The Torrington Police Department says it has declared the investigation into an alleged threat against Reid Rasner “inactive,” after Rasner’s attorney did not supply the agency with more evidence as requested.
Rasner ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2024, and again for U.S. House in this year’s primary election cycle, finishing fifth among nine Republicans.
In the final three weeks of his campaign, Rasner accused a former Goshen County sheriff’s deputy, Aaron Mose, of threatening him in a voicemail.
Mose denied the claim, sending screenshots of his T-Mobile call log to both Cowboy State Daily and the Torrington Police Department.
The log showed no outgoing call by Mose during the timeframe Rasner identified.
Rasner, in turn, sent Cowboy State Daily a screenshot of his phone’s internal call log, showing an incoming call from Mose’s number during the implicated timeframe.
The two men’s narratives didn’t match.
The case investigator sent Rasner’s attorney at least two emails asking for more documentation of the threat, Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson told Cowboy State Daily in a Monday phone interview.
Those emails were “unanswered,” Johnson said.
“We’ve sent emails asking for more information and have not received it. That’s why the case is inactive at this time,” said Johnson. “We don’t have the follow-up data to support the allegation.”
Rasner’s attorney Bill Fix declined to discuss the investigation, on the grounds that the case is “still ongoing as far as we’re concerned.”
Mose also declined to comment to Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
Johnson said, “We reviewed information from both parties. There are differences there that we don’t have an explanation for, but because of the information provided there isn’t probable cause to charge either person with a crime at this time.”
Investigations will end without conclusions occasionally, said Johnson.
“It’s not uncommon for there to be two different sides to a story and not be able to determine which of them is the perfect truth,” he said. "Obviously we’d be glad to accept any additional information that might give us the right answer.”
What Happened
The investigation started in the dog days of a high-profile nine-way campaign for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat.
Rasner criticized the frontrunner, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, frequently via social media and statements.
On July 29, Rasner’s campaign released a press release “demanding immediate accountability” and asserting that Mose had made a threat against Rasner.
The statement claimed Mose had said, on a voicemail, “We ran your ass outta Goshen County last week, and if you ever come back through here again, you better watch your back.”
Rasner’s team sent allegations of the voicemail to the Goshen County Sheriff’s Office, but the case was sent to the Torrington Police Department for jurisdictional reasons.
Mose told Cowboy State Daily he never made the threat, but was an outspoken supporter of Gray.
Rasner condemned the alleged threat.
Receipts
Mose at the time sent Cowboy State Daily what appears to be a screenshot of his phone carrier’s call log, showing no calls made in the relevant timeframe the weekend before the report.
Rasner’s team sent its own screenshot of what appears to be his phone’s call log, with unrelated phone calls blurred, showing an incoming call from Mose’s number at 8:21 a.m. on an unspecified day.
Cowboy State Daily ran both images through a free AI content detector, isgen.ai.
The site registered Mose’s screenshot as 100% human content. It registered the call log shot from Rasner’s team as 89% human and “likely original” – a score that could be less than perfect due to the privacy blurs on the other phone numbers.
The stakes were high.
A person who makes a false report to law enforcement can be charged with false reporting, and a person who lies to law enforcement in an investigation can be charged with interference, both misdemeanors punishable by jail time.
Johnson emphasized at the time, however, people shouldn’t be charged with either of those crimes unless they “knowingly” provided a false report or lied about evidence.
“There’s a fair number of boxes that would need to be checked for those things to move forward,” said Johnson on July 29. “It’s a mistake to automatically assume that because something turns out to later be inaccurate, a person will be charged. There’s an intent element.”
Another curveball is the rise of phone “spoofing,” in which bad actors hijack others’ numbers to masquerade as them. The scam is so prevalent the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has established a reporting site for it.
“From a technology standpoint that is possible,” said Johnson.
Et Cetera …
Rasner has made headlines for suing at least six people for defamation, in three state-level cases and two federal, all stemming in part or whole from things people allegedly said about him on social media.
On election day, numerous Wyomingites received a text blast – which said “Paid for by Reid Rasner for WY” – claiming President Donald Trump had endorsed Rasner.
Trump had not endorsed Rasner, the White House told Cowboy State Daily while the polls were still open.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
