The Albany County Coroner’s DUI arrest on the scene of a death case still hadn’t hit the news cycle as of Wednesday, a year after it happened.
But it’s gaining traction now that her Republican campaign opponent has discovered it.
Coroner Celia “Sally” King went to a home on Laramie’s Crystal Court the afternoon of Oct. 19, 2025, says a Laramie Police Department arrest report from that date by officer Luke Morales.
She arrived in the county’s Chevy truck, emitting a strong alcoholic odor, the report says.
“She appeared to be slurring some words, and her eyes were very glassy and bloodshot,” the report says, adding that Morales and a detective both observed that throughout the death investigation.
Once King finished the investigation, wrote Morales, he pulled her aside for questioning.
“She appeared to know something was wrong,” he wrote, adding that King lost her balance briefly.
She said she had a couple drinks, and later said she’d had three shots of rum and half a hard seltzer three hours earlier, the report says.
Morales wrote that King struggled with balance during field-sobriety tests.
“At this point, I determined King was too intoxicated to have driven to the scene of the dead body, and I placed her under arrest for DUI,” wrote Morales, adding that he handcuffed the coroner and took her to the Albany County Detention Center for booking.
The report says a breath test yielded a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.23%, nearly three times the legal limit.
“King expressed regret for her actions, saying that she deserved what was happening,” the report says.
It includes another, corroborating account by Detective Louis Cirillo.
In a different report on the death investigation, Cirillo described encountering a deceased man whose body was in rigor mortis. The detective wrote that the death did not seem suspicious, and detailed the decedent’s numerous health problems.
Why Quiet?
The coroner’s DUI arrest didn’t hit the news cycle, according to multiple online searches.
King’s Republican campaign opponent Ryan Hershey said that’s “egregious.”
“I find it pretty egregious that a county official could be driving a county vehicle on official duty intoxicated – and it was not made public to the people of Albany County,” said Hershey.
He posted the police report to a Facebook group Monday.
It had garnered 82 reactions, 141 comments and five shares as of Thursday morning.
Some of those comments revealed people in government jobs knew about the arrest, but didn’t tell the public, said Hershey.
“The fact so many people knew about this and kept it quiet and away from the public and voters who have every right to know about this information is pretty astounding,” he said. “That might be the bigger story here than the coroner, really.”
Skeleton Crew
David Watson, editor of the Laramie Boomerang, told Cowboy State Daily that his Wednesday interview was the first time he’d heard of the DUI.
He pointed to the nationwide decline of traditional news crews: He has one full-time news reporter in a newsroom that once contained 17 people.
He also pointed to what he called institutional opaqueness.
“I’m currently working right now on increasing transparency” from local agencies, said Watson. “More so with the county sheriff’s office, because that’s just nonexistent. The sheriff’s office is about as transparent as a brick wall.”
Watson said that the week Sheriff Aaron Appelhans was appointed to fill a vacancy, the sheriff’s office stopped publishing arrest logs.
The Laramie Police Department dispatches a call log, which Watson said contains minimal information.
He said he’s “very interested” in the outcome of the sheriff’s race and whether it will favor transparency.
Appelhans did not return a Wednesday voicemail request for comment.
Appelhans is running for re-election on the Democratic ticket. HIs Republican opponent Daron Wyatt stood up for King in a comment under Hershey’s post. He said he doesn’t condone her behavior and it was not a good decision for her to respond, but she wasn’t supposed to be the investigator on call that day. Her deputy coroners had family incidents arise that made them unavailable.
Wyatt told Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday phone interview he doesn’t like to see late-campaign attacks, which he called “dirty politics.”
“Having been a victim of the dirty politics,” Wyatt said, “I don’t like to see it no matter what side you’re on.”
The Laramie Police Department did not return a Wednesday voicemail placed to its assistant chief, who handles media calls.
Watson said despite his struggles, his paper is doing relatively well compared to others in the nation.
“We’re probably one of the 1% of papers here that actually make a profit in the nation,” he said. “I am very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish with our limited staff and resources.”
The case disposition, which Cowboy State Daily obtained Tuesday from Laramie Municipal Court, says King pleaded guilty Jan. 13 of this year.
The disposition lists her as a first offender, and says she completed alcohol/drug evaluation on Dec. 18, 2025.
She was assessed $350 in fines or costs, and pad those in January, the sheet says.
King ‘Deeply Sorry’
King confirmed the arrest in a Wednesday email to Cowboy State Daily.
“I am deeply sorry and regret the decisions I made that day that led up to the situation,” she said. “At the time, I reported the incident to everyone necessary at the county and state levels. Since then, I have been in compliance with everything I was ordered to do by the court system.”
King said she sought mental health services above and beyond what was required.
“I love serving as the Albany County Coroner for my community. This position can be extremely heavy and emotionally consuming,” said King. “As a result of this incident, I have recognized when I need to take a step back and rely on the other people in my office in order to make sure that I can serve the community in the way that it deserves.”
She said taking care of her mental health ensures the incident won’t repeat itself, “and I will continue to lead quality investigations and serve those who need me.”
She said she’s also learned when to prioritize her deputies’ mental health, and that responders should known how to use resources and opportunities to protect their mental health and serve their communities without compromising themselves.
County?
Hershey, in his interview, questioned why county commissioners didn’t raise public awareness of the incident.
Commissioner Thad Hoff emphasized in his own interview that commissioners don’t decide whether to retain King. The people do.
Wyoming doesn’t have recall elections for county officials. People can ask the governor to investigate local officials and have them prosecuted for removal, but such civil prosecutions are rare.
Hoff said commissioners discussed the case in December, and decided to wait for its disposition.
Commissioner Pete Gosar did not return a voicemail request for comment by publication. Commission Chair Terri Jones could not be reached at her listed line.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
