CHEYENNE — A driver arrested for his involvement in a fatal motorcycle crash Wednesday was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, according to an affidavit by Cheyenne Police Officer James Womack.
Oliver Birt, 29, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for his role in a crash, which killed 69-year-old motorcycle rider Jim Watters late Wednesday afternoon.
He is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, and failure to yield while turning left.
Birt consented to a breath test and blood draw at the scene. The results from two breath tests were 0.30% and 0.26%.
The legal blood alcohol content limit in Wyoming is 0.08%.
Deadly Crash
Cheyenne police responded at about 4:25 p.m. to reports of a crash near the intersection of West Lincolnway and Western Way.
Involved in the collision was a white pickup driven by Birt and a blue motorcycle driven by Watters.
Womack wrote that he was asked to respond to the crash “due to the severity of the motorcycle rider’s injuries.”
Womack said he was advised after arriving at the scene that Watters had died of his injuries at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
The officer spoke to Birt, who said he was turning left and did not see the motorcycle approaching, according to the affidavit.
The motorcycle collided with the “center of the front/grill area of Birt’s truck,” Womack wrote.
Birt also failed a field sobriety test, which challenges a person's mental and physical acuity when suspected of being under the influence.
Court Appearance
Birt appeared in court Thursday, during which a judge set his bond at $250,000. He is scheduled to reappear next Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
Birt’s criminal history shows one incident from 2016, when he was caught driving at 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. He was fined $110 for that offense.
Wednesday’s crash was the latest in a string of serious motorcycle collisions in Cheyenne.
In June, a motorcyclist was hurt when he slammed into a concrete wall while allegedly speeding through a downtown parking garage.
Brian Snyder, who owns Bohemian Metals directly across from the garage, told Cowboy State Daily at the time that people on motorcycles drive fast and loud in the structure trying to set off car alarms.
“I heard this guy pull into the garage, and it was one of the regular guys,” Snyder told Cowboy State Daily in June. “He’s one who likes to drive throughout the garage and throttle his motorcycle up to the point where it sounds like it’s going to blow up. So, lots of RPMs, which is followed by a backfiring pop.”
In September 2024, two motorcyclists died three weeks apart after crashing into the same building at the intersection of Lincolnway and Nationway about a mile east of Cheyenne’s downtown district.
Jackson Walker can be reached at walker@cowboystatedaily.com.
