Crime & Courts
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Paranoid Montana Man Draws Prison Time For Pointing Laser At Aircraft
When a Kalispell, Montana, man became convinced he was being followed by low-flying aircraft, he laser-blasted a flight instructor. She used her plane to help police make an arrest, and now he’ll spend 2.5 years in prison.
David MadisonFebruary 11, 2025
Casper Man Who Tried To Blow Himself Up Faces Felony Charges
A 28-year-old Casper man who unsuccessfully tried to blow himself up and challenged a police officer to “shoot me” was charged with three felonies Monday.
Dale KillingbeckFebruary 11, 2025
Small-Town Wyoming Mom Called 911, Reported Her Four Kids Shot Then Shot Herself
A Byron, Wyoming, mother called 911 to report her four daughters had been shot, then shot herself in the head Monday, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday. Three children are dead, while the condition of the fourth and mother are unknown.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025
Five Gunshot Victims, Some Dead In Byron Shooting
Law enforcement agents found five gunshot victims at a home in Byron, Wyoming, the Big Horn County sheriff's office announced on Monday. Some were found dead; two were taken to medical care.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025
Razor Wire, Drugs And 'Coyotes' - Wyoming Troopers Say Texas Border Problems "Massive"
Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers who went to Texas last summer to assist state patrol and enforce the U.S. border told legislators on Monday that their experiences were eye-opening. “The problems Texas is facing are massive,” one trooper said.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025
Jackson Newspaper Gives Community A Heads-Up During Active ICE Investigation
A Jackson newspaper announced that an ICE raid was taking place Friday in Jackson Hole, while it was still occurring. One former ICE official called it "bullshit" and a breach of safety and trust. Another said the media is going to report what it thinks is news.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2025
Baby Safe After Car Thief Abandons Vehicle Near Riverton
A three-month-old baby who was in the back of a stolen Ford Escape was returned to its mother on Sunday evening near Riverton after the car thief abandoned the vehicle. The perpetrator has not yet been located.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2025
Grandparents Of Murdered Upton Teen Plead For Missing Persons Bill
By the time authorities were legally able to enter the home on Oct. 7, 2019, it was too late. Shayna Ritthaler was found dead in a closet covered with clothing. Wyoming is one of six states that don't have missing person reporting requirements.
Jen KocherFebruary 08, 2025
Death Penalty On The Table In Bow And Arrow Death; Prosecutor Says Man Was 'Impaled'
Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich said he hasn’t ruled out seeking the death penalty for two Big Piney men charged Friday with first-degree murder, in the death of a man investigators say was killed by a bow and arrow. The victim was "impaled" by a man who later bragged about the act to friends, Melinkovich alleged in court.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025
Casper Man Receives 60-Plus Years For Child Rape, Child Pornography Charges
A 26-year-old Casper man who once bragged about having sex with young children was sentenced on Friday in Natrona County District Court to over 60 years for raping a child and soliciting others to do the same.
Dale KillingbeckFebruary 07, 2025
No Charges For Thermopolis Officer, Deputy Who Shot Baseball Bat Attacker
There will be no criminal charges filed against the police officer and sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a Thermopolis man who charged them with a metal baseball bat. The special prosecutor on Friday said the agents acted within Wyoming's self-defense laws,
Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025
Two Big Piney Men, 18 and 19, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Bow And Arrow Death
Sublette County sheriff's investigators found a 23-year-old man dead of apparent arrow wounds Wednesday in a Big Piney home. Two men aged 18 and 19 were charged with variations of first-degree murder Friday morning.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025
Teen Girl Accused In Reliance Bonfire Shooting Charged As Adult
A 16-year-old Rock Springs girl has been charged as an adult after Sweetwater County Sheriff’s investigators say she shot two men who were in a fight with her boyfriend. The shooting happened late Saturday near a bonfire party spot outside Reliance.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2025
Judge Won’t Dismiss Sheridan Man’s “Sucker-Punch” Manslaughter Case Early
A judge declined Tuesday to dismiss the case of a man accused of killing a Sheridan hockey coach with a blow the coach's girlfriend called a "sucker punch." Cody McCalla claimed he acted in self-defense after getting into a fight with the victim.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2025
In Brief: Man In Big Piney Home Found Dead, Other Man Questioned
A man was found dead of "significant injuries" Wednesday in a home in Big Piney, the Sublette County Sheriff's Office reports. Another adult male was detained for questioning.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2025
Governor, AG Say Judge Misapplied Law When Striking Down Abortion Bans
The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office argued this week that a judge misapplied the law when she struck down two abortion bans in November. The AG claims in a filing that the judge leaned on an abortion-friendly doctors' testimony when proclaiming abortion "health care."
Clair McFarlandFebruary 05, 2025
Coroner's Report: Senior Died Of Hypothermia At Gillette Assisted Living Center
A coroner's report released Tuesday revealed an ongoing investigation into two deaths at a Gillette assisted living center. In January, an 88-year-old resident was found dead of hypothermia outside while a 66-year-old resident died of an overdose in November. Five employees have been terminated.
Jen KocherFebruary 05, 2025
Evanston Snowmobiler Killed In Avalanche; Friends Say Man Was 'Too Good For This Earth'
Scott Wright, 37, of Evanston, Wyoming, was killed in an avalanche in Utah on Monday, authorities say. A friend of his told Cowboy State Daily that Wright was an avid snowmobiler who loved working on the machines and building them.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 05, 2025
Former Riverton School Board Candidate Gets 25-30 Years For Molesting Child
Hunter DeVries, 23, was sentenced Tuesday to 25-30 years in prison for molesting a child over the course of several months. He ran for the local school board last year, and despite showing remorse, deserves a “lengthy prison sentence,” the judge said.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2025
Woman Accused Of Leading Five Law Enforcement Agencies On Wild Riverton Chase, Crashing Into Deputy
A woman charged Friday is accused of leading at least five police agencies on a chase in Riverton, Wyoming. She sped over spike strips, pulled a U-turn on the highway and rammed a deputy's truck while drinking from a bottle of alcohol, court documents say.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 04, 2025
Law Catches Up To Man Accused Of Scamming Saratoga’s $10,000 Ice Fishing Derby
The law has caught up to a man accused of scamming the Saratoga Ice Fishing Derby in 2018. He sold an insurance policy against the derby’s $10,000 prize, and when someone won, didn’t pay out. He’s accused of defrauding others of nearly $1 million.
Renée JeanFebruary 03, 2025
Juvenile Suspected Of Shooting Two At Sweetwater County Bonfire Party
No one was in custody Monday for a shooting in which two young adults were hurt at a Saturday bonfire party outside Reliance, Wyoming. Two people were hospitalized, and the suspected shooter is a juvenile, the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office says.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 03, 2025
No Charges Filed So Far In Fatal Thermopolis Hit And Run
No criminal charges have been filed so far against a juvenile involved in a fatal hit and run that killed an 85-year-old woman in Thermopolis last week, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said on Saturday.
Clair McFarlandFebruary 01, 2025
Supreme Court Backs Non-Violent Offenders Getting Treatment Instead Of Jail
The Wyoming Supreme Court is supporting a pilot Casper Municipal Court program to get non-violent offenders mental help instead of jail. The program can save the city money and become a model for the rest of the state.
Dale KillingbeckFebruary 01, 2025