Crime & Courts
News
Inside Wyoming’s State Crime Lab, Which Was Just Named One Of Best In Country
One of the Wyoming State Crime Lab’s most notorious busts was a 14-year cold case. DNA technology linked a body found in the North Platte to inmate Dale Wayne Eaton. The victim’s car was then unearthed from his yard in Moneta, Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 18, 2024
Casper Adults Shocked Into Action By Two Teen Murders In 37 Days
A pair of teen murders in 37 days has shocked adults in Casper, Wyoming, to act against a growing culture of youth violence. At a Friday meeting, local groups considered all options, including patrolling the city with teams of watchers.
Dale KillingbeckMay 18, 2024
Rocky Mountain Power Sues For Not Getting Full $140 Million Rate Hike
Rocky Mountain Power filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Wyoming Public Service Commission for not approving a massive 29.2% rate hike last year. The suit said the company lost millions because of the ruling.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Boyfriend Of Missing Cody Woman Remains A Suspect, Has New Gun Charge
The boyfriend of Katie Ferguson, who vanished while driving back to Wyoming with him from another state last fall, remains a suspect in her disappearance. And he now faces a new gun charge that could double his potential sentence to 30 years.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Casper Man Accused Of Sex With Infant, Possessing Child Porn
A 25-year-old Casper man accused of having sex with an infant and asking other adults to participate was in court Wednesday to face 10 felony charges of child sexual abuse and child pornography.
Dale Killingbeck & Greg JohnsonMay 17, 2024
Neighbor Sends Hail Of Bullets Through Gillette Woman’s Home, But ‘I Survived’
The Gillette woman whose home was shot up with a hail of bullets said Friday that she has “to move forward” after the terrifying experience. “I’ve been to hell and back more times than anybody will ever know, and I survived,” she said.
Clair McFarlandMay 17, 2024
Two Life Sentences For Wind River Man Who Shot Neighbor In Back Of The Head
Francis Acebo was given two mandatory life sentences in prison Thursday for killing neighbor Derek Redstar Pappan by shooting him the back of the head. “Our hearts will never be the same,” said Pappan’s mother.
Leo WolfsonMay 16, 2024
Casper Teen Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend Said He’d ‘Celebrate When You Die’
The Casper 17-year-old charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend in the head Tuesday told her in a text message he planned to “celebrate when you die,” according to court documents released Thursday.
Dale KillingbeckMay 16, 2024
Riverton Police Department Denies Claims By Native Officer Of Racist Treatment
In a response filed last week to a lawsuit brought by its first enrolled Northern Arapaho officer, the Riverton Police Department denies his claims of hostile, racist treatment.
Clair McFarlandMay 16, 2024
Cheyenne Inmate Accused Of Stealing Cookies When Jailhouse Drug Deal Goes Bad
An inmate in the Laramie County jail faces felony-level charges for allegedly attacking an older inmate and stealing his cookies. The inmates had prior issues over coffee and refried beans. But things came to a head over the cookies.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Casper Boy, 17, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Killing Of High School Girl
A Casper 17-year-old identified only as E.C. who reportedly had bragged about wanting to have a “gun battle” with police was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of a local high school girl.
Dale KillingbeckMay 15, 2024
Denver Mayor Mad At Wyoming Sheriff For Billboard, Says Sign Is Inaccurate
Denver's mayor says Sheriff Brian Kozak's billboard in Denver is inaccurate. He says Denver hasn't defunded the police even though millions of dollars have been diverted. Kozak said more than 100 cops have reached out to him since the sign went up.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Wrong-Way Driver To Plead Guilty To Causing Fiery Crash That Killed 5
A wrong-way driver accused of triggering a fiery chain-reaction crash on I-80 near Rawlins, which killed five students, in January 2023 has agreed to plead guilty to five counts of vehicular homicide. He could get 75-100 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandMay 15, 2024
Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of 17-Year-Old Casper High School Student
Casper police confirmed on Wednesday they’ve made an arrest in the early Tuesday morning shooting death of a local 17-year-old girl. The victim has been identified by the coroner as Lenea Brown.
Dale KillingbeckMay 15, 2024
Cokeville Bombing: The Miracle That Was Almost The Worst US School Disaster
On May 16, 1986, David Young wheeled a bomb into the Cokeville, Wyoming, elementary school planning to blow it and 154 hostages into oblivion. Many who were there that day say angels saved them from becoming the worst school disaster in U.S. history.
Jake NicholsMay 15, 2024
Wyoming Man Accused Of Bashing Neighbor In Face With Bat Has To Face Trial
A Wright, Wyoming, man accused of bashing his neighbor’s face with a baseball bat during a two-family brawl last Fourth of July can’t avoid trial on a self-defense argument, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2024
Wyoming Kappa Sisters Defiant And Determined To Keep Sororities For Women
Riley Gaines was among a defiant and determined group that rallied for Wyoming Kappa Kappa Gamma members Tuesday, saying the sorority let down its UW chapter by giving the sisters “the brother they never wanted.”
Greg JohnsonMay 14, 2024
Casper Police Investigating Early Tuesday Shooting Death of High-School Age Victim
The Casper police are investigating the shooting death of a high-school age student in a southwest neighborhood early Tuesday morning. Police say “involved parties” in custody and witnesses being interviewed.
Dale KillingbeckMay 14, 2024
Female Juvenile Dead In Casper Shooting Incident
A juvenile female died in residential Casper, in what police are calling an isolated shooting incident that happened Tuesday morning. The Casper Police Department asks people to avoid the area of Whispering Springs Road and Gila Bend.
Clair McFarlandMay 14, 2024
Gillette 16-Year-Old Hits 142 MPH In Cadillac Trying To Outrun Cops
A former race car driver and the Campbell County undersheriff say a 16-year-old boy who led police on a high-speed chase hitting 142 mph is lucky. Any slight mishap at that speed is probably not survivable, they said.
Clair McFarland & Jimmy OrrMay 13, 2024
Wyoming Prisons Will Pay New Health Provider $46 Million Over 2 Years
The Wyoming Department of Corrections will pay Alabama-based health care provider Naphcare about $46.2 million over the next two years for medical care according to a contract released on Monday. That’s about 16% more than the cost of DOC’s longtime, now-former provider YesCare.
Clair McFarlandMay 13, 2024
Casper Man Fights Extradition To Utah On 8 Child Sex-Related Charges
A 26-year-old Casper man arrested Thursday on warrants out of Utah is fighting extradition to that state on eight charges related to alleged felony sexual exploitation of a minor.
Dale KillingbeckMay 13, 2024
Wyoming Sheriff Uses Billboard To Attract Denver Cops After City Defunded Police
Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak put up a billboard in Denver to attract cops who may be "frustrated" after that city defunded its police by $8.4 million. The billboard also emphasizes that breaking the law is still illegal in Wyoming.
Clair McFarlandMay 13, 2024
Single-Engine Plane Crashes In Powell Garden, Multiple Plants Killed
The pilot of a single-engine plane near Powell, Wyoming, lost power after takeoff Friday, but recovered to execute a crash landing in a backyard garden. Sadly, many plants were killed in the crash.
Andrew RossiMay 11, 2024
Affidavit: Sheridan Assistant Principal Gave Teen Beer Before Alleged Sex Contact
Sheridan High School Assistant Principal Jacob Meyer, 33, remains in jail, accused of “sexual intrusion” on a girl about 15 years younger. He’s also accused of having indecent photos of her and giving her beer.
Greg Johnson & Clair McFarlandMay 11, 2024
Buffalo Cops Say They Busted Husband-Wife Morphine Dealing Team
Cops in Buffalo, Wyoming, say they busted an alleged husband-wife team dealing morphine, hydrocodone and Xanax. Their cases were elevated to felony-level court this week.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Kemmerer Babysitter Guilty Of Beating 5-Year-Old Girl To Death
A jury took about 4.5 hours Friday to find Kemmerer babysitter Cheri Marler guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal beating death of a 5-year-old girl in her charge.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
State Of Wyoming Sues To Keep $500,000 Seized In Fatal Drug Deal Gone Bad
The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office is asking a judge to forfeit nearly $500,000 seized from the safe of an Evansville man who is charged in a February murder during a drug deal gone bad.
Dale KillingbeckMay 10, 2024
Riverton Man Says Spilled Gas, Cigarette Caused Fire That Killed Girlfriend
A Riverton man charged Thursday with manslaughter after his girlfriend died in a “suspicious” fire told police that he spilled gasoline in several rooms of their house and it ignited when he lit a cigarette.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Kemmerer Babysitter Says She Confessed To Killing 5-Year-Old To End Police Interview
Cheri Marler, the 53-year-old Kemmerer babysitter on trial for first-degree murder in the brutal beating death of a 5-year-old girl, testified at her trial Thursday that she confessed when interviewed by police just to end the lengthy interview.
Clair McFarlandMay 10, 2024
Riverton Man Arrested In Connection With Woman Found Dead In ‘Suspicious’ Fire
A 55-year-old Riverton man was arrested Thursday in connection with a “suspicious” house fire in which a local woman died in late April.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Driver Barrels Into Riverton At 100 MPH, Crashes Into Cop Car
A Wyoming man faces felony eluding charges for allegedly barreling through the Wind River Indian Reservation and into Riverton, Wyoming, at 100 mph and crashing into a cop car.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Former Wyoming Police Officer Charged With Sexually Torturing Mistress
A former police officer in Riverton, Wyoming, has been arrested in Colorado on suspicion of sexually torturing the 19-year-old extramarital girlfriend he reportedly met at a high school homecoming dance while a school resource officer.
Clair McFarlandMay 09, 2024
Laramie Stinks, But It's Just Temporary
Citizens of Laramie were put under a "Temporary Odor Alert" late Wednesday by town authorities. A routine process at the Waste Water Treatment Plant created a "strong, rotten egg odor" and will likely persist for the next 24 hours.
Jimmy OrrMay 09, 2024
Sheridan High School Assistant Principal Arrested On Sex Assault Charge
Jacob Meyer, an assistant principal at Sheridan High School, was arrested Monday and remains in police custody on suspicion of sexual assault.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Casper Man Who Blurted ‘I Killed Somebody’ During Hearing Pleads Not Guilty
A 44-year-old homeless Casper man who blurted out “I killed somebody” during an unrelated court hearing on a probation violation changed his mind on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge.
Dale KillingbeckMay 08, 2024
Colorado Man Accused Of Stealing Diesel From Wyoming Truck Stop
A Colorado man faces felony charges on suspicion of trying to steal thousands of dollars worth of diesel fuel from a Douglas truck stop by pumping it through holes in a tarp into containers on his semitrailer.
Clair McFarlandMay 08, 2024
Judge Says It’s ‘Troubling’ State Can Ignore Teton County Regs To OK Glamping
A judge called it “troubling” Monday that the state of Wyoming can go around Teton County’s land use regulations to temporarily install a glamour camping complex on some of the most expensive land in the nation.
Clair McFarlandMay 07, 2024
BRIEF: Man Accused Of Threatening To Bomb Black Hills Energy Could Get Three Years
A frustrated Black Hills Energy customer in Cheyenne could get three years for telling the company over the phone that “I’m going to blow the building up.”
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Gillette Man Faces Felony For Trying To Bust Open Bank ATM With Hammer, Prybar
A Gillette man has been elevated to felony-level court for allegedly trying to bust open an ATM at a Douglas bank with a hammer and prybar.
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Top-10 Wanted Colorado Sex Offender Hid Out In Cheyenne For Four Years
A Colorado child molester who disappeared and rose to No. 8 on that state’s most wanted sex offenders hid out in Cheyenne for four years, and struck a plea agreement with authorities Friday.
Clair McFarlandMay 06, 2024
Reporter's Notebook: One Year After The Shootout In Thermopolis
In this installment of Reporter's Notebook, Clair McFarland discusses her visit back to the town of Thermopolis one year after a police sergeant illegally broke into a suspect’s home, got shot through the lung and fired back, killing the suspect.
Clair McFarlandMay 04, 2024
Chemical Hazard At Sundance Courthouse Is Third Wyoming Threat This Week
The FBI is investigating a chemical threat that happened at the Crook County Courthouse in Sundance Friday evening. The threat was the third of its kind this week in Wyoming. Courthouses in Gillette and Casper were evacuated earlier in the week.
Clair McFarlandMay 04, 2024
Wyoming Man Honored For Rescuing Hundreds Of Girls From Illegal Sex Tourism
Afton's Tyler Schwab has been honored by the Columbian government for helping more than 3,000 children, and rescuing hundreds, from American pedophiles. His Wyoming-based organization targets Americans who travel to Colombia to have sex with minors.
Jen KocherMay 04, 2024
Porn Actress Who Put Out Hit On Wyoming Ex Tries To End His Parental Rights
A porn actress serving 10 years in prison for trying to hire a hitman to kill her ex-boyfriend wants to terminate the ex's parental rights over their daughter. The Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday denied her request.
Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2024
Wyoming Man Says He Tried To Gun Down Relatives Because He Was ‘Pretty Mad’
Melvin Bagley of Rawlins pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of attempted murder for gunning down his nephew and nephew’s wife last September near Bairoil because he was “pretty mad.”
Clair McFarlandMay 03, 2024
Charges Dropped Against Casper Coin Dealer Accused Of Faking Theft Of $100K Collection
Criminal charges have been dropped against a Casper coin dealer originally accused of being part of a wild scheme to fake the theft of a customer’s $100,000 collection. He says police and the city have “destroyed my business with fake accusations.”
Dale KillingbeckMay 03, 2024
No New Trial For Man Who Shattered Legs Of Two Wyoming Hunters With One Bullet
A man who unleashed a meth-fueled violent crime rampage on homeowners and hunters in Douglas — including shattering the legs of two men with a single bullet — was denied a new trial by the Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday.
Clair McFarlandMay 02, 2024