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[{"type":"text","text":"We'll take two of these, ASAP....."}]

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

<title>Today In Food: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

We'll take two of these, ASAP.....

Today In Food: Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Wyoming Sunrise

Today's Wyoming sunrise was captured by Joseph Michaels. Joseph writes, "Smoky sunrise over Sheep Mountain."

[{"type":"text","text":"To submit your Wyoming sunrise, email us at: News@CowboyStateDaily.com"}]

NOTE: Please send us the highest-quality version of your photo. The larger the file, the better.

[{"type":"text","text":"NOTE #2: Please include where you are from and where the photo was taken."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"NOTE #3: Tell us about your sunrise. What do you like about it?"}]

NOTE #4: We prefer horizontal photos. We can use vertical but horizontal is preferred.

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<title>Your Wyoming Sunrise: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Your Wyoming Sunrise: Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Crime & Courts

Nearly two months after Wyoming prosecutors accused a Utah car dealer of 

 to resell hundreds of hail-damaged Wyoming vehicles using fraudulent titles, the criminal case has advanced to district court.

After a preliminary hearing Monday, Scott Keith Pryor, 50, owner of The Good Car Dealer in Salt Lake City, was bound over on 15 felony counts of altering, forging or counterfeiting a certificate of title.

Laramie County Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams found prosecutors presented enough evidence for the case to proceed.

Each felony count alleges a violation of Wyoming's title fraud statute, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

The charges stem from what investigators describe as an elaborate title scheme involving vehicles damaged during the historic August 2025 hailstorm that battered Cheyenne.

[{"type":"text","text":"Pryor has remained free throughout the case on a $5,000 signature bond."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Nearly $2 Million In Vehicles"}]

The affidavit filed by Wyoming investigators alleges Pryor purchased 292 hail-damaged vehicles with an estimated value of nearly $2 million after insurers declared them total losses.

[{"type":"text","text":"Many were purchased through online salvage auctions operated by Copart."}]

Normally, vehicles sold through those auctions receive titles reflecting their salvage status or other branding intended to alert buyers that the vehicles sustained significant damage.

Investigators say Pryor instead sought duplicate Wyoming titles that removed those brands, allowing some vehicles to be sold for substantially more money than they otherwise could have commanded.

The criminal case centers on 15 vehicles investigators say were fraudulently retitled.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation ultimately identified numerous irregularities in title applications connected to the vehicles.

Among them, investigators allege, were forged signatures, counterfeit notary seals and fraudulent paperwork submitted in the names of previous owners.

Perhaps the most startling allegation involved paperwork purportedly signed by a Wyoming woman who had died weeks before the August 2025 hailstorm occurred.

Investigators allege another application listed a notary whose commission had expired years earlier.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Tennessee Titles'"}]

During an interview with investigators, Pryor acknowledged using a company he identified as "Tennessee Titles," according to the affidavit.

He told investigators he found the business through Facebook and paid approximately $150 for each title application.

According to investigators, Pryor identified the people he worked with only as "Rashard" and "Miss Catherine."

The affidavit says Pryor told investigators he simply submitted vehicle information and received paperwork back.

Investigators, however, allege the documents contained forged signatures and counterfeit notarizations that allowed duplicate Wyoming titles to be issued.

Those allegations remain unproven and will now be considered in district court.

At the time charges were filed in June, Cheyenne auto dealer Dallas Tyrrell said dealers were still dealing with the storm's aftermath.

"We see victims to scams like this all the time," Tyrrell told Cowboy State Daily. 

A vehicle's title history can be every bit as important as its mechanical condition, he said, because it affects its value, financing and insurability. 

"It's so important to use somebody that has a license and is reputable," Tyrrell said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Customer Speaks Out"}]

After Cowboy State Daily first reported Pryor's arrest in June, a woman named Brooklyn Arthur reached out to say she believed her own experience mirrored some of the allegations now playing out in court.

"I wanted to reach out because I was a customer of his too," Arthur wrote.

Arthur said she purchased a hail-damaged vehicle from Pryor in approximately September 2024, nearly a year before the Wyoming hailstorm at the center of the criminal case.

"He was very reassuring in the beginning, and there were no issues at first," she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"But once I never received the title, things got very sketchy.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Arthur said months passed without the paperwork arriving."}]

"I never received the title after 11 months of having the car," she said. "There was a duplicate title involved in the process,. He also mentioned getting the title from Tennessee, similar to what your article mentions."

Arthur's vehicle purchase is not part of the Wyoming criminal case, and prosecutors have not alleged her transaction was criminal.

Still, she said reading the charging documents immediately reminded her of her own experience.

Cowboy State Daily reached out Tuesday to Pryor’s attorney Thomas Garvie seeking comment on Monday's hearing as well as Arthur's account. He did not immediately respond.

Pryor has not yet entered a plea in district court. He will next appear for an arraignment. 

Court records show the case is being prosecuted by William Joseph Edelman.

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<title>Case Advances Against Dealer Charged With Forging Wyoming Titles For Hail-Damaged Cars | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Utah auto dealer accused of using forged Wyoming titles to turn hail-battered cars into clean-title bargains is now facing 15 felony counts and up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors say the scheme involved nearly $2 million worth of damaged vehicles.

Case Advances Against Dealer Charged With Forging Wyoming Titles For Hail-Damaged Cars

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

Clair McFarland

Energy

Wildlife

The Montana judge who threw out more than 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases in June over sage-grouse habitat concerns has declined to let the Trump administration and the state take a newer environmental challenge to a Wyoming judge instead. 

In a case environmental groups filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management this year — again in Montana — the state of Wyoming asked U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris to dismiss the issues pertaining to the case or send them to a federal court in Wyoming. 

The Montana Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society and the Defenders of Wildlife argue in their lawsuit against the BLM, which Wyoming has joined in opposition, that the BLM’s “permissive approach” to oil and gas development is out of step with sage-grouse environmental science. 

The BLM asked Morris in a hearing last month to send the whole case to Wyoming. The federal agency argued, in part, that the more southerly state’s federal courts are less congested, and the agency manages between two to three times more sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming than Montana. 

The Wyoming Attorney General’s office also argued that Montana wasn’t the proper venue for decisions pertaining to the Cowboy State’s oil and gas leasing. 

“The Court recognizes that Wyoming has a strong interest in having its localized controversies decided at home,” wrote Morris in a July 29 order. 

He acknowledged the state’s keen interest in the oil and gas economy, and its efforts to conserve sage-grouse.

[{"type":"text","text":"But that’s not enough to switch the case southward, Morris wrote. "}]

“Wyoming provides no authority, however, to support the contention that its interests in oil and gas extraction, or its concentrated efforts on sage-grouse management, should outweigh Plaintiffs’ choice of forum,” said Morris, referencing the environmental groups choosing to file the case in his court. 

Morris’ June 12 order in an environmental groups’ 2018 case had blocked the oil and gas leases, sold under the Trump administration, due to sage-grouse habitat concerns. 

 it would force the state to return $50 million in payments and imperil $180 million in future revenue for schools and other services. 

[{"type":"text","text":"This case is ongoing. "}]

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<title>Judge Who Tossed Oil And Gas Leases Declines To Let New Case Move To Wyoming | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Montana U.S. District Court Judge who threw out 1.5 million acres of Wyoming oil and gas leases due to sage-grouse concerns has declined a request to send a newer case to Wyoming. "Wyoming provides no authority” for its argument, he wrote.

Judge Who Tossed Oil And Gas Leases Declines To Let New Case Move To Wyoming

Courts

What a 27-year-old Laramie man intended as a frustrated Facebook rant ended with a criminal conviction, five days in jail, the loss of his apartment and job, and three years of supervised probation.

Dawson Cooley was sentenced Tuesday in Albany County Circuit Court after pleading guilty last week to a reduced misdemeanor charge of sending a death threat electronically.

 in May directed at Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, including one that stated, "I might assassinate you."

As part of a plea agreement accepted by the court, Cooley received a suspended 365-day jail sentence and was placed on three years of supervised probation. The court also granted him a deferred sentence on a second charge.

The misdemeanor conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Albany County Prosecuting Attorney Joel Defebaugh and defense attorney Travis Shurtliff jointly recommended the plea agreement.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Looking Back"}]

Speaking with Cowboy State Daily after his sentencing, Cooley said he regrets the Facebook posts and wishes he had handled his frustrations differently.

"It all started with a media request functionality website that was broken," Cooley said. "I kind of got upset about that and expressed myself in a pretty ignorant way."

Cooley said he believes portions of the post were taken out of context and that he had been criticizing Gordon before writing the threatening language.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"If I could go back and not do that, I would for sure,\" he said."}]

He also said he posted an apology the following morning after realizing how his words could be interpreted.

At the time, Cooley said he believed the post fell under free speech protections because "the whole thing in context ... painted a different picture."  

Cooley said he has been pursuing independent journalism and was attempting to gather information through public records requests when he wrote the Facebook posts.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Heavy Consequences"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Cooley said the criminal case altered nearly every part of his life."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"He spent five days in jail before posting a $20,000 cash bond in May."}]

While released pending trial, he said bond conditions prohibiting internet access left him unable to search for housing or jobs, complete online college coursework or even make routine purchases electronically.

"I lost my apartment, my job, like the new radio position, and potentially my prospects to go to college," Cooley said.

[{"type":"text","text":"He described the restrictions as \"pretty horrible.\""}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I had to withdraw from that stuff,\" he said of his college classes."}]

Looking ahead, Cooley said he plans to continue pursuing independent journalism while developing software he hopes will help people conduct legal and public records research more efficiently.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Mental Health"}]

One of the primary conditions of Cooley's probation requires him to participate in mental health treatment and counseling.

Defebaugh told Cowboy State Daily that the probation terms are "for the most part routine," but place "an emphasis on Mr. Cooley's mental health treatment and counseling."

[{"type":"text","text":"Cooley said he does not object to that requirement."}]

"Everyone's got problems, and I'm no different," he said. "I was actually, before this all happened, looking at getting treatment."

Looking back, he said he wishes he had addressed his frustrations differently.

"I could have done things in a much more mentally healthy way instead of just a rant," Cooley said. "I could have put together a concise article about all my grievances."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'If I Could Go Back ...' "}]

Cooley said he believes aspiring independent journalists should have the same ability to seek government information as members of the traditional news media and that frustrations over public records requests fueled the Facebook posts.

Among the posts investigators cited in the criminal affidavit was one stating, "Gov. Gordy, if I have to talk to you with a gun in your office, so be it." 

Court records show Gordon's legal counsel informed the court that the governor was not seeking restitution and did not wish to provide a victim impact statement.

Cowboy State Daily also requested comment from the governor's office. Communications Director Amy Edmonds declined.

Cooley said he recognizes the seriousness of what happened and hopes to move forward.

"I think that I'm lucky to not be getting jail time for this," he said. "If I could go back and ... not do that, I would for sure."

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<title>Laramie Man Pleads Guilty, Regrets Threat To ‘Assassinate’ Governor In Online Rant | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Laramie man who pleaded guilty Tuesday for saying he might assassinate Gov. Mark Gordon says his Facebook rant has cost him his apartment, job and college future. Today, Dawson Cooley says, "If I could go back and not do that, I would for sure."

Laramie Man Pleads Guilty, Regrets Threat To ‘Assassinate’ Governor In Online Rant

Around Wyoming

[{"type":"text","text":"The room Roman Parra left behind still looks much the way he left it."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"His Bible remains on the coffee table at his home in Worland. "}]

His truck still needs a suspension repair he never got to finish with his father.

And in the days since the 20-year-old former Worland athlete died from injuries suffered in a northern Colorado rollover crash, family members say those ordinary reminders have become priceless.

, Colorado State Patrol said Parra was critically injured July 25 when the Chevrolet Tahoe he was driving rolled on Weld County Road 80 near Eaton, ejecting all five occupants. Three Colorado passengers died at the scene. A fourth passenger survived with minor injuries. Parra remained hospitalized for eight days before dying Sunday. 

Cowboy State Daily requested the official crash summary from the Colorado State Patrol but had not received the report before publication. 

 that the State Patrol said that speed and impairment contributed to the crash, though a cause hasn’t yet been determined.

Now, those who knew Roman best say they hope he is remembered not for the crash but for the life he lived.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Mother's Worst Call"}]

Roman's mother, Alyssa McDonald, said Saturday had been an ordinary summer day.

She had taken Roman's younger sister to the fair parade before returning home to surprise her oldest son by cleaning his bedroom.

[{"type":"text","text":"Roman had driven to Colorado the night before for a concert with friends."}]

As she folded clothes and straightened his room, she expected him to walk back through the front door the next day.

[{"type":"text","text":"Instead, at about 5:15 p.m., her phone buzzed."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The Life360 app she used to keep track of Roman showed a collision."}]

"I texted, called, panicked when I saw there was no movement," said McDonald. 

She hoped his phone had simply fallen to the floor or been tossed across the vehicle.

[{"type":"text","text":"When the location never changed, she called police and waited."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Nearly two hours later, the hospital called."}]

"They told me there had been a bad accident and my son was involved," she said. "Three had passed away at the scene, but Roman had survived."

[{"type":"text","text":"Doctors rushed him into emergency brain surgery."}]

"The chance of him making it off the table was very unlikely," she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"For over a week, his family remained by his bedside before Parra died."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Faith Before Football"}]

Long before he became one of Wyoming's top linebackers, Parra was the little boy who wanted one thing more than anything else.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"He just never wanted to let me down,\" McDonald said."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"His faith grew naturally alongside him, she added. "}]

As a second-grader, teachers noticed he signed the bottom of school assignments with the words "God is Good." 

Near graduation, one of his teachers asked what he wanted to do with his life.

"My first priority is my relationship with Christ," he replied, according to his mother.

Looking back, McDonald said she believes that answer explained the way he lived.

"I think that was probably his purpose in life — to spread that kindness, that joy and Christ's love," she said.

[{"type":"text","text":"His aunt, Daniela Parra, saw the same thing."}]

If someone challenged Roman's beliefs, she said, he didn't argue emotionally.

"He would fight for God all the time," she said. "If somebody said something, he could back it up with Scripture."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Competitor On Every Field"}]

In his final high school football game in the fall of 2024, McDonald said Parra tore his meniscus.

[{"type":"text","text":"Coaches wanted to pull him from the game."}]

He finished the game and scored the final touchdown of his high school career.

In the spring of 2025, he again played through the same injury during the state soccer tournament because he didn't want to leave his teammates behind.

When football ended, Roman spent the summer working construction alongside his father while preparing to attend Laramie County Community College this fall to study automotive technology.

Asked what his son had taught him over the past 20 years, Armando Parra paused.

"He taught me peace and patience," he said. "As much as you raise a kid, a kid raises you."

[{"type":"text","text":"He credits Roman with helping him become a better man."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"He changed my life,\" Armando said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'He Was That Loved'"}]

The waiting room rarely emptied during Parra's eight days in the hospital.

[{"type":"text","text":"Friends drove from Cheyenne after work."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Football families stopped in."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Strangers from Eaton, Colorado, brought food, water and supplies."}]

One mother loaned the family a wagon so they could haul meals through the hospital.

[{"type":"text","text":"For Daniela, none of it came as a surprise."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I expected it,\" she said. \"He was that loved.\""}]

She remembers her nephew as the young man who encouraged everyone around him.

[{"type":"text","text":"His father said Roman never limited his friendships to teammates."}]

"He was friends with everybody," Armando said. "He fit in everywhere. He talked to everybody."

 to help cover Roman's medical and funeral expenses.

Armando also asked for prayers for the lone survivor of the crash, saying he believes the young man now faces an unimaginable burden.

"I feel worse for him than I feel for anybody," he said. "That poor boy that has to live through this is going to need more guidance than anybody I know."

Roman Wesley Parra and new Colorado crash location 8 3 26

<title>Worland Man Dies Sunday, Eight Days After Being Ejected From Car In Colorado | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Worland athlete Roman Parra died Sunday, eight days after being ejected from his vehicle in Colorado. His family said Roman's greatest gift wasn't in sports, but making everyone feel loved. "His purpose in life was to spread kindness," his mom said.

Worland Man Dies Sunday, Eight Days After Being Ejected From Car In Colorado

Jen Kocher - Headshot CSD

Jen Kocher

The initial pass missed it completely. The drone touched down almost directly in front of it — that close, but still they didn’t see it.

It wasn’t until days after the search, combing through video frame by frame, that Bill Dohse and his team found what they were looking for last month: A metal barrel can wedged on its side at the bottom of Fremont Lake, obscured beneath a swirling veil of sediment and algae more than 430 feet deep.

Dohse, president of the nonprofit Organized Search and Rescue (O-SAR), couldn’t believe his eyes.

“I was like, ‘Holy crap, how did we miss it?’” he told Cowboy State Daily.

Then the weight of it hit him. Had they just found the final piece of a decades-old murder mystery?

[{"type":"text","text":"The pieces were falling into place."}]

along with a barrel spotted two weeks earlier from the same lakebed —

 might finally shed light on what Gerald Uden did with the bodies of his ex-wife and his two adopted sons.

Uden has already confessed to the killings. In 2013, he told Wyoming investigators he shot Virginia Uden and the boys — Richard, 11, and Regan, 10 — in September 1980, luring them out under the pretense of a hunting trip. Their bodies have never been found.

Searchers are optimistic that the barrel and a trash can they found two weeks ago at the bottom of Fremont Lake contain the bodies of a young mother and her two sons murdered by notorious killer Gerald Uden. Their next step is to recover the barrels.

Today In Food: Wednesday, April 30, 2025

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