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[{"type":"text","text":"Introverts can relate....."}]

Bonus vid 2 3 24 25

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

<title>Bonus Video 2: Monday, March 24, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Introverts can relate.....

Bonus Video 2: Monday, March 24, 2025

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

More than three months after a Sweetwater County sheriff's deputy fatally shot an armed 18-year-old during a standoff at a Rock Springs apartment complex, an independent investigation has concluded the deputy acted lawfully and will not face criminal charges.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the April 20 shooting at the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex. Carbon County Attorney Sarah Chavez Harkins served as a special prosecutor to determine whether Deputy Nathaniel Hull's actions violated Wyoming or federal law.

In a written determination dated July 31, Harkins concluded Hull's use of deadly force was both constitutionally and statutorily justified, bringing the criminal review to a close.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hit-And-Run"}]

The confrontation began around 4:10 a.m. April 20, when officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to a reported hit-and-run in the parking lot of the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex at 2152 Century Blvd.

As officers responded, dispatchers received information that 18-year-old Zander Bowlin, an Arkansas native living in Rock Springs, had shot himself, was suicidal, possessed multiple firearms and might shoot responding officers.

The DCI investigation found officers entered Bowlin's upstairs apartment to render aid but instead found him in a bedroom holding a handgun to his neck.

Investigators said officers repeatedly ordered Bowlin to drop the gun before withdrawing from the apartment and beginning to evacuate neighboring residents.

Deputy Hull arrived to assist and took a position outside the apartment building, where he made verbal contact with Bowlin on an outer balcony, they said.

The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office said Bowlin repeatedly moved between the apartment and the balcony carrying different firearms and pointed them at Hull several times.

Investigators found Hull stayed behind cover and withheld fire during each of those encounters.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Confrontation Escalates"}]

The confrontation escalated when Bowlin emerged carrying an AR-platform rifle.

Investigators said Bowlin turned toward the area where patrol vehicles, responding officers and residents evacuating the apartment building were located before lowering the rifle in that direction.

[{"type":"text","text":"Hull again ordered Bowlin to drop the weapon."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"According to investigators, Bowlin then turned the rifle toward Hull."}]

Hull fired three rounds from his duty pistol, striking Bowlin and ending the confrontation.

Law enforcement officers maintained cover while a tactical team entered the apartment and secured the scene.

Tactical officers found four firearms on Bowlin or within his immediate area — two handguns tucked into his waistband, another handgun beside him and the AR-platform rifle resting along the balcony railing. Multiple firearms, including the rifle, were loaded.

Bowlin was transported to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County before he was flown to a medical facility in Salt Lake City.

[{"type":"text","text":"He died April 25 from injuries sustained in the shooting."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Why No Charges?"}]

In her written determination, Harkins concluded Bowlin's actions created "a direct and immediate threat" to Hull, other responding officers and members of the public.

She determined Hull reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury and that he used only the amount of force necessary to stop the threat.

Harkins also found no evidence Hull acted with "ill will, malicious intent, or any unlawful purpose."

[{"type":"text","text":"Based on those findings, she declined to pursue criminal charges."}]

Harkins did not respond to Cowboy State Daily's request for a copy of her written final determination.

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

, authorities released few details because DCI's investigation had just begun.

[{"type":"text","text":"Neighbors, however, described a chaotic scene."}]

Varick Dittman told Cowboy State Daily he awoke after hearing what sounded like gunfire and later saw officers surrounding the apartment complex.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I heard at least one gunshot,\" Dittman said at the time."}]

Another resident, Cayden Aragon, said officers evacuated the third floor while tactical officers and drones converged on the apartment complex. After the incident, he discovered his truck had been struck during the response.

At the time, DCI Commander Ryan Cox said many questions about the shooting could not be answered while investigators continued gathering evidence.

Cowboy State Daily also submitted a Wyoming Public Records Act request to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation seeking the investigative file, including the investigative report, witness interviews, dispatch communications, body-camera footage and other records related to the shooting.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sheriff Responds"}]

Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Fischer said independent review is appropriate whenever law enforcement uses deadly force.

"Public scrutiny is appropriate whenever a law enforcement officer uses deadly force," Fischer said. "To ensure that scrutiny, DCI investigated this incident, and an outside prosecutor reviewed the evidence. The complete record shows that Deputy Hull took cover, communicated what he was observing, repeatedly ordered Bowlin to drop his weapons, and fired only after Bowlin lowered a rifle toward officers and residents and then turned it toward Deputy Hull."

Fischer said the findings confirmed Hull acted lawfully while emphasizing the human cost of the incident.

"Two things can be true at the same time: any loss of human life is tragic, and we are also profoundly grateful that no one else was injured," Fischer said. "There are moments in this profession when every available option carries grave consequences, yet an officer must still make a decision in seconds."

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<title>Sweetwater Sheriff's Deputy Cleared In Fatal Shooting Of Armed Rock Springs Man | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A special prosecutor has cleared a Sweetwater County deputy in the April fatal shooting of an 18-year-old in Rock Springs. The conclusion is deadly force was legally justified after the man pointed an AR-style rifle and other firearms at officers.

Sweetwater Sheriff's Deputy Cleared In Fatal Shooting Of Armed Rock Springs Man

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Business

For nearly 30 years, Jackson Hole has grown up around a picturesque 5.43-acre parcel of wooded land along the west bank of the Snake River.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"In 1997, that parcel sold for $275,000. "}]

Not much on the land has changed in the 30 years since. Sure, the trees have grown a little taller, but the grass is as verdant as ever. 

What’s really changed about this pristine piece of unimproved land is its price.

In 2025, the 5.43 acres with its Snake River frontage sold for $5.45 million — despite never having any improvements other than what Mother Nature provided in sunshine, rain and time.

That makes the appreciation of this parcel a whopping 1,981%, according to figures from the real estate team Viehman Group, which has examined the 30-year trend for luxury properties in Jackson Hole. 

That’s an annualized return of 10.65%, which is slightly better than the overall stock market return of the S&P 500, which averaged 10.4% from January 1996 through December 2025, according to calculations by the financial services company Fidelity. 

Though not many properties in Jackson Hole have outpaced the stock market, their appreciation is still eye-catching, ranging from 6.6 times higher on average for luxury single-family homes to 14 times higher for luxury residential vacant land. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Defining A Luxury Property"}]

The report focused on appreciation in just the luxury category.

Nationally, the benchmark set for defining a “luxury” real estate property is the top 10% slice of any market. 

In Jackson Hole, based on the 186 homes sold in 2025, that would put luxury homes starting at $13.5 million.

For its analysis, Viehman Group used a value of $10 million for single-family homes and $5 million for condominiums, townhomes and vacant land.

Luxury land prices in Jackson Hole are driven by factors such as scarcity, extreme privacy and protected natural beauty, all while maintaining a reasonable distance to Jackson for amenities. 

Unobstructed Teton views and vistas add to the premium. Water frontage along the Snake River and Fish Creek, or private trout ponds, can double the baseline value of a piece of land.

Bordering national forests, the National Elk Refuge, or lands secured by conservation easements that ensure seclusion and zero intrusive development also add to the bottom-line value.

West Bank is one of the micro-locations particularly prized for its mature trees and proximity to ski resorts as well as the lush, river-adjacent microclimate. 

The East and West Gros Ventre Buttes, meanwhile, offer sweeping valley lookouts. 

Private sporting enclaves such as the Snake River Sporting Club or 3-Creek Ranch, with integrated amenities, can also add value.

Across the valley, luxury vacant land appreciated an average of 1,384% over 30 years, or about 14 times what buyers originally paid. 

Luxury condos and townhomes rose on average 858%, about 8.6 times higher than their 1990 values, while luxury single-family homes climbed 657%, or about 6.6 times.

The lowest appreciation for residential land was still a 913% gain for a 3.53-acre parcel in the West Bank John Dodge neighborhood, which is a nine-fold increase over 26 years. 

Similar patterns showed up in other luxury categories. 

The weakest performer in the single-family group still more than tripled, rising from $3.6 million in 1999 to $10.45 million in 2024. The best performer, a residence in Schofield Patent on the West Bank, gained 1,522%, going from $1.1 million in 1999 to $16.75 million in 2025.

In the luxury condo and townhome segment, the top appreciation was 1,235% for an original-section Teton Village condo that went from $425,000 in 1995 to $5.25 million in 2026. 

The common thread across all these asset classes is that while not every property beat the S&P 500, almost all delivered long-term returns most investors would envy.

The 30-year report traces the valley’s gains to policy as much as its postcard scenery, according to the Viehman Group’s Devon Viehman.

“It’s not all just the COVID numbers that bumped it up,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “We’ve seen a steady progression over the last 30 years, and every time we see this, we go back and look at this historical data. Every time, more stringent land development regulations have been put on our valley, like in the '90s when they made it so you couldn’t ... our minimum lot size was 3 acres and they made it 35 acres. Property values went up.”

Every restriction has acted as a curb to supply, Viehman added. In a place where supply is already restricted to 3% by surrounding federal lands, the significance of such rules has carried outsized weight.

“We have so much conservation in the valley and so little land,” she said. “It’s just supply and demand. And those regulations made it worse starting in the ‘90s. That’s kind of the big takeaway.”

One recent deal that shows just how far Jackson Hole’s luxury market has come — and how outsized some of its biggest transactions are — was the sale of the Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Teton Village.

That was the largest real estate deal in Jackson Hole history, Viehman said, with a price tag so high the Viehman Group team decided to leave it out of the 30-year analysis. 

“If you add in the Four Seasons sale, we did have a record year,” Viehman said. “But if you take that out, it’s pretty on par from last year. So we didn’t add it to our numbers, because it would have skewed everything so much.”

The landmark transaction for $1.1 billion included two properties: The Four Seasons Resort in Orlando at Walt Disney and the Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Jackson Hole. 

The exact distribution between the two properties has not been disclosed. But Viehman said industry sources estimate the value of the Teton Village asset alone at about $650 million. 

That pushes the total real estate transaction volume in Jackson Hole for the first three months of the year past $1 billion. 

For the “lower” end of Jackson Hole’s market — where values are under $2 million — there’s been little turnover, Viehman said. 

“People have these great interest rates that they don’t want to leave,” she said. “And then, also, people don’t want to go get a 6% loan right now, so those are really tough to sell.”

On the other hand, a well-priced home in that range sometimes sells quickly. 

“The Aspen Reserve on the cover our report went under contract in less than 24 hours,” she said. “It had multiple offers because it’s new, it’s beautiful, and the upper end buyers didn’t want to deal with waiting to build. So if there’s a nice new product, it’s getting multiple offers at the high end of the market, which is really interesting.”

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<title>Kaboom! Value Of Jackson Luxury Property Has Exploded In Value Since 1995 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A new 30-year analysis shows longtime Jackson Hole luxury property values have absolutely exploded in value since 1995. One 5.43-acre property increased in value from $275,000 in 1995 to $5.45 million in 2025, a 1,981% gain.

Kaboom! Value Of Jackson Luxury Property Has Exploded In Value Since 1995

Business & Tourism

Jackson Hole isn’t the first place most people think of for a wrestling match, but that’s what is about to quietly unfold in Teton County over the next few weeks. 

Two events, one week apart, will place opposing visions of money within the same valley.

While the two opponents won't share the same stage, they will feature opposing visions of money within the same valley. And each will host different sets of financial titans — neither of which are likely to pull any punches.

First up is the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Aug. 17-20, an invitation-only, three-day gathering in Teton Village that will draw 500 billionaire founders, institutional investors and top-tier policymakers for what amounts to a digital-asset Davos. 

The guest list includes top-level regulators such asSEC Chair Paul Atkins and billionaire CEOs such as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Galaxy’s Mike Novogratz and BitGo’s Mike Belshe. Venture capital titans such as Morgan Stanley head of Emerging Markets Amy Oldenburg, Nasdaq senior executive Kevin Kennedy, and Skybridge Capital Managing Partner Anthony Scaramucci are also attending.

Then, seven days later, after the crypto and fintech crowd clears out, a considerably smaller group of 120 traditional gatekeepers of legacy finance will arrive at Jackson Lake Lodge for the Federal Reserve’s annual economic retreat — led by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh. 

His banner for the equally closed-door event Aug. 27-29, is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.”

If all this sounds like it’s just coincidence, it’s one that mirrors events of the past 17 years, ever since Satoshi Nakamoto published his Bitcoin white paper amid the 2008 global financial crisis — just two weeks after the government announced a $2 trillion bailout for banks deemed “too big to fail.”

The argument between the two camps boils down to one core question: Who will control the future of money, and what shape should that future take? 

As crypto advocates see it, government should not be trusted with this power. Exhibit A in their book is the continual printing of money, devaluing everyone’s savings. Computer code can be programmed to limit the money supply automatically, without fear or favor.

The Federal Reserve, on the other hand, is angling for more central control. They believe a group of human experts should control the money supply, to print or restrict money in ways that steer the economy, prevent crashes and manage inflation. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming’s Digital Asset Bet"}]

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, one of the architects of Wyoming’s digital asset framework, is among those in the Cowboy State watching all of this unfold. 

“It’s an interesting little battle,” he said. “Those traditional financial institutions obviously want to win and want to be in control of financial systems, regardless of the financial system type. So it’s going to be a continued battle.”

Rothfuss hopes that despite the federal battles Wyoming has had to fight for its regulatory framework, that some of the financial institutions are finally coming around.

“I’m hopeful that the hard work we’ve invested in will pay off,” he said. “I think we are still better positioned than any of the alternative solutions — really any of the federal solutions, when it gets right down to it. Because the federal regulatory structure is very subject to political will and the politics of Washington, D.C.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Keeping More Wyoming Youth?"}]

Former state legislator and Crook County rancher Tyler Lindholm also helped pioneer the state’s digital asset laws. He sees the digital asset sector as a chance at economic diversification that might help retain more of the state's youth.

“The reality is not everybody wants to grow up to be a cowboy or a coal miner,” Lindholm said. "So, what are we going to do to provide that opportunity for those homegrown Wyoming kids who do want to chase self-actualization and become their best selves and work in the trade they want to work in? Wyoming needs to find a way. We have to find a way to be attractive to different types of industries, because if we keep going down the path we’re going down, Wyoming is going to continue to just look like a retirement state.”

Rep. Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne, has also been active in digital asset legislation. He is optimistic about the future — and proud of how Wyoming has handled the digital asset space.

“We didn’t have to give any special tax breaks or handouts to these industries to make them think Wyoming is attractive,” he said. “All we had to do was lean into our strengths, which was recognizing the rights of the people, that coming in the form of recognizing property rights in the digital age. We were the first state to go forward and do that, and because we were the first ones to create that legal clarity, so many entities are coming into the state of Wyoming now.”

Some of those entities are already stepping up to give back, Singh added. 

“The largest single entity in Wyoming is Kraken, and they are the ones who have pledged to fund the Trump accounts for our next generation,” he said. “That’s creating a whole other opportunity for the next generation of kids who are going to be here, and they did that voluntarily.”

Others in the space are less optimistic, pointing to the “leap-frogging” the Fed’s delay has made possible by banks in financial centers like New York..

“As a result of that, the big financial institutions have stayed mostly in New York,” Custodia Bank’s Caitlin Long told Cowboy State Daily. “Because the powers that be were able to block Wyoming as an upstart … So Kraken is the only big company that has not just registered in Wyoming, but has relocated to Wyoming and has jobs on the ground.

”It’s not going to be what we had at one time hoped it would be. And there’s one simple reason for that. It’s the Federal Reserve.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"An Annual Wyoming Fixture"}]

The fact that a digital asset conference with so much global heft is happening in Jackson Hole is not an accident, even if its timing with the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium might be coincidental. 

Wyoming has spent the better part of a decade quietly rewriting its laws to court this kind of moment.

Starting in 2018, lawmakers passed a series of first-in-the-nation statutes to define digital assets clearly and to recognize them as a form of personal property. That legal clarity came with special charters for things like digital asset “SPDI” or speedy banks, to securely hold digital assets and cash them out, and DUNAs, which allow Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to enter into contracts, hold assets, hire contributors and pay taxes. 

The latter Wyoming model has since been copied by other states such as Alabama and West Virginia. 

SPDIs, however, were choked out at the federal level by regulators — despite lawmakers engaging in at least 100 meetings with the Kansas City Federal Reserve to hammer out a SPDI law that would be pleasing to the Fed.

The state has also backed its own government-issued stable token, the Frontier token, pitched as a way to modernize public finance, while helping the state bolster its education system and its property tax base. 

The strategy, Rothfuss and other lawmakers have said, was taking a page from another lightly populated state's playbook. Decades ago, South Dakota successfully diversified its economy by embracing a nascent credit card industry, collaring several companies that still have significant operations there today, among them Citibank and Wells Fargo. 

That’s had mixed success, with the Biden Administration’s Federal Reserve blocking Wyoming’s SPDI banks, but Rothfuss does see notable successes, like Kraken’s decision to plant not only its incorporation papers but its headquarters in Wyoming. 

Founded in 2011, the cryptocurrency exchange and fintech platform serves more than 15 million users in 190 countries, facilitating billions in trading volume and posting $2.2 billion in annual revenue.

It’s No. 3 on the inaugural Fortune Crypto 100 list, tracking the most influential infrastructure builders in the digital asset world. 

“A big part of the reason we have SALT is Kraken and their recognition of (Wyoming’s) framework,” Rothfuss said. “And then we have other entities coming to Wyoming, utilizing our DUNA Act and utilizing other resources like the speedy that we have. We’re trying to get traction with our Frontier Stable tokens, so I think we’ve got all the right tools in place.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"In Global Company"}]

That backstory explains how and why the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, whose sister SALT Conference is held in places like Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, New York, and London, has kept the Cowboy State on its short list for three years running. 

“Wyoming, in particular, has shown leadership within that (digital) asset class,” SALT CEO John Darsie told Cowboy State Daily. “So this event is built around being an annual fixture in Wyoming.”

It does bring a large economic impact to Teton County and by extension Wyoming. 

Darsie will secure as large a hotel room block as possible in Teton Village, which essentially means the Four Seasons Teton Mountain Lodge, Faraway Jackson, Gravity House, and Hotel Terra.

“All told, the event is meant to be a 500-person event and is supposed to be somewhat exclusive in nature — by application or invitation only,” he said.

SALT will spend thousands on catering for those 500 out-of-state guests as well as different types of events meant to be a crash course in the Wyoming experience.

“Each year we’ve done a reception at Snake River Ranch at the gray Barn facility in Teton Village,” Darsie said. “We’re doing a big reception at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village this yea, and, then, for the third straight year, we’re doing a concert at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in downtown Jackson.” 

The event has sometimes been closed to media, but not this year.

“In year one, we did take more of a Chatham House rule approach,” Darsie said. “But we’ve decided that we want to open it up. There’s nothing that’s going on that we don’t want to share with the world. So we’ve opened it up to media in subsequent years.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Wyoming Positioned Well"}]

Darsie is a believer that Wyoming stands to gain, long-term, from the digital asset industry, which he sees as a natural when dovetailing with Artificial Intelligence.

“Wyoming’s leadership in sort of financial innovation is going to dovetail into its leadership in energy and AI leadership,” he said. “Wyoming is a very resource-rich state, a lot of which is untapped. Energy, if it’s consumed closer to where it’s produced, is much more efficient.”

Historically, Wyoming has exported 12 to 15 times the amount of energy it uses, according to various media estimates. 

“I know data center is a dirty word,” Darsie said. “But if you can have data centers built in a place like Wyoming …” it flips the script on both jobs and tax revenues.

“They are positive for the locations in which they operate,” he said. “They are job creators, as long as they’re not putting an onerous strain on an energy grid or a water source or poisoning a water source. And I think as these data centers go on, they will get better at making sure those two things aren’t the case. Then it’s up to local and state leaders to make sure the data centers are built in the right place and operate the right way.”

The vision of Wyoming ripping a page from South Dakota’s playbook is “absolutely” possible, Darsie added.

“This is a growth industry,” he said. “And Wyoming has very effectively staked out its place as the leader in this asset class and in this industry that I think, long-term, will cause it to have more of a moat around it in terms of regulatory innovation.”

Darsie added that he “yearns” for the West every time he’s in Wyoming — if he could just one day convince his wife to relocate. 

“I’m really excited for the future in Wyoming,” he said. “And I’m excited to have our long-term home there for this event.”

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<title>New Fed Chief Visits As Two Elite Summits Puts Wyoming At Center Of Money Fight | Cowboy State Daily</title>

In the span of a week, Teton County will host a 500-person, invite-only, digital-asset “Davos.” That will be followed by the Federal Reserve’s elite annual retreat. Each event is another round in a high-stakes wrestling match over the future of money.

New Fed Chief Visits As Two Elite Summits Puts Wyoming At Center Of Money Fight

Public Safety

A Utah man who died after collapsing inside the Lincoln County Detention Center after his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival is being remembered by lifelong friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him.

Tyson J. Alvares, 38, of Smithfield, Utah, died July 25 after collapsing while being booked into the Lincoln County jail, less than an hour after he was arrested by the Kemmerer Police Department at the festival.

According to a Lincoln County Sheriff's Office press release, Alvares was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, breach of peace and disorderly conduct after officers encountered him at the festival. Authorities said Alvares admitted using a controlled substance and was behaving erratically, prompting officers to have him evaluated by emergency medical technicians before transporting him to jail.

The sheriff's office said EMTs cleared Alvares for booking. He arrived at the detention center at about 9:30 p.m. and collapsed in a holding cell around 10:20 p.m. while being booked. Detention officers began lifesaving efforts after noticing he was no longer breathing, but he could not be revived, the sheriff’s office said.

Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson told Cowboy State Daily there was no use of force involving Alvares at the detention center. He said any additional information would be released as part of DCI's ongoing investigation.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Was Always There'"}]

Stacie Lynn Izatt said she has known Alvares since childhood. Their families grew up together in Utah, and she said he was the kind of friend people knew they could depend on.

"If you needed something, if you needed help, if your bike broke or anything that way, all the way up to that, he was there," she said. "You could call him at any point."

While Izatt worked nights at a gas station, Alvares would sometimes stop by. If customers made her uncomfortable, he wouldn't leave until he knew she was safe.

"There would be creepy guys that would come in," she recalled. "He would stick around until they left ... or walk me to my car if I needed to."

She summed him up in one sentence: "He would literally give you the shirt off his back."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Fought Like Hell' "}]

Since Alvares' death, Izatt said she has struggled to read online comments from people who knew nothing about him beyond the circumstances of his arrest.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"All they see is the drug use,\" she said."}]

She doesn't deny that addiction became part of Alvares' life. He attended rehabilitation, experienced periods of sobriety and relapse, and repeatedly tried to regain his footing, she said.

"He fought like hell," she said. "He would do good. He would do bad. It was hard to watch."

But she hopes people understand that addiction is not the totality of a person's life.

"Just because he was an addict, he didn't deserve to die," Izatt said. "If people saw him outside of that label, they would want to be his friend."

[{"type":"text","text":"Recovery, she said, is rarely a straight path."}]

"They're still human. They're still people. They're still somebody's child. They're somebody's brother," she said. "Don't define them by that."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Family Facing More Heartbreak"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Alvares' death has compounded years of tragedy for his family."}]

Izatt said Alvares' older brother died of cancer about five years ago. More recently, a cousin was killed in an ATV rollover. 

[{"type":"text","text":"\"They're a tight-knit family,\" she said. \"They're just good people.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Now, Izatt said, Alvares' mother is mourning another son."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"His mama is burying her last boy,” she said."}]

Watching strangers celebrate his death or dismiss his life because of addiction has only deepened the pain for those who loved him.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"It's cruel,\" Izatt said. \"People don't know him.\""}]

In the days since Alvares' death, family members have shared a 

 seeking donations to help his mother cover funeral expenses.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Questions Remain"}]

Authorities have not released a cause or manner of death, and DCI has not disclosed what occurred between Alvares' arrival at the jail and his collapse roughly 50 minutes later.

Sheriff Johnson confirmed Alvares underwent an EMT evaluation before being transported to the jail but declined further comment while DCI's investigation remains active.

Cowboy State Daily sought comment from the Kemmerer Police Department regarding Alvares' arrest and requested information from the Lincoln County Coroner's Office regarding his cause and manner of death, but neither agency responded before publication.

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<title>Friend Says Man Who Died In Wyoming Jail After Music Festival Arrest Was More Than His Addiction | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Utah man who died after collapsing inside a Lincoln County jail following his arrest at southwest Wyoming's Oyster Ridge Music Festival is being remembered by friends as someone whose struggles with addiction never eclipsed the generosity that defined him.

Bonus Video 2: Monday, March 24, 2025

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