marker 128 eastbound for a reported hit-and-run, says an affidavit filed by Sweetwater County Deputy and Prosecuting Attorney Alex Breckenridge. 

When Otte arrived, he reportedly found a tan Toyota Avalon with Wyoming plates sitting on the shoulder with extensive damage.

[{"type":"text","text":"Investigators learned three people had stopped because of a coolant leak."}]

The driver of the car told deputies he had pulled onto the shoulder and opened the driver's door so he could retrieve coolant from the trunk. A front-seat passenger said she was standing in front of the Toyota and a rear-seat passenger said he was outside near the guardrail.

Then, according to the affidavit, a passing semi-truck struck the driver's side of the Toyota.

The impact shattered glass, left scrape marks and paint transfer, and heavily damaged the sedan's driver-side door and rear quarter panel.

One passenger told investigators she was standing directly in front of the vehicle when it was hit.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Luckily no one was struck,\" Otte wrote."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Truck Driver Says He Didn't See Anything "}]

A witness told deputies he watched the crash happen from about 3 to 4 car lengths behind the semi. Court records show he advised the semi "was on the white line and veering towards the vehicle." 

The witness said he could see a male by the rear driver side door, and when he noticed that he watched the semi "jerk his truck, a kid run back to the rear area of the car, and then the collision happened." 

About 80 miles away, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Luke Lenke located a semi-truck matching the description near mile marker 209. Lenke photographed damage to the truck's grille and passenger side and sent the images to investigators.

Deputies identified the driver as Muminov and requested that he return to Sweetwater County for questioning.

Muminov allegedly told investigators he had been traveling about 75 mph and did not see anything.

When shown a photograph of the damaged Toyota, Muminov "just nodded his head," the affidavit notes. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Failed English-Language Proficiency Test "}]

Muminov told authorities his native language is Russian, "but he would try to communicate in the little English he knew," wrote Breckenridge. 

Without going into detail, the affidavit says Muminov was unable to demonstrate English proficiency during the test following the crash. 

Federal regulations require interstate commercial drivers to be able to read and speak English well enough to converse with the public, understand highway signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and complete reports.

Muminov has not entered a plea, and the case is scheduled to move forward this summer in Sweetwater County Circuit Court.

[{"type":"text","text":"Political Flashpoint"}]

Federal regulations have long required interstate commercial drivers to be able to read and speak English well enough to understand road signs, respond to law enforcement and complete required records.

The issue gained renewed attention in Wyoming last year when Hageman urged federal transportation officials to strengthen enforcement of the rule, arguing that non-English-proficient commercial drivers posed a safety concern on roads such as Interstate 80.

It continued to gain momentum after President Donald Trump signed an April 2025 

 directing federal officials to reinstate stricter enforcement standards for commercial drivers who cannot demonstrate English proficiency.

[{"type":"text","text":"Wyoming lawmakers soon followed."}]

, expanding authority to enforce English-proficiency standards beyond specially certified state troopers and allowing law enforcement agencies across Wyoming to take action against commercial drivers who fail the test.

The law established a $1,000 penalty for a first offense and additional penalties for repeat violations.

Court records show Muminov was granted a $1,000 appearance bond, meaning he is allowed to remain free pending future court dates. 

Sweetwater county and sheriffs car 5 5 25

<title>Russian-Speaking Trucker Charged With I-80 Hit-And-Run, Failing English Proficiency Test | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Russian-speaking truck driver faces criminal charges after allegedly hitting a disabled car on I-80 and then leaving the scene. Court documents say he failed an English proficiency test and simply nodded when shown the damaged vehicle.

Russian-Speaking Trucker Charged With I-80 Hit-And-Run, Failing English Proficiency Test

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

Greg Johnson

Public Safety

BAGGS — Waking up in this usually sleepy town of 411 people Tuesday morning, you wouldn’t know that only eight hours earlier it was the scene of a major multi-state response to an active shooter that ended with a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot multiple times and a dead suspect.

As late as 10 p.m. Monday, the initial crime scene ­— a nondescript off-yellow, two-story apartment building — was surrounded by dozens of law enforcement vehicles and crime-scene tape a stone’s throw from southbound Wyoming Highway 789.

Along with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, Rawlins Police Department and at least a half-dozen other agencies from Wyoming and northern Colorado had responded.

[{"type":"text","text":"By 6 a.m. Tuesday, it was business as usual around Baggs — almost."}]

Folks were up early and in their heavy-duty trucks on their way to job sites, the pickups dusty in a way that says they work as hard as their drivers.

They did their usual rounds, stopping for breakfast, coffee, and a little gossip to start the day.

On Tuesday, there was little gossip as conversations were dominated by Monday’s deadly incident.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘It’s Just What We Do’"}]

Now in her 80s, Linda Fleming grew up in Baggs and has lived her life teaching generations of local kids, along with serving a stint as the town’s mayor in the 1980s.

She called Monday’s deadly shootout “something tragic” that also highlights the hero spirit of first responders, along with the neighbors who helped the deputy after being shot multiple times until an ambulance could arrive.

“The most immediate (heroes) were the neighbors who rallied for that deputy,” she told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday morning.

Inquiries to the Carbon County Sheriff’s and coroner’s offices for more information about Monday’s shooting were not returned by the time this story was published. That includes the condition of the deputy and the identification and cause of death of the suspected shooter.

Fleming said she’s not surprised regular people reportedly sprang into action to help the deputy, along with local EMS that was at the scene quickly.

“It’s just what we do,” she said. “We don’t have any local police, so people help and don’t give it a second thought.”

The day after a gunfight that left a deputy shot and the suspect dead in Baggs, Wyoming, former mayor Linda Fleming said it's no surprise neighbors rushed to help the fallen deputy. “It's just what we do. People don’t give it a second thought," she said.

One More For The Road: Friday, September 29, 2023

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