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

<title>Bonus Video 2: Sunday, August 18, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

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Bonus Video 2: Sunday, August 18, 2024

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

Greg Johnson

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

RAWLINS — Six weeks ago, Carbon County Sheriff’s Sgt. Zach Burns was fighting for his life in the dirt parking lot of a Baggs apartment building after 

 from a gunman who later died in a shootout with law enforcement.

Wednesday, he was discharged from a Colorado hospital and got a hero’s welcome as he was escorted roughly 230 miles home by a long procession of law enforcement representing agencies across two states.

 streets through downtown Rawlins were lined with pockets of people who paused their workdays to wave and yell as Burns was driven by with a loud chorus of sirens following.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” said local resident Deanna Deffenbaugh about the turnout. “We take care of our own around here.

“Anytime an officer has gotten hurt in the line of duty — even his family — we get the community involved to step up and help take care of them.”

Deffenbaugh said she doesn’t know the Burns family personally, “but that doesn’t matter. If they’re willing to put their lives at risk for us, we need to take care of them.”

Maybe Deffenbaugh doesn’t know Burns, his wife and two young children, but the folks at the Carbon County Courthouse do. He’s their courtroom bailiff, said Jo Rieger, who had staked out a small patch of shade along 3

“Woo-hoo. He’s coming home!” she shouted. “This is cool and very inspiring. He deserves it. He deserves the biggest hero’s welcome ever.”

For Micah Johnson, who also works with Burns at the courthouse, Wednesday was 

, when Burns took bullets in the neck, arm and hip.

“You fear the worst when you first hear about that, you know?” he said. “I think a lot of us were just waiting to hear any kind of piece of news, right? Then I saw the post that he’s coming home today.”

He was referring to a Facebook post Sheriff Alex Bakken made earlier Wednesday telling people that Burns had been discharged from a Colorado hospital and was on his way home.

At 3:31 p.m., the small groups stationed at street corners and in front of the Carbon Building on the corner of 3

 and Pine streets began to cheer as they heard the sirens blaring louder, along with a medical helicopter circling the procession.

“There he is. I see him,” said a woman in the crowd as a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office truck slowly passed.

Sergeant Burns was sitting in the passenger side with the window rolled down and enthusiastically waving to those who gathered for him.

His beaming smile got just a little bit bigger when he saw a giant red, white and blue “Welcome Home Zach” banner.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘We’re All Family’"}]

About an hour earlier, Valeta Rogabaugh was anxious for the procession to get to Rawlins.

The longtime dispatch supervisor for the Rawlins Police Department walked into the bullpen at the department with tears in her eyes.

She had just heard a county dispatch bulletin that Burns and the procession had “come home” and had just passed into Carbon County on westbound Interstate 80.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said when Chief Michael Ward asked how she was holding up. “It’s just emotional. They even talked to (Burns’ wife) and told her welcome home too.”

Although Burns works for the county sheriff’s office, there are deep connections with the Rawlins PD and other agencies, she said.

“We’re all a team and we’re all family,” Rogabaugh said, adding that Burns’ wife also is a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office.

There are no lines between agencies, said Rawlins Police Sgt. Thom Gamblin, adding that he’s good friends with Burns.

“This isn’t just a guy in uniform coming home, he’s a guy who works and lives here. I’m saying that this is a community, this is home, and it isn’t just his workplace,” Gamblin said.

“This isn’t just his work office, it’s people who love him,” he continued. “These are the people who care for him. It’s the people he meets every day when he serves.”

There’s a reason close to 100 officers from multiple jurisdictions around Wyoming and Colorado responded to Baggs that afternoon when the bulletin went out about an officer down and a gunman was on the run, Gamblin said.

“This is personal,” he said. “He did his job and nearly lost his life over it. He didn’t — thankfully — and now he’s back here where we can protect him.”

Without the quick action of a pair of Baggs residents who 

, he likely would have died, said Chief Ward. Wednesday’s procession was for them as well.

[{"type":"text","text":"“They’re heroes, too,” he told Cowboy State Daily."}]

“It’s a miracle that he’s still with us,” Ward added. “All of us are grateful for that, every minute of every day. His daughter still has a father. His wife still has a husband. He’s still with all of us.

“We could not be more relieved, grateful and excited he’s coming home today.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Stopped ‘Large-Scale Act’"}]

The scope of the potential carnage Burns may have prevented unfolded in the days following, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken has said.

That includes Burns interrupting the suspect carrying out what appeared to be a devastating plan, the sheriff said

The man had a stockpile of semiautomatic weapon ammunition in his Baggs apartment and was likely planning a "large-scale act," Bakken reported June 17.

Burns was in the area June 8 when dispatchers relayed information about a suspect in an active shooting incident. Burns located the suspect driving in town and conducted a traffic stop at his apartment, the CCSO has reported.

“Upon coming to a stop, the suspect immediately exited his vehicle and opened fire on Sergeant Burns with a semiautomatic rifle,” Bakken said in the report.

The suspect — who so far has not been publicly identified — then 

The suspect tried to start his apartment complex on fire with numerous propane tanks inside, then sped away in his car again, according to the CCSO.

He was eventually killed in a shootout with law enforcement after crashing his car north of town off state Highway 789.

“Thanks to his bravery, (Burns) saved the lives of countless first responders and community members,” Bakken says in the report. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines in his apartment and, by all appearances, had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence.”

At the Hilltop Conoco station along Cedar Avenue, Paige Garwood and Heather Stalinski were working Wednesday afternoon, handling a steady stream of locals and visitors driving through just off I-80.

They both said they were excited to learn that the long procession of emergency responders for Burns would go past their station.

Neither knows Burns or his family, but both said that Rawlins is a small town, and when one person is in trouble, everyone knows and responds.

“I’ve been reading about him and heard what happened to him. He’s a hero,” said Stalinski. “That he’s coming home is really good, and great for his family, his wife.

“I think he was really brave for what he did. He’s a brave, brave man. I think she should get a lot of (accolades). Would I call him a hero? Absolutely.”

Garwood said that Burns getting out of the hospital and getting back to Rawlins is a great boost for the whole town.

“I think it’s great that he’s coming home, because he almost died because of that idiot,” she said. “He deserves it.”

For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to.

“He took an oath to protect our community, and he almost gave his life doing so,” Ward said about Burns. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”

Sgt Burns Home 1

<title>Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there,” said the Rawlins police chief.

Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Law Enforcement

A predawn law enforcement operation stretched across western Wyoming and eastern Idaho on Tuesday, as federal, state and local investigators executed coordinated search warrants in what authorities describe as a drug trafficking investigation.

By the time the raids were over, investigators said they had seized large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and other evidence tied to drug distribution.

[{"type":"text","text":"One man now faces five felony drug charges and a child endangering count."}]

But beyond those basics, much of the investigation details have not been released. 

Authorities have declined to answer questions about exactly where the raids took place, how much narcotics were seized, how long the investigation had been underway, or whether more arrests are expected.

[{"type":"text","text":"Three Communities Targeted"}]

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that deputies, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal, state and local agencies carried out simultaneous search warrants Tuesday in Etna, Jackson Hole and Victor, Idaho.

Officials have not identified the addresses where the warrants were served, including the Etna location.

The coordinated nature of the operation — spanning three communities in two states — suggests investigators could've been targeting an interconnected investigation.

The sheriff's office described the seizures only as "large amounts" of methamphetamine and cocaine, "along with other evidence related to drug trafficking."

[{"type":"text","text":"Officials have not released the quantities of drugs recovered."}]

The only person publicly identified so far is 42-year-old Julio Jaimes Angeles.

[{"type":"text","text":"He has been charged in Lincoln County with:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Tight-Lipped Investigation"}]

Despite the unusually broad operation, investigators are saying little about what led to Tuesday's raids.

Cowboy State Daily sought additional information from both the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. Neither agency returned a comment beyond the written news release, citing the ongoing investigation.

Lincoln county drug guy 7 22 26

<title>One Man Charged After Sweeping Drug Raids Across Western Wyoming, Eastern Idaho | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A 42-year-old man is facing five felony drug charges and another count of child endangerment after the DEA and DCI launched drug raids in Lincoln County, Teton County and Victor, Idaho. Investigators said they seized large quantities of meth and cocaine.

One Man Charged After Sweeping Drug Raids Across Western Wyoming, Eastern Idaho

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

Clair McFarland

Politics

Government & Politics

The Wyoming Republican Party’s decision to buck tradition, and maybe state law, by 

 before the primary election is sparking controversy and consternation for some.

The GOP state central committee voted Monday night to endorse Brent Bien for governor, Chuck Gray for U.S. House, and Harriet Hageman for U.S. Senate. Also: Tom Kelly for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Scott Smith for state Treasurer and Rachel Williams for Secretary of State – all over their respective Republican opponents.

That could alienate numerous candidates and their supporters, said Rodger McDaniel, a former legislator who had tried, in 1977, to stop the passage of the law the party is potentially flouting.

“This is the kind of thing that really tears a political party up,” said McDaniel, who served in the Legislature as a Democrat and now says he's a Republican-in-name-only. “To make those endorsements when you have other Republicans running, that’s not going to go easy.”

State Party Chair Bryan Miller has countered in both a press release and an email interview, saying the party respects the “fiercely independent, discerning” voter base.

"This process is not about party leadership picking winners and losers, nor is it about telling anyone how to vote,” Miller said in a Tuesday statement to Cowboy State Daily. “It is about transparency.”

Miller emphasized that the state party’s platform – 80% approval of which was the entry ticket to participate in the endorsement process – was written and passed “by grassroots delegates from all 23 counties.”

People elect their Republican neighbors to GOP precinct committee positions. Those officials then elect their state delegates.

“Our endorsement simply highlights candidates whose platform pledges and track records most closely align with those grassroot conservative principles,” added Miller.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘You’re The Insider Now’"}]

McDaniel’s prediction is manifesting, through recent statements by a few – though not all – of the non-endorsed candidates.

Senate President Bo Biteman, who’s running in a 10-candidate field against Gray for U.S. House, did not seek the party’s endorsement.

Though ranked conservative by many of its vetting committee’s metrics, Biteman didn’t return the party’s questionnaire, so he wasn’t eligible for endorsement.

He told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that party leadership and their favorites are coalescing into a group of insiders.

“Republicans have always stood against that kind of crap,” said Biteman. “We’ve always, you know, looked at the Democrats and laughed at them for doing what they’ve done … We’re becoming what we railed against.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Biteman mixed Gray into his critique."}]

“Now we have a new establishment. Like Chuck Gray comes on your show and rails against the ‘woke wind,’ the ‘liberal media’ and the ‘insiders,’” said Biteman. “Well Chuckie-boy  you’re the insider, buddy. I don’t know how else to tell it to you.”

Biteman has served in the state Legislature for a decade. He recalled being part of an anti-establishment conservative movement that gained momentum after 2014 to buck "party insiders." 

"Things do have an equal and opposite reaction. So when you get into power you've got to use it wisely. You've got to use it fairly," he said. "Or else you won't have it for very long." 

[{"type":"text","text":"‘Insiders,’ And ‘Leftwing Media’"}]

Gray in a Wednesday text message said the party’s endorsement of him reflects a “record of standing with Wyoming Republicans, advancing the conservative movement, and delivering real victories — not just talking about them," and said he’s put principles ahead of political convenience.

Gray pointed to his backing of numerous election-reform bills, and again derided an unspecified group of “insiders.”

“I took on the political insiders, the out of control leftwing media, and the special interests when they tried to destroy me because I refused to back down from conservative principles,” said Gray.

Gray asserted that he “made sure that President Trump remained on the ballot.”

Colorado litigants had tried to remove Trump from that state’s ballot in 2024. Gray filed amicus briefs to dispute that, including about one of 76 amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court case.

The move prompted a controversy on the House floor about whether Gray could use state money for out-of-state litigation, which then ballooned into an unsuccessful defamation suit, as Gray’s allies had claimed some lawmakers who voted to curb his spending power had “voted to keep Trump off the ballot.”

Gray asked Wednesday, “Where were the other candidates in this race when that fight was happening?”

“It's not surprising that some candidates are disappointed they didn't earn the party's endorsement,” said Gray, adding: “But I've never believed conservative leadership is measured by complaints after a vote — it's measured by the work you've done and track record.  I've shown that I work hard to advance the priorities of the people of Wyoming.” 

Gray is running for the nomination against Biteman, philanthropist Steve Friess, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, Teton County-based attorney Frank Chapman, military veterans Kevin Christensen and David Giralt, former legislator Keith Goodenough, former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, and the self-described “pragmatic” Republican Richard Dodson.

[{"type":"text","text":"The primary election is Aug. 18."}]

Christensen was vocally critical of the party’s process. The state central committee had approved its candidate vetting committee to consider candidates’ donations to the party.

[{"type":"text","text":"Christensen worried aloud this lent the perception of “pay to play.”"}]

Crook County GOP Chair Mark Koep disputed the assertion Monday, suggesting Cowboy State Daily retract Christensen’s statement.

Treasurer Curt Meier, who did not win endorsement, had scored higher in party donations than his opponent Rep. Scott Smith.

[{"type":"text","text":"Koep pointed to that."}]

However, Cowboy State Daily learned by obtaining the vetting committee’s chart after the meeting, all the other endorsed candidates scored either equal to or better than their non-endorsed foes on the party donations metric.  

That was just one of many metrics. The party also considered legislative record breakdowns, past political involvements and other factors.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Call To Serve Our Country"}]

The vetting committee recommended an endorsement for Giralt as well as Gray.

Giralt came narrowly within winning a statement of “support,” but it failed by one vote.

In a Tuesday statement he thanked the party for its consideration and said he’s

grateful for the support we’ve received from Republicans across Wyoming.”

The party’s considerations of political activity, giving, and legislative records might disadvantage military veterans, both Giralt and Christensen have noted.

“I respect the committee’s decision, but I don’t believe anyone should be penalized for answering the call to serve our country, and I won’t apologize for serving mine,” said Giralt. “If my time away from Wyoming was spent defending the freedoms we all cherish, that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”

Balow told Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday phone interview that she filled out the party’s questionnaire as a gesture of transparency for the voters.

But, Balow said, she had announced publicly that she wouldn’t accept the party’s endorsement, if given.

“The (Gray) endorsement comes as no surprise,” she said. “But honestly it’s not something that I think Wyoming will pay a great deal of attention to.”

Balow said she’s spoken with Republicans across the state who believe Wyoming GOP leadership isn’t representative of party generally.

“The heart of it is that the Wyoming people should choose their nominees – not the party,” she said. “And that’s the process that’s kept our state red and strong for years.”

If the state GOP decides at some point to take over nominating power from the voters, it will need a law change to do so. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Biteman called the endorsement maneuver a step in that direction."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"“Thank God we can still vote,” Biteman said Tuesday."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Only Democrats Opposed This"}]

It’s been at least 49 years since Wyoming let its major parties financially back their favorites in the primary election.

The late state Sen. Robert Frisby, a Park County Republican, sponsored a bill in 1977 creating numerous election restrictions. 

One of them says: “No political party funds shall be expended directly or indirectly in the aid of the nomination of any one person as against another person of the same political party running in the primary election.”

Miller told state GOP convention attendees in April that the law has been interpreted as a ban on endorsements.

He asserted in a Wednesday email the law doesn’t work that way, however.

It’s a point of debate. McDaniel said he’s unsure if the law bans endorsements, though he acknowledged indirect expenses can be associated with vetting and announcing endorsements.  

State GOP leadership is now suing Gray in his official capacity to get the law overturned. The party leaders say the law violates parties’ First Amendment rights.

[{"type":"text","text":"McDaniel said he’s not sure how the court challenge will end."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Only Democrats, including McDaniel, voted against the bill in 1977."}]

It cleared the Senate with 18 in favor, 11 against and one excused; it passed the state House 42-19, one excused.

Then- state Rep. Al Simpson, a Park County Republican who went on to serve Wyoming in Congress, voted aye.

In McDaniel’s recollection, the party rule didn’t offend the Democrats, but another provision of the bill did. That was a ban on trade unions supporting campaigns, which remains in place today.

“Actually, the idea of parties not endorsing is a pretty good idea,” McDaniel reflected on Wednesday.

“What’s going to be more interesting though is the impact it has internally on the party,” he added. “When you endorse somebody you’ve made five or six others really unhappy. And they all have constituencies and they all have members of the party apparatus that will be unhappy. So it doesn’t seem to me to be a very prudent move.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Blaming Others"}]

Miller answered the candidates’ critiques in a Wednesday email to Cowboy State Daily.

He said he understands the concern regarding political disadvantages that military veterans face after leaving active duty.

"I am a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Air force myself and faced these types of issues in statewide races of my own," wrote Miller. "Most vets like me go back home where we are relatively unknown until we grow back into our communities. It is our responsibility to establish ourselves as local leaders there before asking the community to give us a position of power. We should not expect that others owe us a vote just because we are veterans."

He added: “I understand why any candidate who is not endorsed or who self-eliminates by their refusal to participate in the vetting process set in place would want to find fault in our vetting and endorsement process or create doubt in the public's mind as to its validity."

“That line of thought is politics as we know it today,” said Miller, adding that candidates blame others for their shortfalls.

Miller sought to “remind all of these facts,” and pointed to the party leadership’s selection by precinct committee people at the “neighborhood level” – and more than 600 elected delegates to the state convention passed the bylaw calling for this endorsement process.

“The 74 elected state level members of the Wyoming State Republican Party Central Committee … are duty bound to execute said processes,” wrote Miller.

The April state convention in Douglas was fraught with controversy, however.

A motion to amend the floor rules descended into confusion as party leaders, the party’s attorney and delegates debated fine points of Robert’s Rules of Order that at one point had Miller asking rhetorically, “Is that clear as mud?”

“Because there’s lots of confusion here, let’s have our legal counsel explain things again,” Miller said as the nearly 300 delegates tried to finalize how to consider changes and amendments presented by the party’s Bylaws Committee.

At one point during debate, Miller expressed that much of the debate was over rules of order that had already been set.

“That’s the point, people are trying to modify the rules,” Miller said, later adding, “does everyone understand where we are?”

Wilkins informed the meeting that 30 minutes of the two hours slotted for bylaws debate had already passed with delegates still hashing out how to debate the proposed bylaws.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Party Of Law And Order"}]

The Goshen County Republican Party leadership dispatched a statement Thursday saying it asked Miller for answers about the endorsement authority and compliance with Wyoming law. 

[{"type":"text","text":"\"To date, we have not received a response,\" says the statement. "}]

Goshen County delegates didn't participate in Monday's endorsement meeting. They had a previously scheduled forum, the statement says. 

"As Republicans, we are the party of law and order," the statement reads. "Until (the party's) legal questions are settled by the courts, we believe it is appropriate to refrain from participating in that process." 

The statement says the Goshen County GOP leadership also believes the Republican primary election is a job interview conducted by Republican votes. 

"That grassroots process has served Wyoming well for generations," the statement says. 

Biteman Gray 7 22 26

<title>Biteman Criticizes GOP Endorsements, Says Chuck Gray "Chuckie-Boy" Is Establishment | Cowboy State Daily</title>

U.S. House candidate Bo Biteman is one of many criticizing the Republican Party's decision to endorse candidates. He called Chuck Gray, who sought and received the endorsement, the establishment. "Well Chuckie-boy you’re the insider, buddy," he said.

Biteman Criticizes GOP Endorsements, Says Chuck Gray "Chuckie-Boy" Is Establishment

Courts

A former Special Olympics Wyoming employee accused of stealing more than $200,000 from the nonprofit has agreed to plead guilty to six felonies, bringing one of Wyoming's most closely watched charity theft cases a major step closer to resolution.

A plea agreement filed in Natrona County District Court shows Christine Rodriguez, 57, of Bar Nunn, will plead guilty to three counts of felony theft and three counts of felony forgery. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss three additional forgery charges, according to documents made available Monday.

[{"type":"text","text":"The agreement still must be accepted by a judge."}]

Rodriguez's attorney, Ryan Semerad, declined to discuss the specifics of the agreement before sentencing but said his client is accepting responsibility.

"She is very remorseful for her actions and deeply regrets them," Semerad told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, adding the defense plans to address those issues more fully at sentencing. 

Rodriguez worked for Special Olympics Wyoming for roughly a decade before the alleged thefts came to light.

[{"type":"text","text":"Police Called Alleged Scheme 'Sophisticated'"}]

Casper police arrested Rodriguez in April after a monthslong financial crimes investigation into the missing money.

Investigators alleged Rodriguez embezzled roughly $206,000 over several years by writing unauthorized checks, falsifying financial records, forging signatures and concealing missing cash.

Police described the alleged scheme as "sophisticated," alleging Rodriguez altered audit documentation and misapplied deposits to hide missing cash. Investigators said those actions concealed the missing money from the nonprofit for years.

When Rodriguez first appeared in court in April, she was charged with nine felonies — three counts of theft and six counts of forgery.

A Bar Nunn woman has agreed to plead guilty to six felonies for embezzling $206,000 from Special Olympics Wyoming. Her attorney told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday that she is "very remorseful for her actions and deeply regrets them."

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