Crime & Courts
News
Feds Don't Believe Sheridan Cop Killer Stole Guns From His Mom
A federal prosecutor Wednesday voiced skepticism of a Wyoming woman’s claims that her son stole her guns before he killed a Sheridan police sergeant in February 2024. She’s accused of buying the guns for her son, who is a convicted felon.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2025
Men Accused Of Dumping Wyoming Oil Field Waste In Utah Face Multiple Felonies
A pair of oil field waste haulers are accused of trying to cut corners and pocket more money by dumping Wyoming oil field waste near a town in Utah. They face multiple felony charges.
David MadisonMay 08, 2025
Man Accused Of Trashing Kinnear Post Office Faces Less Time Under Federal Charge
Federal charges against the man arrested on suspicion of trashing the Kinnear post office may mean a lighter sentence compared to state charges. His case was moved to federal court Monday.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025
Friend Of Gillette Woman Missing More Than Two Weeks Fears For Her Safety
Gillette resident Kelsey Johnson, 32, was last seen April 14 getting into a pickup at a mobile home in Gillette, and her best friend is afraid for her safety. Johnson is believed to be in the Denver or Greeley area.
Jen KocherMay 07, 2025
Casper Police Say Woman Shot By Officers Answered Door With Weapon In Hand
A woman shot and killed by Casper police may have lured officers to her house and provoked the shooting, Casper police reported Wednesday. She called 911 to report a burglar, but apparently “made the call to elicit the response.”
Dale KillingbeckMay 07, 2025
Thermopolis Police Sergeant Who Triggered Fatal Shootout 2 Years Ago Resigns
The Thermopolis town council accepted the resignation of police Sgt. Mike Mascorro on Tuesday evening. Mascorro broke into a man’s home and triggered a fatal shootout two years ago. The man’s family sued Mascorro and the department last week.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025
Man Who Fled Wyoming After Wife Stabbed Him Gets Plea Agreement In Beating
A Moorcroft man accused of nearly killing his wife has agreed to plead "no contest" to two counts of aggravated assault. Michael Hammond Jr. was stabbed by his wife after he launched what court documents say was a brutal and prolonged attack on her.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2025
Judge Says UW Athletes Suing Over Trans Player Can’t Appeal His Pronoun Rule
A Colorado federal judge has denied a group of female college athletes, including three from the University of Wyoming, a chance to appeal his transgender pronoun usage rule. They also can’t challenge his involvement in the case.
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2025
Prosecutor Says Teen Girl Accused In Bonfire Shooting Has Biker Gang Ties
A prosecutor's recent court filing says a 16-year-old girl accused of shooting two men in Sweetwater County should be tried as an adult, pointing to her suspected ties to an outlaw motorcycle gang. Her next court hearing is May 14.
Clair McFarlandMay 05, 2025
Accused Serial Killer Trucker Convicted In Tennessee, Now Headed To Wyoming For Trial
The Friday conviction of long-haul trucker Clark Perry Baldwin for murdering a woman in Tennessee clears the way for his return to Wyoming for trial. His DNA has linked Baldwin to two cold-case murders in the early 1990s.
Clair McFarlandMay 05, 2025
3 Casper Police Officers Remain On Leave After Woman Shot On Burglary Call
Three police officers remain on leave a week after a local woman was shot and killed during a burglary call, the Caper Police Department confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, the Division of Criminal Investigation says it’s investigating.
Dale KillingbeckMay 05, 2025
Parent Of Powell Teen Finds Stolen Highway Sign In Garage, Turns Son In
Teens stealing road signs isn’t unusual, but catching the culprits and getting the signs back is. Within 20 minutes of posting the theft of a large sign at the Buffalo Bill Dam tunnel, a teen boy from Powell was turned in by a parent.
Andrew RossiMay 04, 2025
Manhunt On After Murder Of Wyoming Man Shot In Michigan On Easter
John Lusch grew up in Rock Springs and Saratoga before moving to Michigan five years ago. A tow truck driver, he was shot and killed on Easter attempting to collect on a car sale. Police have identified four suspects and his mom thinks she knows who did it.
Jen KocherMay 03, 2025
Man Accused Of Stealing $14 Million In Gold And Silver Strikes Plea Deal
A Las Vegas man accused of stealing about $14 million in gold and silver from a relative’s home in Lincoln County, Wyoming, pleaded no contest this week to one count of felony theft.
Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2025
Wyoming Supreme Court Gives State, Not Teton County, The Win On Glamping Lease
The state of Wyoming can authorize two businesses to operate on state lands in Teton County — despite the county’s land use regulations — the Wyoming Supreme Court has ruled. That's because the state lands board authorized the business using a temporary use permit, not a long-term lease.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025
Eyewitness Recounts "Very Horrific” Crash That Killed 7 Outside Yellowstone
A man who witnessed the aftermath of a fiery crash that killed seven people in Idaho just outside the west Yellowstone entrance in Montana on Thursday evening describes the scene as “very horrific.” State police are still investigating what caused the collision.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025
Mom Of Sheridan Cop Killer Charged With Giving Him Guns Says He Stole Them
A woman charged with furnishing guns to her son, who then went on to shoot and kill a Sheridan police sergeant last year, says the government is withholding evidence that could show her son actually stole the guns from her.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2025
Fremont County Jelly-Maker Pleads Guilty To Transporting Meth From Las Vegas
A Riverton woman who sold homemade jelly at the Fremont County farmer’s market also was moving drugs, authorities say. She’s pleaded guilty to picking up meth and dumpster pot during a Las Vegas trip and bringing it back to Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025
Riverton Man Takes Gunshot Shrapnel While Confronting Suspected Burglars
Bobby Watts chased two burglars away from a Riverton business, helped deputies investigate, confronted one of the suspects on the road, and took some gunshot shrapnel to his upper arm Tuesday. Then he started his normal workday.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025
Suspected Upton Bomb Maker Could Get Quadruple Prison Time As Feds Take Case
A man accused of setting a propane time-bomb at an Upton drilling yard has had his case switched from state court to federal. That means the potential five years in prison he could have gotten if convicted in state court has quadrupled.
Clair McFarlandMay 01, 2025
Cheyenne Man Gets 7-9 Years In Prison For Pistol-Whipping Casper Man
A 20-year-old Cheyenne man got seven to nine years in prison Thursday for pistol-whipping a Casper man and shooting at another after a drunken night of partying last August.
Dale KillingbeckMay 01, 2025
Tracking Earbuds Helped Wyoming Trooper Catch Man Who Took Off With Utah Teen
Using tracking data from a 17-year-old girl’s earbuds, and a photograph, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper caught a 33-year-old man Sunday accused of taking the girl from her Utah hometown without her parents’ consent, authorities say.
Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2025
Wife And Mother Of Man Killed By Thermopolis Police Officer File Lawsuit
The wife and mother of a Thermopolis man killed by police Sgt. Mike Mascorro in 2023 filed a lawsuit Monday against Mascorro and the police. They claim Mascorro broke into Buck Laramore's house illegally, touching off a shootout that killed Laramore.
Clair McFarlandApril 30, 2025
Judge Sides With Rock Springs Schools, Tosses Parents' Gender-Transition Lawsuit
A Wyoming federal judge Monday ruled against a Rock Springs couple who sued their local school district on claims it helped socially gender-transition their high school daughter without their knowledge or consent.
Clair McFarlandApril 29, 2025