Daily Darwin

[{"type":"text","text":"It's only January 10 and we already have a winner..."}]

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

<title>Daily Darwin: Wednesday, January 10, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

It's only January 10 and we already have a winner...

Daily Darwin: Wednesday, January 10, 2024

 It's only January 10 and we already have a winner...

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

You Still Here

She got the final boss instead of the manager, as narrated by MMA announcer, Steve Inman.....

Inman 8 8 26

<title>Steve Inman: Saturday, August 8, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Steve Inman: Saturday, August 8, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Wyoming Life

A 4 1/2-foot tall bronze sculpture of a soldier kneeling where a comrade made the ultimate sacrifice in battle made its debut at the Oregon Trails State Veterans Cemetery in Evansville on Friday.

The soldier has his left hand on top a helmet resting on the fellow soldier’s planted weapon. His right hand holds his own rifle.

The scene depicts the “Battle Cross” or “Soldier’s Cross” and includes a soldier’s rifle, boots, and helmet as a memorial marker.

Wyoming artist Chris Navarro characterized his 42nd public art project “Fallen Comrade” as “personal” for him as he addressed the 50 people gathered for its unveiling in a little square in front of the cemetery’s chapel.

“It’s special because of all the ties my family has to the military,” Navarro said, noting he was raised on U.S. Air Force bases around the world due to his father’s role as a pilot. His brother Herb Navarro, a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot, was on hand from Arizona representing veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War.

Cemetery Director Darrin Brahaney said the Wyoming Military Department had a vision for a statue in 2019 that would honor veterans and what they sacrificed. He said when they put out the proposal Navarro responded and brought his concepts to the project.

“We gave Chris our vision last July and he took that vision and put his own touches to it and he had a very short window to get this done,” Brahaney said. 

Brahaney said the statue was being unveiled Friday because Aug. 7 is Purple Heart Day. The Purple Heart is the nation’s oldest medal and is given to service members killed and wounded in battle during war.

Navarro said he was thankful to have his brother present for the unveiling and knew that his late dad, Lt. Col. Herbert Navarro, a longtime Air Force pilot, and late brother Rick, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who few P3 Orion Aircraft, would be proud.

“Fallen Comrade is not about one soldier or one branch of service or one war,” he said. “It represents all of them. It represents the men and women who raised their right hand and made a commitment to something greater than themselves.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Reminder To Remember"}]

Navarro said he hopes everyone who encounters the sculpture will stop for a moment and remember the sacrifice, courage, and remember the families who remain behind because of the sacrifice.

In addition to Herb Navarro, other veterans helping to remove the covering on the statue were Casper World War II U.S. Navy veteran William McMillan, Korean War veteran Cecil Barnes, Vietnam veteran Barry Gasdek, and Kelly Ivanoff, a veteran of the Global War on Terrorism.

After the unveiling, Chris Navarro pointed out that the dog tags hanging from the rifle of the fallen did not carry a name but a message: “All gave some, and some gave all.”

Herb Navarro told the crowd that before traveling from Arizona he found his dad’s dog tags from the Korean War and would put them on the sculpture for the rest of the day to honor him.

“They’re pretty interesting dog tags because they say 'T-50’ on them,” he said. “That represents the year you got your tetanus shot.”

Herb Navarro said seeing the bronze placed at the cemetery reminded him of scenes he witnessed during trips to Arlington National Cemetery for funerals.

“It’s a cool sculpture, for sure,” he said.

Chris Navarro said he was thankful his brother was able to be present for the unveiling and pleased with the sculpture. It will be set on a pedestal so when people approach it, it will be at eye level.

The artist said the sculpture is his sixth public art installation in a year and his 18th in Casper.

“I’ve been doing it professionally for 40 years and I want to do 50 (art installations) before they throw dirt on me,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Fantastic’ Gift"}]

Gasdek called the sculpture a “fantastic” gift from the Wyoming Military Department and Navarro to honor “fallen warriors and those who served.”

He said unveiling the sculpture on Purple Heart Day seemed appropriate.

“I just thank them for going one step beyond in their service to take care of our vets to let them know that their service is appreciated,” he said. “You can honor them while they are living and even when they are deceased.”

The sculpture, which is 125% of life size, was cast at Eagle Bronze in Lander.

Chris Navarro said he hopes people interact with, kneel beside or put their arm around the sculpture.

“A lot of monumental bronze you can’t walk around them and touch them, but this one is going to be that way,” he said.

Fallen Soldier sculpture Statue Unveiled 8 7 26

<title>Chris Navarro’s Latest Bronze ‘Fallen Comrade’ An Emotional Tribute To Father | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Casper sculptor Chris Navarro unveiled his latest bronze Friday, a more-than-life-sized work titled “Fallen Comrade” of a soldier kneeling in honor of a fallen brother. “It’s special because of all the ties my family has to the military,” he said.

Chris Navarro’s Latest Bronze ‘Fallen Comrade’ An Emotional Tribute To Father

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

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, 

per an affidavit written by Powell Police Lt. Dustin DelBiaggio.

[{"type":"text","text":"Around 8:30 p.m., the two sat down at the kitchen table."}]

During dinner, she began talking about the number of steps her phone had recorded while she was at work. Wolfard didn't believe the number was accurate, she told investigators, and what began as a mundane disagreement turned into a heated argument.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Whiskey got involved,\" she later told police."}]

Wolfard began drinking Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, while she had about two shots. She described herself as about a three on a 10-point scale to drunk, but described Wolfard as "extremely angry."

The two separated for a while, and things appeared to settle down, but she said it didn't last. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"White Claw Cans Fly"}]

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the two were back in the kitchen when another argument erupted.

The woman said Wolfard began pulling full cans of White Claw from the refrigerator and throwing them at her, though none connected. 

She told investigators she became worried the argument was about to turn physical after Wolfard walked over and closed the kitchen window, commenting that the neighbors might hear them. 

She bent forward at the waist and put her hands over her head to protect herself as Wolfard approached, she told investigators. He then allegedly punched her two or three times with a closed fist in the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"Don't beat me,\" she said."}]

"Stop saying I beat you, now you're going to see how it feels to be beat," Wolfard allegedly responded.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman retreated into the master bedroom, but Wolfard followed."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Pushed Into Furniture"}]

When she tried to leave, she said Wolfard repeatedly pushed her backward into the room, using his open hands against her upper chest.

[{"type":"text","text":"She eventually got around him and made it into the living room."}]

There, she alleged, Wolfard began pushing her around for several minutes, causing her to strike furniture.

The living room contained wood-framed chairs, a couch with little padding and an air mattress on the floor, the affidavit says.

She told investigators she managed to get back to the bedroom and lie down, separating herself from Wolfard.

But at about 3 a.m., Wolfard came into the bedroom and told her he was going to sleep there, and she could sleep in the living room.

She claims she left her cellphone in the bed, and when she asked Wolfard to give it back, he refused. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Chipped Tooth"}]

Wolfard then allegedly punched the woman twice in the face with a closed fist.

She described one as a glancing blow as she turned away. The other, she said, landed directly on her mouth and chipped the bottom of her left front tooth.

She went into the living room and fell asleep while Wolfard remained in the bedroom.

When she woke later that morning, she grabbed her phone while Wolfard was still sleeping and called the police. 

She said abuse was "normal," but Wolfard had never punched her before that night. 

Police later noticed bruises on the woman's body that appeared to be in various stages of healing.

Some bruising on her chest, she said, came from a separate domestic incident with Wolfard about a week earlier.

Investigators also wrote that the woman discovered a hard mass developing inside her right breast that she attributed to the recent altercation.

Powell Hospital EMS was called, and she agreed to go to the Powell Valley Healthcare emergency room for her injuries and a forensic examination.

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

Wolfard left the residence after waking up around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was arrested a short time later, according to the affidavit.

He told officers she bruised easily and fell frequently. He also said bruising on her left arm came from the two playing "tug of war" on paddleboards at Deaver Reservoir the previous weekend.

[{"type":"text","text":"The woman disputed both explanations."}]

 wrote that investigators believed Wolfard had attempted to cause the woman serious bodily injury by pushing her into furniture, punching her and breaking her tooth, and repeatedly striking the back of her head.

[{"type":"text","text":"According to the Park County Sheriffs Office, Wolfard remains in custody."}]

Catlin Stephen Wolfard new 8 7 26

<title>Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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.

Powell Man Accused Of Beating Woman When He Didn’t Believe How Many Steps She Walked

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

Clair McFarland

Crime & Courts

Wyoming, 14 other states, a handful of gun advocacy groups, and individuals beat the Trump administration in court this week when a Texas-based federal judge called significant portions of the 1934 National Firearms Act unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled Wednesday that major portions of the act are unconstitutional and can’t be enforced on Wyoming’s government and a number of other plaintiffs. 

Those provisions restrict suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and firearms classified as “any other weapons.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gov. Mark Gordon called the ruling a win."}]

“This is a great win for gun owners across the country, including here in Wyoming where our gun rights are an important part of our heritage,” said Gordon in a Friday email statement. “It is absolutely essential that the 2nd Amendment be respected and protected. I am delighted to see a judge recognize overreach when it is this clear.”

Gordon congratulated Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz and Kautz’s team “for their solid work and wish them the best as this case continues moving forward.”

Hendrix stayed his order until at least Aug. 12, in case the federal government wants to appeal. It hadn’t appealed as of Friday morning.

The judge also did not overturn the NFA’s restrictions on machine guns and destructive devices.

Mark Jones, Wyoming resident and national director of Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily the ruling represents a big win — but not an invitation to go make short-barreled rifles, at least until the dust settles.

“We’re advising people to be very careful about looking at a headline and running out and engaging in practices related to this until we get more information and there’s some decision on this appeal,” said Jones. 

He also said that though Wyoming is a plaintiff, he doesn’t believe the injunction extends to every Wyoming citizen.

But, added Jones, “I still think it’s the biggest win against the NFA in the NFA’s history, and we'll see what happens.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Trump Stance ‘Frustrating’"}]

Gun Owners of America is one of the plaintiffs.

Hendrix’s order bars the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from enforcing the enjoined parts of the National Firearms Act against plaintiffs and the plaintiffs’ “agencies, political subdivisions, members, and customers — both current and future.”

Jones said that leaves protections for Wyoming residents in doubt because “residents” aren’t listed under the people the order protects. But, he said, a Wyomingite who is a member of the Gun Owners of America will be protected if the order is upheld.

It’s been frustrating that the Trump administration has been defending the National Firearms Act, said Jones.

“Very frustrating,” he said. “Because the president ran, obviously, as a strong 2nd Amendment supporter.”

Jones said GOA has been “openly concerned about that: why his administration is defending the National Firearms Act.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Gun Control Act Remains"}]

David Kopel, a senior fellow at the University of Wyoming College of Law Firearms Research Center, emphasized that though the NFA will be diminished if the injunction is upheld or remains in place, the Gun Control Act of 1968 is still law.

“Even if the National Firearms Act of 1934 had never been passed, if you wanted to go into a store and buy a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun or even a suppressor, you’d have to go through the same process as to buy any other gun,” said Kopel. 

[{"type":"text","text":"That includes background checks and federal paperwork."}]

A federal judge overturned parts of the National Firearms Act this week after Wyoming and other plaintiffs sued the Trump administration, which had defended the act. Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday called it a "great win for gun owners across the country."

Daily Darwin: Wednesday, January 10, 2024

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