Details were sparse Tuesday about why the chairman of the Campbell County Commission was cited last month for breach of peace.
Meanwhile, Campbell County Commission Chair Bob Jordan is scheduled for an Oct. 8 arraignment in Gillette Circuit Court.
His court file says he’s accused of breaching the peace at the Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport on Aug. 20.
He was ticketed eight days later.
Wyoming law defines breach of the peace as disturbing the community or its inhabitants “by unreasonably loud noise or music or by using threatening, abusive or obscene language or violent actions with knowledge or probable cause to believe he will disturb the peace.”
That’s a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and up to $750 in fines.
Jordan’s court file says Campbell County Sheriff’s Deputy James Innes was the investigating agent.
Cowboy State Daily requested the video and audio of the incident, as well as the sheriff’s report or affidavit.
The county’s public records office denied a request for the report on Tuesday, saying the report or affidavit is exempt from disclosure since it’s part of an active case.
The request for video and audio appears to be pending, and Jordan did not respond by publication to a late-day voicemail.
Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport Director Todd Chatfield also did not respond to a late-day voicemail.
The airport board’s chair Brock Porch declined to comment for the story, as did board member Mike Wenz.
Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny did not respond by publication to a late-day voicemail.
A Little Background About Commissioners, The Airport
The county commission oversees the airport board.
The airport had a falling out with its fixed-base operator GateOne several months ago, and had to hire several new employees to maintain its operations, the Gillette News Record reported.
GateOne sued the airport last year, and that case now sits before the Wyoming Supreme Court.
The airport likely won’t have a new fixed-base operator by the end of this year, according to the News Record reported.
Porch and Wenz met with commissioners in late June, and multiple commissioners, including Jordan, wondered why the airport doesn’t have an FBO yet.
Porch said at the time that the board hadn’t received much interest from qualified candidates.
The minutes for another July 21 meeting between airport and county officials says Chatfield updated the commission on the airport’s projects and contracting.
Jordan meanwhile has engaged with the public on these issues via his political Facebook page.
A June 25 post says commissioners have kept their budget down, “and the only growth to government is the ongoing Airport FBO issue.”
An Aug. 11 post derides his fellow Commissioner Scott Clem for supporting a budget increase to retain a fixed-base operator, saying the increase “will carry onto his children forever.”
Clem countered in a comment under the post, saying the numbers Jordan referenced were based on an educated guess — which Clem himself had created. The numbers were from January, and drew from trends, said Clem, adding that “relying upon guestimates … is incredibly reckless.”
Clem did not respond by publication to a voicemail request for an interview about the breach of peace incident.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
