You Still Here

If you're looking for a trainer for the holiday season, this guy is having a sale...

You still here 12 9 23

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

<title>You Still Here? Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

You Still Here? Saturday, December 9, 2023

 If you're looking for a trainer for the holiday season, this guy is having a sale...

[{"type":"text","text":"Can a swimming pool stop a 50 cal sniper rifle?"}]

You still here 6 10 26

<title>You Still Here? Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Can a swimming pool stop a 50 cal sniper rifle?

You Still Here? Wednesday, June 10, 2026

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.

Million dollar cowboy 6 9 26

<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 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'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. "}]

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.

You Still Here? Saturday, December 9, 2023

In case you missed it

More in You Still Here

You Still Here? Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Today In The Workplace: Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Today In Parenting: Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Steve Inman: Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Most read