Two Fremont County men in their 20s are accused of trashing the post office of tiny Kinnear, Wyoming, early Monday morning. They were found afterward, passed out in a running truck that was still lodged in reverse on the highway’s shoulder, court documents say.
Averey Jayden Burnett, 21, and Omar Cyril Tillman, 24, were charged Wednesday in Riverton Circuit Court with one count each of felony property destruction. Burnett also was charged with misdemeanor-level police interference.
Those cases are still pending, but because of the “particular property in question,” which is federal, the case may “invoke jurisdiction for federal charges,” Acting Fremont County Attorney Micah Wyatt told Cowboy State Daily on Friday.
Lori Davidson, who owns the property the post office sits on next to the Kinnear Store, which she also owns, told Cowboy State Daily that the building was ransacked, and that she was told Burnett and Tillman still had a lot of stuff that was stolen from the post office in the truck.
“They did probably between $10,000 and $20,000 worth of damage in here,” she said. “They destroyed the whole inside of the building.”
In a video Davidson took in the aftermath of the break-in, furniture and fixtures are pulled off walls and broken, while debris is everywhere. She said that the keys to the post office boxes were stolen, which prompted having to change out all those locks.
“They had keys, packages, mail — all kinds of stuff they stole — with them,” Davidson said. “I videoed the whole thing, and they caught them, and they were both in that truck passed out with all the shit they stole.”
Early Morning Call
Fremont County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jesse Moss responded to the U.S. Post Office in Kinnear at about 4 a.m. Monday morning on a report that two men were trying to break in, says an evidentiary affidavit in the state’s case.
Deputy Nate Meeker also responded, the document says.
A male eyewitness told deputies on scene that he saw two men smash the windows out of the post office and force their way into the building.
The same eyewitness, who asked not to be identified by name for fear of reprisals, told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday phone interview that the suspects “destroyed everything that was attached to anything,” though “I have zero idea why.”
They seemed drunk and were “definitely being pretty weird,” he added.
The two men got into a gold or tan Chevy Silverado pickup with Wyoming plates and left, headed west on Highway 26, according to law enforcement reports from the time.
Moss told dispatch he’d patrol 17 Mile Road on the Wind River Indian Reservation, but he didn’t find the pickup there.
Meeker arrived at the Post Office in the meantime and found it damaged, inside and out, says the affidavit.
Wind River Police Department Officer Heyer, no first name given, joined the search.
Two Fremont County men in their 20s are accused of trashing the post office of tiny Kinnear, Wyoming, early Monday morning. They were found afterward, passed out in a running truck, court documents say. (Courtesy Lori Davidson) 
Two Fremont County men in their 20s are accused of trashing the post office of tiny Kinnear, Wyoming, early Monday morning. They were found afterward, passed out in a running truck, court documents say. (Courtesy Lori Davidson) 
Two Fremont County men in their 20s are accused of trashing the post office of tiny Kinnear, Wyoming, early Monday morning. They were found afterward, passed out in a running truck, court documents say. (Courtesy Lori Davidson)
Truck Found
At about 4:40 a.m., Moss arrived at the post office and noticed the windows broken out, the document says. He heard Heyer on the radio, telling dispatch he found the Chevy on Highway 26, in Kinnear.
Two men were passed out in the vehicle, and it was still running with its transmission set in reverse, the officer added.
Moss arrived six minutes later and found the pickup as Heyer had said: facing west toward Dubois, blocking a driveway and possibly posing a traffic hazard, says the affidavit.
The only thing stopping the pickup from backing up was Burnett’s foot lodged on the brake pedal as he slumped passed out in the driver’s seat, the document says, adding that Tillman was slumped unconscious in the passenger seat.
A large bottle of yellow-green liquid lay in Burnett’s lap. Tillman had a plastic bag or can of liquid in his lap, the document alleges.
Quickly, says the affidavit, Heyer unlocked the truck through the open passenger-side window, then Moss opened the driver’s side door, slid the shifter into park while Burnett’s foot still pressed the brake, pulled the keys from the ignition and placed them on the hood.
The document says Burnett reeked of alcohol and refused to leave the vehicle, and cursed Moss while threatening to fight him.
Moss pulled Burnett from the driver’s seat and tried handcuffing him. A struggle followed, the affidavit says, leading Moss to jerk Burnett down to the ground and warn him he’d be tased if he didn’t calm down.
The sergeant managed to secure Burnett in handcuffs.
Meanwhile, Heyer tried to gain control of Tillman, the document says.
Moss found a wallet and vape pen in Burnett’s pocket, reportedly. Heyer handcuffed Tillman and put him in his own patrol vehicle, but Meeker arrived and took custody of Tillman in his deputy vehicle.
Witness Says
The eyewitness spoke with Moss, saying he woke to the sound of someone pounding on his door, saying, “I need something.”
The witness spoke with Burnett, whom he recognized. Then he walked away to get his landlord to call the sheriff’s office, the witness added in his Cowboy State Daily interview.
After that, his senses on high alert, he kept tracking Burnett’s movements and heard the crashing of the post office destruction, he said.
When Moss took Burnett to the jail, another sergeant searched the man there, and found postal service keys in Burnett’s pockets as well as a large piece of glass, says the affidavit. At about 7 a.m., Burnett gave a breath-alcohol sample reading 0.136%, reportedly.
Though it’s uncertain whether the prosecution would stay in the state’s court, each man faces up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted in Wyoming’s courts of felony property destruction; Burnett would face another punishment of up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines if convicted of police interference.
Davidson said it’s difficult to comprehend burglarizing and trashing a post office, and she’s glad the men didn’t target the store next door.
“I’m just thankful it didn’t happen to the store,” she said. “I’m thankful they didn’t do our store like that, because there’s no way we could reopen again.”
As for the post office, the full scope of the damage is still being documented.
“They completely trashed it,” Davidson said. “They didn’t go half-assed on it. I hope that the 25 years or whatever they get for this was worth it.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com and Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
