It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 29th. 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!
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A Wyoming man facing 72 felony child sex charges was a no-show for his plea hearing Tuesday in Douglas. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson was in the courtroom and reports that John Smallbone didn’t show up and law enforcement officials are angered that he was set free.
“I'm in Douglas at the Converse County Courthouse, where I came to see what everybody around here has been wondering too, whether John Smallbone was going to show up for his arraignment hearing. The short answer to that is no, he didn't show up. Which means he forfeits a $250,000 cash bond that was posted for him. He also has a new warrant for his arrest. And what's interesting about this is as soon as I got out of his hearing, I got an email from the Larimer County District Attorney's Office down in Fort Collins. The district attorney there also asked for a $250,000 bond to be held so they can get back to Wyoming. And as you see in my story, they had some pretty strong words for that.”
Already a wanted man, Smallbone should have already been in police custody and available for Tuesday’s arraignment, Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway said. The prosecutor referenced an incident in Colorado last week when a Fort Collins magistrate allowed Smallbone to walk out of the Larimer County Detention Center on his own recognizance instead of holding him on a fugitive warrant out of Wyoming.
Read the full story HERE.
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Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins is asking for the public's help in finding the shooter responsible for a 5-year-old getting struck in the head by a bullet. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that she was watching the July 4 fireworks show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base when hit by the stray bullet.
“As of Tuesday, nearly four weeks later, investigators are asking the public for help or any information that helps them find the shooter. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins said he wanted to tell the public immediately after it happened, but they delayed the announcement to give investigators some time to work the case. The child survived and was life-flighted to Aurora, Colorado. Doctors performed surgery and were able to remove the bullet, and the child is now recovering at home.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at 307-432-2114.
Read the full story HERE.
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In the more than 1,100 pages of Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary released over the weekend, he mentions Wyoming’s low COVID vaccination rates, his admiration of Liz Cheney, and his conversations with Dick Cheney. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports the former chief medical advisor to the president appeared fixated on the “hot and heavy” press.
“So Fauci has this 1,100-some page diary that Senator Rand Paul released in advance of a Wednesday hearing where he'll be challenging Fauci. He spoke often with former Vice President Dick Cheney, a Wyomingite. He urged the Vice President to get a booster shot when Dick Cheney's cardiologist wasn't sure because Cheney had had heart problems. He praised the former representative Liz Cheney's courage in opposing Trump and expressed gratitude because she had stood up for Fauci. And he mentioned a phone call with Governor Mark Gordon where the governor was seeking advice because he wanted to reopen the state.”
Fauci cast the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as incompetent – repeatedly across multiple entries. He described an at-times affectionate, at-times icy relationship with Trump, almost always worsened by the press’s fervor in making Fauci a calm and well-informed anti-Trump figure.
Read the full story HERE.
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Severe mental illness and Wyoming's legal standards for criminal responsibility make charges impossible despite a violent assault that left a Rock Springs nurse with a broken nose, facial injuries and bruising. Cowboy State Daily’s Zak Sonntag reports that the Sweetwater County Attorney says he’s not happy about it, but the law cannot charge the patient under these circumstances.
“So the nurse had expressed intent that he wanted to see criminal charges brought, and Sweetwater County Attorney Danny Erramouspe said that he cannot bring charges because the patient does not meet the standard for mental capacity and intent, and this is related to what's known as Title 25 in Wyoming law, which determines what culpability and criminal charges can be brought in cases related to mental health. The law cannot charge them, and that is what the attorney found in this case. And so he says, no charges will be brought. And it's not an easy decision. Everybody I talked to said this is really one of the hardest issues that you have to deal with in the world of mental health and criminal justice.”
Nurse Christian R., who asked Cowboy State Daily to withhold his last name, says the blow broke his nose and touched off a chase through the emergency department, where the patient repeatedly caught him and continued the attack by throwing more punches and kneeing him in the head and face. A security officer intervened as the chase reached the department lobby, allowing Christian to seek the safety of a locked supply closet. He was treated for a nasal fracture, facial injuries and bruising.
Read the full story HERE.
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I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.
Cowboy State Daily News continues now….
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Potential man camps in neighboring Uinta and Lincoln counties are moving forward. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that Kemmerer cleared zoning for a workforce housing site for a nuclear power plant, while Uinta County is a step closer to a 3,400-bed camp for a hyperscale data center.
“Reactions are mixed with both projects. People in Uinta County, some are for the man camp, some are against it for various reasons, the economics, the socio economics, public safety, that kind of thing. The property that was approved for rezoning at the city council meeting in Kemmer on Monday night is interesting because it's different than the Antelope Ridge subdivision. There was a property right near that subdivision that was drawing a lot of public criticism because people don't want this man camp, you know, right next to their neighborhood.”
Although both proposals involve temporary housing for large construction workforces, they reflect a broader challenge facing Wyoming communities as billion-dollar industrial projects move forward in rural areas with limited housing availability and resources.
Read the full story HERE.
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After angry landowners near a recreation area north of Evanston complained of their property being destroyed, state and federal officials closed the roads. Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that BLM spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman says, “The landowners are sick of having their land torn up.”
“Game and Fish put up signs saying road close, but I think some people got the impression it was just a unilateral decision by Game and Fish to just close off what they thought was public land, and that is not the case. Game and Fish is just following through with the landowners' wishes because again, this is like any time you go to a walk-in hunting area, hunter management area, or what they call what this is, which is a public access area, people need to be mindful that at least some, if not all, of that area is actually private property that's been granted an easement.”
The episode encapsulates the complexities of public recreation areas set on easements across private land. In exchange for public access, Game and Fish establishes and enforces conditions set by landowners, including dates of use, access points, limits on motorized travel, and the like.
Read the full story HERE.
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A former Lincoln County deputy prosecutor from Afton is facing a solicitation charge in Idaho. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that investigators say attorney John Bowers offered to pay for a sexual encounter through an app. He says his conduct was "morally wrong" but denies solicitation.
“A private citizen contacted the Montpelier Police Department in Idaho after he says that he believes someone was soliciting prostitution. Investigators allege that John Bowers offered to pay $300 to party using a dating app called Sniffies. Bowers told police, quote, I know what I did was morally wrong and inappropriate. Still, he told them that he did not believe that he was actively soliciting. His defense attorney, Richard Block, maintains his client's innocence, and he's calling the charge frivolous.”
The 66-year old was charged July 22 in Bear Lake County with one misdemeanor count of solicitation for commercial sexual activity.
Read the full story HERE.
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While it seemed ludicrous to one Cheyenne driver who was stuck behind people riding their electric scooters on a two lane highway near Laramie, it's entirely legal. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that one motorist says, “Scooters need to be off the highway. It's not a vehicle, it’s a toy”
“Electric scooters are children's toys to a lot of people, and they frustrate a lot of people. But technically, under Wyoming law, they are classified as in the same class as bicycles. So they are road legal vehicles. Now that might be because they're still relatively new, so the Wyoming legislature hasn't had a bill specifically addressing electric scooters. But as the law stands right now, while it's not recommended, you can legally drive and you can legally drive an electric scooter on Wyoming's highways.”
Cody Campbell was driving on Wyoming Highway 210 to Laramie on Sunday when she got stuck behind two people riding scooters, driving in the right lane of the narrow, twisting mountain road near Curt Gowdy State Park.
Read the full story HERE.
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And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on Cowboy State Daily Dot Com - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our YouTube channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.
