One More For The Road

Loser smashes into woman's car, tries to escape, and smashes into other car.....

One more for 9 6 24

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<title>One More For The Road: Friday, September 6, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

One More For The Road: Friday, September 6, 2024

 Loser smashes into woman's car, tries to escape, and smashes into other car.....

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Courts

A Manderson, Wyoming, man and woman have been charged after the suspicious death of an infant in a case where investigators say a camper where the child lived was filthy, overheated, had no running water and was littered with human waste, animal feces and meth.

The investigation began just after 10 a.m. Monday, when agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation were notified of the suspicious, unattended death of an infant.

By the time Special Agent Anthony Giles arrived at Three Rivers Hospital in Basin, the baby's mother — 22-year-old Destynie Study — had already told investigators what she said happened that morning.

A newly filed affidavit in the case available Thursday says Destynie fed and changed the infant around 1:30 a.m. before putting the baby back to sleep in a crib inside the family's camper in Manderson. 

She told investigators she woke around 9:45 a.m. and found the infant unresponsive.

She immediately grabbed the child, climbed into her father's vehicle and started driving toward Three Rivers Hospital, calling 911 along the way. 

The affidavit says the baby lived in the camper with the mother, her father Travis Study, and another child who is just over a year old.

At the hospital, investigators said dirt covered Destynie's arms, legs and clothing, and what appeared to be lice eggs or significant dandruff near her scalp. 

"An overwhelming smell of body odor, urine and feces was coming from her person and the room," Giles wrote.

Investigators also documented dirt beneath the infant's fingernails and that "the same odor was permeating from the deceased infant's body."

"The infant's diaper was completely saturated in urine," Giles wrote, along with a small amount of feces and a live, moving insect inside the diaper after it was removed. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"5-Gallon Bucket Of Human Waste"}]

Armed with a search warrant, DCI agents later searched the camper where the family had been living. Outside sat several black garbage bags investigators believed had recently been placed there.

When agents opened the door, they were hit with the same overwhelming odor of urine, feces and body odor they had encountered earlier at the hospital, wrote Giles. 

Investigators described the camper as being in "complete disarray,” the affidavit says.

Old and moldy food, empty food containers and trash littered nearly every corner. Clothing, wrappers and garbage were piled throughout the sleeping area, the affidavit continues. 

The bathroom emitted what investigators described as an extremely strong smell of feces.

[{"type":"text","text":"The camper itself also was stifling hot."}]

Investigators measured the interior temperature at about 95 degrees with an air conditioner that didn't work. 

There also was no running water connected to the camper, and the sewage system appeared to have been unusable for some time, the affidavit says. The shower and sinks showed signs they had not functioned for an extended period.

The affidavit says investigators also found dog feces and mouse droppings throughout the camper.

[{"type":"text","text":"Inside the bathroom sat a 5-gallon bucket nearly full of human waste."}]

The toilet also contained human waste and appeared abandoned, investigators wrote, with evidence of insect infestation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Warning Signs "}]

The crib where Destynie told investigators the infant slept was damp and smelled strongly of urine.

Investigators found urine-soaked bedding, a soiled diaper beneath the mattress, and liquid pooled inside the crib's frame. When they lifted the crib, more foul-smelling liquid drained from its support structure, says the affidavit.

Fresh trash outside the camper allegedly discarded before law enforcement arrived contained baby food along with a comforter investigators believed was heavily soiled with urine and feces.

Court records note the conditions inside the camper had raised alarms months before the infant died.

The document outlines four separate contacts between the family, the Wyoming Department of Family Services and Manderson police dating back to early April.

On one visit, officials said they were denied entry while investigating concerns about the family's living conditions.

Another welfare check involved reports that Destynie had missed prenatal appointments during what investigators described as a high-risk pregnancy.

During another visit, a caseworker reported the family's Jeep smelled strongly of cat urine and was littered with debris.

By late May, DFS had received reports that the infant had lost 11% of its body weight and that Destynie had missed a medical appointment.

When caseworkers and officers returned to the property, investigators say they again were refused entry into the camper.

Travis told them to "get the f*** off his property and never come back," alleges the affidavit. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Normal Grandpa Stuff' "}]

Travis remained on speakerphone while investigators interviewed Destynie at the hospital.

When agents requested Destynie's cellphone to establish a timeline, he allegedly warned that if anyone with "a badge or a gun" came to his property, "it would be a bad day for that individual."

Both Travis and Destynie told investigators that Travis regularly cared for the children when Destynie left the residence. Travis reportedly described it as doing the "normal grandpa stuff."

[{"type":"text","text":"The search of the camper also turned up drugs."}]

Investigators say they recovered more than 21 grams of suspected marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia and a glass pipe containing white crystalline residue.

A swab collected from inside the pipe tested presumptively positive for meth and was submitted to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for confirmation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Criminal Charges Filed"}]

Following the investigation, prosecutors filed criminal charges Wednesday in Big Horn County Circuit Court.

Travis Study, born in 1969, is charged with felony child endangerment alleging exposure to meth, along with misdemeanor counts of reckless endangering, child endangerment, possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.

Destynie Study is charged with misdemeanor reckless endangering of a child and child endangerment. She pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Big Horn County Attorney Marcia E. Bean filed a demand for a speedy trial the same day, and the court appointed counsel to represent Destynie. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 3.

The affidavit does not identify an official cause or manner of death for the infant, and the criminal complaint does not allege either defendant intentionally caused the child's death. The investigation is ongoing.

Manderson police and sign 7 9 26

<title>Big Horn Grandpa, Mom Charged After Baby Dies In 95-Degree Feces-Filled Trailer | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Big Horn County grandfather and mother have been charged after a baby died Monday in a 95-degree trailer filled with feces, garbage and a 5-gallon bucket of human waste. "The infant's diaper was completely saturated in urine,” an investigator says.

Big Horn Grandpa, Mom Charged After Baby Dies In 95-Degree Feces-Filled Trailer

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily reporter, Dale Killingbeck

Dale Killingbeck

Wildlife

A Uinta County rancher charged with videotaping two others torturing a sickly moose by roping, riding, spurring, and dragging the animal  in May 2021 is continuing toward a trial date next month. 

Two other men in the case have entered plea deals with a special prosecutor.

Court records show Justin Martin, 54, of Evanston, faces an Aug. 11 trial on charges of two counts of accessory before the fact to felony cruelty to animals, and two counts of accessory before or after the fact to wanton taking of a big-game animal, both misdemeanors.

His son, Range Martin of Evanston, 23, pleaded guilty June 22 to a felony cruelty to animals charge in return for the dropping of two misdemeanor charges. Kylan Platte, 22, of Malad City, Idaho, took a similar deal from Special Prosecutor F. Gaston Gosar, pleading guilty to felony cruelty to animals June 30.

Under the deal, charges against both men of wanton taking of a big-game animal and possession permit required for warm-blooded wildlife were dropped.

Court records show Range Martin “provided a sufficient factual basis for his plea, including identifying defendant Justin H. Martin as the person speaking on the video(s) and taking picture(s) on or about May 21, 2021.”

In his plea agreement, court records show Platte also agreed to identify Justin Martin for his role taking video and photos on May 4, 2021, as he rode, roped and spurred a moose.

The agreement for both men calls for three years of supervised probation under Wyoming Statute 7-13-301, which allows the court “without entering a judgment of guilt or conviction” to place the defendant on probation and  dismiss the proceedings when probation ends.

The deal states that both men would agree to no hunting, trapping or fishing during probation and other conditions “enumerated” by the court, as well as pay a $1,000 fine.

The court records show Judge James Kaste was not a party to the agreement, meaning he could accept or reject it at sentencing. Kaste ordered pre-sentence investigations for both men.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"The Background"}]

Charges against the men began with a Wyoming Game and Fish Department investigation that involved the seizure of Justin Martin’s phone on a separate issue. Game and Fish found video and screenshots of the 

 by Justin Martin and Platt on May 4, 2021, and Justin and Range Martin on May 24, 2021.

Game and Fish allege the abuse happened on Justin Martin’s M Arrow Ranch.

The videos and associated screenshots uncovered on Justin Martin’s phone, and testified to by Game and Fish Officer Heather Sterling at a 

 in Evanston Circuit Court, showed Platt at the M Arrow Ranch lassoing, spurring and riding a cow moose judged by Sterling to be in poor condition.

“He’s smiling, and he is aggressively spurring the moose as if it’s a horse being broken to ride,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to have an issue in participating in this activity at all.”

Sterling said audio taken from the video had Justin Martin’s voice encouraging Platt as he rode the moose. 

She said that in addition to Platt having a rope around the moose’s neck, a rope also was around one of its hind legs.

“In the video, you can hear Justin Martin encouraging this behavior and he says, ‘All right now, spur that son of a bitch, give him the dicks spur on him',” Sterling quoted for the court. “'Spur him some more, go to the fronts, that’s a kid'.”

Sterling testified Justin Martin was laughing as he encouraged Platt. 

The investigation also found Justin Martin sent the video to more than 20 phone numbers, she said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Struggling Moose"}]

Other videos linked to the May 4 incident show Platt before riding the moose standing in the bed of a Honda off-road vehicle with a lariat around the moose’s neck and holding it as the animal struggled.

A video from May 24 showed Range Martin with a cow moose standing in chest-high sagebrush with a lariat around its neck and pulling it while on a horse. 

Sterling said the moose is shown falling and struggling to get back on its feet.

She said Justin Martin could be heard saying, “I don’t think Ol' Roany likes that son-of-a-gun too much.”

Justin Martin’s four-day jury trial remains set for Aug. 11, according to court records.

The accessory before the fact to felony cruelty to animals charges Justin Martin faces carry a maximum of two years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The accessory before or after the fact charges to wanton taking of a big-game animal, a cow moose, carry a potential sentence of one year in jail and up to a $10,000 fine.

Uinta moose 7 9 26

<title>Trial Set For Uinta County Rancher Charged In Moose Torture Incident | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Uinta County rancher charged with videotaping two others torturing a sickly moose by roping, riding and spurring it is continuing toward a trial date next month. Two other men in the case have entered plea deals with a special prosecutor.

Trial Set For Uinta County Rancher Charged In Moose Torture Incident

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Government & Politics

A state audit of the Town of Guernsey's finances has raised questions about the community's bookkeeping after auditors reported an apparent $1.3 million deficit and identified multiple deficiencies in the town's accounting and record-keeping practices.

Town Clerk/Treasurer Hillary Dawson, however, said the large negative number does not mean the town is missing money. 

Instead, she said it reflects how nearly $4 million in grant funding for a town-wide water line replacement project was received over several years but largely spent during fiscal year 2025.

"Our entire town is not missing funds,” Dawson told Cowboy State Daily. “We're just operating in a different pool of money."

According to the 30-page audit released by the Wyoming Department of Audit Public Funds Division, Guernsey reported about $3.42 million in receipts and $4.72 million in disbursements during fiscal year 2025, resulting in an approximately $1.3 million deficit. The town's general fund ended the year with a negative cash balance of $1,265,889.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Water Project Skews Numbers"}]

Dawson said the deficit largely reflects the timing of a major infrastructure project rather than the town's financial health.

Although Guernsey has a population of roughly 1,100 and ordinarily qualifies to perform its own financial audit, the town was required to undergo a state audit after receiving about $960,000 in federal grant funding during fiscal year 2025 for the water line project.

Over roughly three years, the town received nearly $4 million for the project, Dawson said. Most of that money was spent during fiscal year 2025.

"If you bring in $4 million on a project over three years but you spend it all in one year, it's not going to look the same on paper," she said.

She added that the town currently has about $5.9 million in its accounts, including reserves.

"That's what's sitting in our bank accounts right now," she said. "The town's money is being allocated and spent in the right place."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Audit Raises Concerns"}]

While Dawson disputes the significance of the reported deficit, the audit also identified several accounting issues unrelated to the water project.

Auditors said they were unable to verify the town's beginning and ending cash balances because sufficient documentation was not available.

"Management has acknowledged that the cash beginning and ending balances appear misstated and that cash transfers between funds could be required to correct these balances," the report states. "Accordingly, we were unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to determine whether beginning and ending cash balances are accurately stated at the fund level."

The auditors also noted the town's general fund reflected negative cash and reported that management "was unable to provide support or an explanation as to the cause."

The report recommends the town investigate the cause of the negative cash balances and correct any misstatements, if necessary.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Meeting Minutes, Vendor Lists"}]

Auditors also found what they described as a "significant deficiency" in the town's meeting minutes.

According to the report, minutes posted on the town's website contained inaccuracies, including duplicated meeting minutes from one meeting to another and duplicated vendor payment listings.

Calls and emails to Mayor Ed Delgado were not returned before publication.

Guernsey resident and mayoral candidate Shawna Reichert said those findings validated concerns she has raised.

"I think the big thing that stood out to me was that even the minutes being put out to the public are not being done correctly," Reichert said. "There's no accountability. I think a lack of accountability has gotten us into the position we are currently."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Accounting Method"}]

Another audit finding involved journal entries that reclassified expenditures.

Auditors found instances in which expenses were moved between accounting periods. Because the town uses cash-basis accounting, expenditures should be recorded when cash is disbursed rather than when the expense was incurred.

Dawson said the issue stemmed from staff mistakenly recording invoices in the month services were provided instead of the month they were paid.

For example, she said, the town received a July invoice from Wyoming Municipal Power for June electric service and initially coded the expense to June.

"We should not have done that," Dawson said. "We paid an invoice for June that we did not receive until July."

She disputed the audit's suggestion that the entries were made to move expenses out of over-budget accounts, saying none were over budget and the issue reflected confusion between cash-basis and accrual accounting.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Corrective Plan"}]

The town has already adopted Resolution 2026-010, a corrective action plan that calls for improving cash-allocation procedures, adding reviews of journal entries, reconciling liability accounts, improving the accuracy of council meeting minutes and using a third party to review journal entries.

[{"type":"text","text":"Reichert remains skeptical."}]

"I have no confidence that change will happen because they've never spoken about it in any of our town council meetings," she said of the mayor and council. "How can you fix it if you're not bringing it to the public?

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I want better for our community.\""}]

Dawson said people are welcome to ask questions of her at the town hall at any time.

“People are smart enough, if they want to ask questions, they can come in and ask questions,” she said. “A lot of us come in here and we work really hard for this community.”

Guernsey Town Hall 7 9 26

<title>State Audit Finds $1.3 Million Deficit In Guernsey, Town Official Says No Money Is Missing | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A state audit of the Town of Guernsey's finances flagged a $1.3 million deficit and identified multiple issues with the town's accounting practices. Treasurer Hillary Dawson said the large negative number does not mean the town is missing money.

State Audit Finds $1.3 Million Deficit In Guernsey, Town Official Says No Money Is Missing

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Thursday, July 9th.  I’m Mac Watson

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

Count Wyoming as one of the states that is now infected with a parasite that is causing long-lasting explosive diarrhea and other distressing symptoms. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore spoke to the state epidemiologist late Wednesday who gave her the news.

“The Wyoming Department of Health has confirmed three cases of the parasite that's giving people explosive diarrhea around the country.  It is called cyclosporiasis. According to Wyoming epidemiologist Matt Peterson, right now the investigation is ongoing, and they're not exactly sure what has caused it. Past outbreaks were linked to lettuce and other foods.”

Peterson tells Cowboy State Daily that two Wyoming patients likely contracted the parasite while traveling to countries where Cyclospora is endemic, The third patient, however, had no history of international travel. Health officials did not identify the locations of the affected individuals.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

The 2.7-gigawatt data center once called Project Jade 8 miles south of Cheyenne has been unmasked as a massive Google campus. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that Google’s project, according to planning documents, will be a 716-acre campus in the Switchgrass Industrial Park.

“It's going to start at 2.7 gigawatts, but it can scale to 10 gigawatts. I was able to verify, I had suspected for a while that it was Google for a couple of different reasons, but I was able to finally verify that with some recent filings with Laramie County Planning and 

 has finally been revealed they are they are the entity behind this massive data center, which is Wyoming's largest and really one of the largest in the world, especially if they scale to 10 gigawatts.”

Google’s new facility likely isn’t the last large tech company to show up in Cheyenne. In addition to its 10 existing locations, Cheyenne has five more under construction and another nine in advanced stages of discussion, according to data from Cheyenne LEADS. 

A Jackson driver who watched Tuesday's deadly Teton Pass crash unfold says he nearly passed the dump truck moments before its brakes failed and crashed into six vehicles, killing two people. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that the eyewitness said, the dump truck was “driving way too fast.”

“Jackson Airport taxi owner Dumitru Cebotari was just one vehicle behind the dump truck that caused a cataclysmic crash, resulting in two fatalities on Tuesday afternoon in the Teton Pass. He said several people started passing the dump truck, including a motorcyclist. Then, as they started going down the hill, the truck picked up speed, and he knew that something was wrong. As someone who's driven a truck before, he said that he instantly could tell that something was very wrong. He thought maybe the brakes had gone out. Later, the highway patrol was able to determine that that did in fact happen.”

Cowboy State Daily also spoke to the motorcyclist who survived being hit from behind by the out of control dump truck. Caleb Batista tells Cowboy State Daily that he's lucky to be alive, only suffering a dislocated shoulder, a fractured foot, and lacerations to his face. 

Several Northern Arapaho Tribe members are outraged at a Christian pastor who spoke against their religious customs and encouraged worship of Jesus instead. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that one Arapaho member told Cowboy State Daily that the church is “not welcome here anymore.”

“Sarah Lucas has been preaching on the Wind River Indian Reservation for about a decade, and at a recent service following the Sundance tribal ceremony, she said, but we know that Jesus is enough, it's not Jesus plus, it's Jesus everything. And controversy just exploded. Some tribal members are saying that she needs to leave the reservation.”

Christian Wassana, an enrolled Cheyenne Arapaho of Oklahoma who played Martin Kills Many on “Yellowstone,” described Foundations for Nations pastor Sarah Lucas’ message as, “it feels like history repeating itself, with attempts to erase and discredit our traditional way of life.”

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

The Jane Doe found dead on Interstate 25 near Cheyenne in April has been identified as Brittany Smith, a Wyoming woman. Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher reports that Smith was struck on the on-ramp from Missile Drive on April 20th.

“Brittany Smith, 37, she was identified today by the Wyoming Highway Patrol as the Jane Doe who was killed on April 20. She was a pedestrian on the on-ramp near Mild marker one off Interstate I-25 and she was hit by Ikea Sportage. From my understanding, at this point there are no charges pending.”

According to senior public relations specialist with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Aaron Brown, Smith was struck by a northbound Kia Sportage on the on-ramp from Missile Drive on April 20th. Smith had been a pedestrian standing in the roadway.

A vocal crowd converged Tuesday on the Green River City Council meeting and opposed a $112,000 federal grant for the police department to install license plate reader cameras. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports the City Council and mayor ultimately voted 6-1 against finalizing the grant.

“We reported that the police department was pushing for a grant to install license plate readers, at least four of them, around the city, and then there was a city council meeting to finalize that. The people showed up, 10 of them spoke, all in opposition, and in the end, the mayor and council voted six to one not to finalize the grant. The police chief defended the cameras at the city council meeting, but he also voiced empathy for the people's passion and concern.”

Green River Police Chief Shawn Sturlaugson had planned to install around four Motorola brand license-plate readers, largely at city entrances, to respond quickly to criminal getaway or vulnerable-person situations, he told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.

Two experienced Wyoming outdoorswomen said a large black bear aggressively entered their camp in the Bighorns late Sunday and turned it into “total chaos.” Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that when they returned the next day after escaping to a cabin, their camp was completely torn apart.

“Finally, the one lady fired two shots at it. The second shot convinced it to leave, and so they went and hung out in their jeeps for a while, and kind of got themselves settled back down, and decided, okay, let's, let's just go. My family has a cabin, so let's go stay at the cabin. So they grabbed their sleeping bags, went to the cabin, came back the next day, and apparently the bear had come back and just completely destroyed the camp.”

In a statement emailed to Cowboy State Daily, Game and Fish confirmed that four traps were set in the area and Game and Fish agents who spoke to other campers in the area didn’t report any bear conflicts.  

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

It was an alleged kick to the groin of a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper that could get a Laramie man up to 10 years in prison after running from the law in a pickup towing a camper. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the trooper says, the “intense pain was causing me to be nauseous.”

“The lottery patrol knows he's coming, they set up the stop sticks, flatten his tires, he's still driving around, drives into Curt Gowdy State Park, and then ditches the car, runs, and he was hiding into his vegetation at night in the park. They finally find the guy, and he didn't want to go. He fought him the entire way, and at one point, when he got the opportunity, according to the affidavit, kicked the trooper in the groin as hard as he could, and you know that act right there is a felony.”

47-year-old Nicholas J. Blocker is scheduled for a Friday appearance in Albany County Circuit Court to face at least three criminal charges and 12 other traffic citations related to the chase and arrest.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 7 9 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 9, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Thursday's headlines include:
* Google Data Center Comes To Cheyenne
* Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Reaches Wyoming
* Teton Pass Eyewitness: Dump Truck Going “Way Too Fast"

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Thursday, July 9, 2026

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

Clair McFarland

Native American Tribes

A “Yellowstone” series TV actor posted a clip Tuesday of a Christian pastor preaching on the Wind River Indian Reservation and discouraging some of the Arapaho tribal religious ceremonies, saying “Jesus is everything...A pipe cannot hear your prayers.”

, garnering 31,000 views as of Wednesday afternoon and provoking outrage, particularly around the reservation.

Christian Wassana, an enrolled Cheyenne Arapaho of Oklahoma who played Martin Kills Many on “Yellowstone," described Foundations for Nations pastor Sarah Lucas’ message as, “A pastor speaking at a church on the Rez in Wyoming condemning Sundance, one of our oldest and most sacred ceremonies.”

Wassana said, “it feels like history repeating itself, with attempts to erase and discredit our traditional way of life.”

He said everyone has the right to practice his or her own faith, “but claiming that one path is the only path while belittling and condemning ours is deeply disheartening.”

In the Northern Arapaho tribe, the flat pipe is associated with the Creator, and some sun dance rituals center on the pipe and treat it as a sacred object.

[{"type":"text","text":"‘We Know That Jesus Is Enough’"}]

The full sermon was unavailable at least as of Wednesday. The one-minute, 38-second clip depicts Lucas paraphrasing from the Bible: “tear down the altars, tear down the idols.”

She spoke of “this nation” gathering in recent days, praying. The tribal members had just conducted their sun dance ceremony. 

Lucas’ church sits on private, not tribal, land within the reservation, on the east side near Riverton. Two tribes share that reservation: the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone.

Several Northern Arapaho Tribe members are outraged at a Christian pastor who spoke against their religious customs and encouraged worship of Jesus instead. One Arapaho member told Cowboy State Daily that the church is "not welcome here anymore."

One More For The Road: Friday, September 6, 2024

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