Crime & Courts
News
Scammer Tried Convincing Sheridan Woman He Kidnapped Her Daughter
A man with a Wyoming area code called a Sheridan woman last week and told her that her daughter had been forced into a vehicle and was being held for ransom. It turned out to be a scam but officers warn these types of scams are becoming more prevalent.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2024
Missouri Man Steals Endangered Ferret Pelt From Wyoming Museum
The pelt of an endangered Wyoming black-footed ferret is back where it belongs in the Meeteetse Museums after a visitor stole it on an “impulse.” Despite the odds of finding it, it was recovered intact and the thief arrested, prosecuted and punished.
Andrew RossiJune 03, 2024
Black Lab Ingests Meth At Gillette Park, Wags Tail "1,000 Miles Per Hour"
It was a close call but Tator, a black Labrador retriever, got into some meth last week at a park in Gillette. He survived but his owners said he was wired out of his mind with his tail wagging "1,000 miles per hour."
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2024
Wyoming Coal Bust Means Budget Cuts Coming For State, Campbell County
Campbell County, located in the heart of the coal-rich Powder River Basin, plans to trim spending by more than $25 million in anticipation of a prolonged coal bust. The State of Wyoming could be short at least $50 million.
Pat MaioJune 03, 2024
‘I Just Ran Someone Over’: Casper Man After Parking Truck On ‘Old Drinking Buddy’
A 55-year-old Casper man is accused of deliberately running over an "old drinking buddy" after they argued at a local bar. He told those in the bar that, "I just ran someone over," according to court documents made available Monday.
Dale KillingbeckJune 03, 2024
Cheyenne Police Officers Found Liable For Illegally Breaking Into Man’s Home
Three former Cheyenne police officers are civilly liable for breaking into a man's home illegally after grabbing his pregnant wife, a U.S. District Court judge ruled. A jury will decide how much money the officers each owe the victim for their unlawful entry.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2024
Man Who Said He Slit Mom’s Throat Because Of Attic People To Have Sanity Checked
A Wyoming judge paused a Gillette man's attempted murder case Friday and ordered a sanity test, after the man reportedly told police he slit his mother’s throat when distant attic people threatened him.
Clair McFarlandJune 03, 2024
Daughter Of Wyoming Tribal Murder Victim Says Justice Goes Beyond A Conviction
The daughter of a Wind River Reservation man murdered in Lander, Wyoming, in April questions what it means to get justice for her father and others. One thing she does know: It’s goes far beyond a court conviction.
Jen KocherJune 02, 2024
Cheyenne Shop Owners Fed Up With 6-Foot-4 Shaman’s Death Threats And Harassment
Downtown Cheyenne business owners say they’re fed up with an aggressive 6-foot-4-inch man who calls himself “Wisdom," brandishes a staff like a shaman, claims he practices Voodoo, and then threatens to kill them or burn their shops down.
Clair McFarlandMay 31, 2024
Cheyenne Man Accused Of Shooting Up Estranged Wife’s House, Kidnapping Her
The estranged husband of a Cheyenne woman was elevated to felony-level court Thursday on charges he allegedly shot up her house, dragged her out to his car and then kidnapped her. He faces 55 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandMay 31, 2024
Five Years After Wyoming Man Disappeared, New Push On To Find Him
It’s been five years since Casper resident Jose Alfredo Mendoza disappeared and although the trail is cold, local investigators are making a new push to find him.
Jen KocherMay 31, 2024
Family Of Slain Casper Man Applauds After Killer Sentenced To 70+ Years
The family of Ryan Schroeder erupted in applause on Thursday as a judge sentenced Justin Armando Marquez to at least 70 years in prison for the stabbing death of Schroeder. Schroeder's daughter said the family has been left with "overwhelming grief."
Dale KillingbeckMay 30, 2024
Former Gillette Cop Accused Of Triple Homicide Had Justified Shooting In Wyoming
Former Gillette cop Jay Ostrem, who has been accused of a rage-fueled triple homicide in South Dakota earlier this week, was involved in a lethal use-of-force incident 23 years ago in Gillette. The judge in a resulting lawsuit noted Ostrem's shooting was justified.
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2024
Prosecutor From Matthew Shepard Case Says 'Gay Panic' Defense Shouldn't Be Allowed
Minnesota has become the 19th state to ban the “gay panic” defense in criminal cases. Wyoming’s laws don’t discuss this defense strategy at all but the lead prosecutor on the Matthew Shepard case said it shouldn't be allowed anywhere.
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2024
Wyoming Professor Tells Supreme Court Not To Let Mexico Sue Gun Makers
A Wyoming professor wants the U.S. Supreme Court to kill Mexico’s multibillion-dollar lawsuit as an illegal attempt to bankrupt America’s firearms industry, an effort a Cowboy State gun advocate calls “more of a stunt … than a serious lawsuit.”
Clair McFarlandMay 30, 2024
Former Wyoming Police Sergeant Charged With Triple Homicide In South Dakota
Jay Ostrem, a former Gillette, Wyoming, police sergeant, has been charged with triple homicide for allegedly killing three people Monday in South Dakota.
Clair McFarlandMay 29, 2024
Gillette Man Says Distant Attic People Triggered Him To Slit Mother’s Throat
A Gillette man told a sheriff’s investigator he was defending himself from people in a "distant attic" when he lifted his mother’s chin and slit her throat. He’s been charged with attempted murder, and she’s recovering in a hospital.
Clair McFarlandMay 28, 2024
Cheyenne Mom Who Swung Toddler 'Like A Baseball Bat' Gets 10-15 Years In Prison
A 21-year-old Cheyenne mother who swung her 2-year-old son "like a baseball bat" apologized Tuesday, saying that “he didn’t deserve this” as she was sentenced to 10-15 years in prison.
Clair McFarlandMay 28, 2024
Family Desperate To Find Missing Cheyenne Woman Who May Have Had Mental Emergency
The family of 38-year-old Shanna Brubaker, who’s been missing from her Cheyenne home since April 29 and may be experiencing a mental health emergency, is desperate to find her. The family is asking for the public's help.
Jen KocherMay 26, 2024
Accused Wyoming Child Torturer Doesn’t Want Kids To Testify At Her Trial
A Wyoming woman accused to torturing her 13-year-old son, whom police reportedly found in a crawl space with broken bones and starving, petitioned the court this week to not let any of her other five children testify against her.
Clair McFarlandMay 24, 2024
BRIEF: Feds Don’t Want To Return Wyoming Man's Illegal Machine Gun
After taking an illegal 9 mm Glock converted to a machine gun — and other weapons — from a Worland, Wyoming, man last year, the federal government asked a judge Friday to let it keep the guns.
Clair McFarlandMay 24, 2024
Accused Wyoming Pronghorn Poacher Caught After Standoff With Police
A Moorcroft, Wyoming, woman accused of helping poach a pronghorn also faces felony drug possession charges after an hours-long nonviolent standoff with police in her house.
Clair McFarlandMay 24, 2024
Trooper Gets 10-15 Years For Rape As Wyoming Legislator Calls Him ‘A Man of God’
A Cheyenne judge Thursday sentenced a former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper who raped a woman to 10-15 years in prison despite a state legislator lobbying the judge for leniency, calling him “a man of God.”
Clair McFarlandMay 23, 2024
Wyoming Man Accused Of Killing Woman, Molesting Body Won’t Stop Writing To Judge
A man accused of murdering his on-and-off girlfriend and molesting her body won’t stop writing letters to his circuit court judge, even as they’ve been used as evidence against him.
Clair McFarlandMay 23, 2024