Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"Rarely does one witness such athleticism..."}]

Darwin 11 16 23

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

<title>Daily Darwin: Thursday, November 16, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Rarely does one witness such athleticism...

Daily Darwin: Thursday, November 16, 2023

 Rarely does one witness such athleticism...

Zakary Sonntag

Law Enforcement

Food

Sweet Zoey mediterranean restaurant in Casper is known for its baklava and kebabs.

Four customers ordered those items and more during a lunch hour last May, running up quite the tab – then quietly running out the door.   

“They ate everything, appetizers, drinks, sweets, mains, everything,” said owner Zoey Aldahash.

“Then the four of them stood up in the same moment together, they walked to the door, and once they opened the door, they ran to the car — they were 

It was not her first experience with unpaying customers at this restaurant in the city’s Westridge neighborhood.

Unlike before, however, this time she chose not to involve the police. She looked to social media instead.

From the business’s security cameras, Aldahash posted an image of the alleged offenders to the restaurant’s Facebook page and asked the community for help identifying them.

Locals piled into the comments with a stone soup of reaction.

“How disgusting! Make sure their photos are plastered everywhere so they can be banned from everywhere. People like them should never be allowed anywhere 😡,” said one user.

Another customer was so disheartened she offered to help cover the loss. 

“If they dont come fwd I can swing in 65$ of the bill. I know it's not all of it but it's half,” the person said.

The responses show how neighborhood restaurants can feel like a natural extension of a community itself. In the case of Sweet Zoey, it's a reputation earned from years of hard work.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Brand Built On Baklava"}]

Aldahash, an Iraqi native with deep brown eyes and coffee-colored skin, worked as an architectural engineer before pivoting to a career of passion.

She began selling small batches of baklava at the farmers market. Small batches turned to big batches that turned to additional offerings like hummus and specialty bread. Each week, demand rose.

“It was selling out every time and I had people asking me to make more and more and more,” she said, “I reached a point where I couldn’t do it from my home anymore.” 

She moved to a commercial kitchen, then into a bigger space at southside shopping center, and eventually in 2022 into the full-service restaurant on CY Avenue where the business is today.

Despite a loyal customer base, not all support how Aldahash handled the dine-and-dash incident.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why Not Call Police?"}]

In the image she posted online, commenters noted that the group resembled a family of four with two teenage children.

Their presumed youth was an issue for many.

“Advice from a former manager and business owner, Call the police and report instead of posting on Facebook, especially with children in the photo,” one person wrote.

That opinion was shared by many commenters. It’s also shared by the Casper Police Department (CPD). 

Rebekah Ladd, public information officer for CPD, told Cowboy State Daily social media will often bring useful information to investigators, but it can also result in undue accusations, misidentification or harassment, which raises additional concerns if juveniles are involved.

“Posting (images) publicly is typically not the most appropriate tactic at the beginning of a dine-and-dash investigation,” Ladd said.

“Businesses should be especially cautious when juveniles may be involved … particularly when the full circumstances are not known.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Circumstances Are Clear"}]

To the mind of Zoey Aldahash, however, the circumstances are clear enough. 

“These people came here and they intended to steal,” she said.

Pour Decisions Bar and Grill in Cheyenne also looked first to social media for help identifying a man who fed his family of four and left without paying in November 2025. 

Although in this instance, the images were cropped to reveal only the group’s patriarch, and the bar owner expressed a hope to resolve the issue amicably without involving authorities.

Locals expressed a range of feelings, but similar to Sweet Zoey, the majority opinion here was summed up best by the commenter who wrote, “Put this on Cheyenne Community Connection … really call him out.”

Aldahash chose not to involve police in May because she still has a sour taste from the last time she looked to CPD for help.

In 2024, a group of five ordered multiple entrees each and then left without paying, she said. After filing an initial report, investigators did not respond to her requests for updates and nothing became of the case, she said.

“In my previous experience, calling the police didn't work. There was no help, so I didn't contact the police the second time,” she said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Is Dine-And-Dash Common?"}]

Dine and dash incidents are categorized in police reports as crimes of “False Pretenses/Fraud,” which can include things like a person who takes a taxi ride and then leaves without paying the fare, Ladd explained.

In 2025, CPD tallied 626 cases of false pretenses and fraud, up 18% from the 531 cases reported in 2024, and up from 404 cases in 2023, according to public records.

However, dine-and-dash theft accounts for only a fraction of the department’s false pretense reports, totaling between 20-30 per year, according to Ladd.

“(Dine-and-dash) reports are not especially common in Casper,” Ladd said.

“CPD staff estimate the department receives roughly a couple of ‘dine-and-dash’ reports per month on average.”

Yet there’s reason to believe the problem is underreported. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"They Even Steal The Menus"}]

At Little Shop of Burgers, a horror-themed restaurant with campy decor in north Casper, owner Sarah Woodward did not involve the police the first time she had dine-and-dash customers. 

Nor did she involve them the second time. Nor the time after that.

“I just feel like the police have better things to do,” she said. “I also wonder, what could they even do?”

Officers will interview staff, review receipts and surveillance video before making a determination about intent and whether probable cause exists, according to Ladd.

In addition to three instances of theft of services, Woodward might also have filed multiple reports of theft of merchandise; for reasons she’s hard pressed to understand, customers often make off with the restaurant’s dolls and laminate menus. 

“In February, we got 55 new menus. Right now we’re down to 15,” said Woodward. “I don’t even get how they’d smuggle them out. Maybe they shove them under their skirts.”

Instead of calling police, she calls on staff to boost vigilance.

“We’ve just tried to keep a closer eye on things,” she said, with a shrug of resignation. 

Elsewhere in Natrona County, restaurant managers have police on speed dial.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"An Old Lady On Her Walker"}]

At the Texas Roadhouse in Evansville, manager Juan Soto said he sees about five dine-and-dash incidents per year.

The most recent example stands out. It was a rowdy table in June, and Soto was suspicious from the start.

“They're a real rowdy bunch. They came in really late at night, and I kind of knew that the table was going to be some sort of an issue,” Soto said, explaining he’s developed an intuition after 25 years in the industry. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"His sense of them was a bull’s-eye. "}]

The table’s bill soared above $200, but when it was time to settle up, they conspicuously headed outside at once. Sotto stopped them at the door and asked to put a card on file. 

After an awkward back and forth, one of them finally agreed to pick up the bill. The problem was he didn’t have any money.

 “They all left except for one dude, but this dude tried three different credit cards and he did not have any money in his account,” he said, describing the group demographically as “in their mid-40s.” 

The man said he’d return with payment the following day; Soto said no. In the end, the man’s mother came to the restaurant to bail him out.

“It was sad. The old lady had to get out on her oxygen and her walker to come in here and pay their bill,” he said.

Unlike Aldahash and Woodward, Soto has no reservations about involving the police.

“In Evansville, the police take really good care of me because I've built this relationship with them,” he said, explaining that he and police approach dine-and-dash incidents with the same overall assumption. 

“People are generally good people. It's just those few cases you get in this industry, and you need to hold people accountable.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Cry Or Smile’"}]

At Sweet Zoey, accountability has not yet arrived, and she’s left suspended between frustration, gratitude, and a kind of weary bemusement.

“You come in and order this much, and just leave without paying?” she said. “Who are these people?”

But she’s quick to pivot to the people who do show up for her: the regulars who offer to cover strangers’ bills, the customers who fill her dining room and comment with affection on the restaurant’s socials.

“Sometimes it’s like you don’t know if you want to cry or smile,” she said.

Dine and dash inset 8 8 26

<title>After Being Hit Again By Dine-And-Dashers, Casper Restaurant Skips Police | Cowboy State Daily</title>

After being hit again by thieves who dined and dashed, the owner of Sweet Zoey restaurant in Casper posted photos of the offenders instead of calling the police. "They intended to steal,” she said, noting that calling the police in the past didn't work.

After Being Hit Again By Dine-And-Dashers, Casper Restaurant Skips Police

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

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

Wyoming’s Republican race for U.S. House is now up to at least $8.1 million in loans and donations, counting just candidate committees and victory funds.

Millions more sit in independent political action committees (PACs) helping certain candidates.

U.S. Federal Election Commission filings as of July 29 show philanthropist Steve Friess has loaned himself another $1 million since Cowboy State Daily’s last 

Casper businessman Reid Rasner has loaned his campaign account $1.87 million. Secretary of State Chuck Gray has loaned his candidate account $1.377 million.

This leaves Friess with the biggest war chest: about $3.56 million, counting his campaign fund and victory fund.

Rasner has the second largest receipts line: nearly $2.33 for his candidate committee. That puts Gray’s candidate committee in third, at $1.62 million.

The Protecting Wyoming Values PAC, which distributes numerous ads for Gray, has raised nearly $1 million as of July 29, exclusively from Gray’s father.

The fourth most affluent campaign account belonged to a candidate who has since dropped out of the race: Moran-based attorney Frank Chapman.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Top Spenders"}]

Friess has now eclipsed Rasner as the top spender in the race: His campaign account has spent nearly $2.49 million as of July 29. His victory fund has sent another $62,170 to two other PACs: the Outriders PAC, which is partially funded by Friess’s mother, and the Freedom, Responsibility, Integrity, Economic Strength & Security PAC.

Rasner has spent $2.26 million from his candidate account as of July 29, followed by Gray at $1.38 million.

[{"type":"text","text":"The same Friess-Rasner-Gray pattern continues in other metrics."}]

Friess has more than double Gray’s cash on hand and more than 10 times Rasner’s, at $797,126.

Gray’s candidate committee sits at $240,146.39 cash on hand; Rasner’s at $79,152.

Friess has garnered the highest figure in contributions, at $468,841. Rasner is second: $452,581 and Gray third: $243,291.

Friess’s campaign spokesman Tim Edson said Friess “is investing heavily in his own campaign because he wants to serve and give back to community and country like he and his family have always done.”

“He isn’t seeking office to enrich himself or climb the political ladder,” said Edson. “He’s running to solve problems where career politicians have failed and bring a fresh perspective to Washington.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Next Up"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"After Friess, Rasner and Gray, the war chests descend in this order:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Christensen claims to have inordinate momentum for his buck."}]

“I made a decision up front, I wasn’t going to take money from PACs and outside money,” he said. “I would finance my campaign from people in Wyoming, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

Christensen said 2026 isn’t all about big ads packages. It’s about the word-of-mouth network on social media.

“The most authentic thing you can get in a campaign is for people to believe in you and advocate for you – and that genuine advocacy doesn’t cost a lot of money,” said Christensen.

He said he’s loosely monitored an exponential effect on social media: when one person takes his messaging to heart, that person may expose his or her vote of confidence to hundreds, even thousands of other people, who then may replicate it.

“If I win, there’s a national news story here,” said Christensen in a nod to his lower budget.

[{"type":"text","text":"He also said he hasn’t done any fundraisers."}]

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

Biteman has by far the largest proportion of contributions from individuals, at 99.53%.

“I think it speaks to the kind of campaign we’re running,” he said. “Our support comes from individual Wyoming citizens who are investing in the campaign because they believe in me.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Biteman said that’s an important measure of support."}]

“And I’m proud that we’re being funded by people, not special interests, and you know — then we’re not just trying to buy it,” he said.

The second highest proportion of individual contributions belongs to Goodenough (63.1%), then Christensen and Giralt (both nearly 50%).

The two lowest proportions of individual contributions ascribe to Friess (13%) and Gray (14.85%) – figures diminished in proportion to their substantial self-loans.

[{"type":"text","text":"Rasner’s proportion of individual contributions is 19%."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Money From Jackson"}]

Gray and Rasner have both pointed to Friess’s Jackson-area residency in a negative light.

Jackson’s Teton County votes most reliably for Democratic candidates and is, with the purple Albany County in consideration for second, easily Wyoming’s bluest county. It's also Wyoming's richest county and routinely ranks among the nation's richest. 

Friess has countered his opponents’ implications by saying he’s “behind enemy lines” as a rare conservative activist in Teton County. 

He’s referenced his past fight with the Teton County government, in which he went to the Republican state Legislature to secure what he calls fairer zoning rules for private schools.

Friess has invited Gray to give back what Jackson residents have donated to Gray's campaign.

Gray’s contributions show the highest proportion from Jackson residents: 21%, at $52,000, his FEC reports as of July 29 show. Some of those are from Daniel and Carleen Brophy, consistent donors to Republican causes and candidates. 

Gray responded to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment on his Jackson funding by accusing the outlet of “lying” and propping up Friess. 

He alleged the outlet has a “conflict” because Friess’s late father gave seed money to Cowboy State Daily in 2019.

“Maybe one day Cowboy State Daily and Claire (sic) McFarland will report the news instead of propping up Steve Friess,” said Gray. “When your questions read like Steve Friess campaign talking points, Wyoming voters have every right to wonder whether you are a journalist or a Friess Campaign hack.”

The inquiry Cowboy State Daily’s request sent Gray on Friday, to which his comment refers, had said: 

“I note that of contributions, you have the highest percentage (21%) from Jackson. Since this has become a campaign issue for you, would you like to comment?”

Gray ventured other theories and asserted Friess’s self-loan was $4 million. The FEC record for Friess’s campaign account says it’s $3 million. He also asserted that Christensen is in second place, and claimed Cowboy State Daily was trying to help Christensen win. 

[{"type":"text","text":"More About Jackson "}]

Friess shows the next highest proportion of Jackson donors, at 17.7%, or $83,052.

Christensen and Goodenough have received no donations from Jackson residents as of July 29, the reports say.

Rasner received $185.95 from a Jackson woman whose 

[{"type":"text","text":"Biteman received $307 from a Jackson man."}]

Giralt received $1,000 from Kasey Mateosky, a Jackson resident who ran as a Republican for the Teton County Commission and campaigned on simplifying the region’s tightly regulated housing market.

Balow received $23,082 from Jackson residents, including a portion from former Republican legislator Ruth Petroff, who’s another proponent of giving more leeway to the free market in Teton County’s housing regulations.

Update: this story has been updated to include more commentary from Gray. 

Friess Rasner vote here 8 7 26

<title>Steve Friess Passes Reid Rasner As Top Spender At $2.5M In Wyoming U.S. House Race | Cowboy State Daily</title>

In Wyoming’s expensive race for U.S. House, Steve Friess has passed Reid Rasner as the biggest spender so far at nearly $2.5 million, while candidates have raised at least $8 million. Rasner has spent $2.26 million, and Chuck Gray $1.38 million.

Steve Friess Passes Reid Rasner As Top Spender At $2.5M In Wyoming U.S. House Race

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Public Safety

 for traffic waiting at a construction zone in remote Natrona County, triggering an eight-vehicle crash that killed two people and hurt eight others, no arrest has been made or criminal charges announced.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol says the June 26 crash remains under investigation but isn't saying what work remains or when that may be concluded.

Cowboy State Daily asked the Highway Patrol on Friday whether the investigation remains active, if the case has been referred to the Natrona County District Attorney's Office for a charging decision, whther the tanker driver has been cited or charged, and when the investigation is expected to conclude.

Highway Patrol spokesman Arron Healy did not address those questions specifically, but said that "the crash remains under investigation and we have no update at this time."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What Happened"}]

The crash happened at 1:50 p.m. June 26 on U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58.3 in western Natrona County.

A westbound Western Star tanker commercial combination failed to stop for a line of vehicles waiting to enter a one-lane construction zone, wrote the Wyoming Highway Patrol in a crash summary.

The tanker struck seven vehicles: a Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Highlander, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Impala.

Seventeen people were involved in the crash. Two were killed and eight injured.

The two killed were James Faris Cox, 74, and Susan Horn Cox, 69, of Golden, Colorado. Both were wearing seat belts, according to the Highway Patrol.

The Highway Patrol listed driver inattention as the possible contributing factor in the crash. The weather was clear and the highway was dry.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Chaotic Scene'"}]

The Natrona County Fire District previously described what emergency crews encountered as a "very chaotic scene" of badly damaged vehicles, a large debris field, multiple victims and bystanders already trying to help.

Six patients were transported by ground ambulance to Banner Wyoming Medical Center. Two others were flown to the hospital by helicopter.

Krista Nethercott, a funeral director and mortician, was about five vehicles behind the crash and initially thought traffic had stopped because of the construction zone.

[{"type":"text","text":"When she realized something was wrong, she ran toward the wreckage."}]

"The gentleman was immediately deceased," Nethercott previously told Cowboy State Daily. "The lady probably lived a couple minutes."

Other bystanders searched for fire extinguishers and medical supplies, handed out water and brought camping chairs for survivors.

The fire district later thanked them for providing everything from minor patient care to emotional support before and after emergency crews arrived.

"The true spirit of the 'Wyoming Way' was in full force this day," the district said.

Another motorist, Erin Mills, had also assumed she was simply waiting for construction traffic.

Mills did not witness the impact, but saw the wreckage and debris when traffic ahead of her began turning around. The destruction was so extensive 

, "I honestly was shocked when they said only two people died." 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'It's The Scale'"}]

Highway Patrol has previously offered some explanation for why the investigation has taken weeks.

In mid-July, Spokesman Aaron Brown told Cowboy State Daily investigators were dealing with an unusually complicated crash involving numerous vehicles and a large amount of evidence.

"It's the scale," Brown said. "We have a ton of data to sift through to try and get this thing done."

While the criminal investigation continues, one family injured in the crash has already gone to civil court.

Makensi and Chantry Van Patten, individually and on behalf of their two minor children, 

 in Natrona County District Court against Ryan Brothers Trucking Inc. and a John Doe defendant identified as the tanker driver.

The family, which was in the Toyota Highlander, is seeking damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent injuries, loss of enjoyment of life, lost earning capacity and other losses.

The Van Patten family declined an interview with Cowboy State Daily and referred questions to their Casper attorney, Dallas Laird.

"The lawsuit was filed to get this case going and to preserve my client's rights," Laird previously said. 

Asked what his clients hoped to accomplish, Laird said, "A settlement of the case." 

[{"type":"text","text":"As of Friday, no additional filings had been made in the lawsuit."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Fifth Amendment"}]

The civil complaint also alleges the tanker driver invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer investigators' questions.

[{"type":"text","text":"Laird said that information came from Highway Patrol."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Ryan Brothers Trucking also has declined to discuss the pending case."}]

For now, the civil case is moving forward while the question of criminal charges remains unanswered.

Double fatal highway sign 7 1 26

<title>No Arrest Or Charges Yet Six Weeks After Natrona County Double-Fatal Tanker Crash | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Six weeks after a tanker slammed into seven vehicles stopped at a construction zone in remote Natrona County, killing two people and injuring eight, there has been no arrest or charges. "The crash remains under investigation," the Highway Patrol says.

No Arrest Or Charges Yet Six Weeks After Natrona County Double-Fatal Tanker Crash

Courts

A 37-year-old Powell man faces up to 10 years in prison after allegedly attacking a woman he lived with, punching her in the head multiple times and leaving her bruised and with a chipped front tooth because he didn't believe how many steps she walked during the day.

Catlin Stephen Wolfard is charged with the felony aggravated assault and battery along with domestic battery, a misdemeanor. 

Wolfard had his first court appearance Friday morning in Park County Circuit Court, where his bond was set at $10,000. 

It started when the woman returned to the home she shared with Wolfard on Monday evening, cleaned the house and started making dinner, 

A 37-year-old Powell man could get 10 years in prison for allegedly attacking a woman when he got angry over not believing how many steps she walked that day. "Now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," the woman told police he said to her.

Daily Darwin: Thursday, November 16, 2023

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