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You Still Here? Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Public Safety

What first appeared to be an ordinary construction delay on a lonely stretch of highway west of Casper quickly turned into one of the 

 many of those involved had ever witnessed.

By the time emergency crews reached U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58 Friday afternoon, two people were dead, seven others had been injured, and strangers were comforting survivors, checking on children, searching for fire extinguishers and handing out bottled water.

On Monday, the Natrona County Coroner's Office identified the two people killed as James Faris Cox, 74, and Susan Horn Cox, 69, of Golden, Colorado.

"That was my aunt and uncle killed in the wreck Friday," their nephew Lee Wolfe told Cowboy State Daily. "They were on the way to their house in Ennis, MT. They lived in Golden, CO."

[{"type":"text","text":"He said the couple was traveling alone."}]

"It was just my aunt and uncle in their truck, no survivors," he said. "My two cousins and their families were heading up there at a different time thankfully."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Semi, Multiple Vehicles Involved"}]

The Wyoming Highway Patrol said the crash involved multiple vehicles, including a semi-truck.

"Two confirmed fatalities. Seven injured. Seventeen people involved, two flown by helicopter, the others were taken to Wyoming Medical Center by ambulance," Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Aaron Brown said. "This is still an active investigation." 

As of Monday afternoon, investigators had not released a preliminary cause of the crash, and no criminal charges had been filed.

The Natrona County Coroner's Office said it is investigating the fatalities along with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Natrona County Sheriff's Office.

[{"type":"text","text":"Krista Nethercott of Jackson never saw the crash itself."}]

She had been traveling toward Casper with a neighbor after taking her son to enroll in college when traffic suddenly came to a stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"At first, she assumed the delay was caused by nearby road construction."}]

"There were these pylons on the right-hand side that kind of tell you there's construction," she said. "But there wasn't anything alerting you to slow down. There wasn't a flagger."

After waiting several minutes, she said she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She stepped out of her vehicle and walked toward the front of the traffic backup.

"That's when I could see there were cars on both sides of the road," she said. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness.'"

Nethercott said she immediately ran toward the wreckage to make sure someone had called 911 and to offer whatever help she could.

She said she told him, "I'm a funeral director. I'll help you. I'm not scared to see death." 

Working with another bystander, she checked on the occupants of one of the most severely damaged vehicles — the Coxes' pickup.

"The gentleman was immediately deceased," she said. "The lady probably lived a couple minutes."

[{"type":"text","text":"She said both appeared to have been wearing seat belts."}]

The truck was crushed so badly, she said, that she believed rescuers ultimately would need the jaws of life to remove the couple.

"If the woman had lived longer, I don't think this gentleman and I could have ever taken her out of the vehicle," she said. "That's how crushed it was."

Despite witnessing the aftermath firsthand, Nethercott said she has no idea what caused the collision.

"I don't know if the semi-trailer didn't slow down and ran into people, or if somebody was trying to pass too many vehicles. I couldn't ascertain that at all. It was just mass metal and cars," she said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Before The Sirens"}]

The crash occurred about 45 miles northwest of Casper, and Nethercott estimated it was roughly 30 minutes before ambulances and fire crews reached the scene.

"It seemed like it was a long time to see paramedics," she said. "But considering you're out in the middle of nowhere, I don't think they could have gotten there any quicker."

Long before emergency vehicles arrived, however, strangers had already organized themselves.

Nethercott estimated around 10 people got out of their vehicles and immediately began helping.

One man walked the line of stopped traffic asking whether anyone had a fire extinguisher. Another, who identified himself as working at a pediatric clinic, examined a young child who remained safely strapped into a five-point car seat while the boy's injured father tried to comfort him.

Others brought camping chairs for survivors to sit in while Nethercott handed out bottled water from her vehicle.

"There were people left and right getting out of their vehicles and trying to find anything that could be used," she said. "Whether it's water, an emergency medical kit or a fire extinguisher."

[{"type":"text","text":"The scene itself was almost impossible to comprehend."}]

"There was debris all over the place," she said. "Food, toilet paper, paper towels ... it looked like somebody had been camping. There was glass everywhere, bumpers everywhere."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'The Wyoming Way'"}]

The Natrona County Fire District described responders arriving to "a very chaotic scene" involving multiple damaged vehicles, a large debris field, numerous victims and a large bystander presence.

The response included firefighters from the Natrona County Fire District, ambulances from Mills Fire Department, Banner Wyoming Medical Center and Evansville Fire/EMS, Wyoming LifeFlight, Guardian Flight, the Natrona County Sheriff's Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol, WYDOT crews, dispatchers and road construction personnel.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fire officials said 17 people were directly involved in the crash."}]

In a statement, the department singled out the motorists who stopped to help before first responders arrived.

"Crews would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the bystanders who assisted victims immediately after the crash, while waiting for help to arrive, as well as while responders were on-scene, offering shelter during the passing of a thunder cell, emotional support and minor patient care," they wrote. 

[{"type":"text","text":"\"The true spirit of the 'Wyoming Way' was in full force this day.\""}]

Nethercott said, "There were people left and right getting out of their vehicles and trying to find anything that could be used. They didn't sit around and wait for somebody else to do it."

[{"type":"text","text":"The moment she has replayed most, however, involved Susan Cox."}]

Although there was little anyone could do medically, Nethercott said she wanted to make sure the woman did not spend her final moments alone.

"We told her help was coming,” she said. "We don't know what happens when people are unconscious, but we wanted her to know somebody was there."

Only after that did she turn her attention to survivors who still could be saved.

Among those survivors is Kensi Van Patten. A 

 campaign organized on her behalf says she suffered serious injuries in the crash and faces a lengthy recovery while her family copes with mounting medical expenses. 

The fundraiser asks for donations to help with medical costs and lost income during her recovery.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol, Natrona County Sheriff's Office and Natrona County Coroner's Office continue to investigate the crash. 

Double Fatal Crash Go Fund Me 6 29 26

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Witnesses Describe Chaos, Compassion After Wyoming Crash That Killed Colo. Couple | Cowboy State Daily</title>

An older Colorado couple have been identified as the two people killed in a Friday multi-vehicle crash west of Casper. "We made sure she wasn't alone,” said a Jackson woman who was among those who stopped to help the couple and others hurt in the crash.

Witnesses Describe Chaos, Compassion After Wyoming Crash That Killed Colo. Couple

Employee kate meadows cropped

Kate Meadows

Around Wyoming

The Amish man at the center of a Crook County 

 has confirmed that the issue prompted him and his family to leave the state and says what was required of him by county officials is unconstitutional.   

Abe Yoder called Cowboy State Daily from a community phone near his property in Weldon, Iowa, on Saturday.

[{"type":"text","text":"The Amish historically do not use email or cellphones."}]

Yoder recently moved to Iowa, selling off much of his Hulett-area estate and taking his wife and nine of his 11 children with him.

“It does very much have to do with our sovereignty and rights,” he said.

Scott Pomerenke of Sundance, a friend of Yoder’s, put it this way: "They’re moving because they were pressured.”

[{"type":"text","text":"County officials say that was never the intention."}]

Yoder told Cowboy State Daily the county had threatened to fine him $10,000 per day per outhouse on his land that did not have a permit, threatened to take away his children, and asked him to sign a contract giving county officials permission to inspect the outhouses at any time.

County officials told Cowboy State Daily they did invoke financial incentive to get Yoder to comply with county regulations. They also point to a blanket clause on all county paperwork that asks for permission to inspect property. 

[{"type":"text","text":"But they vehemently deny anyone threatened to take away his children."}]

“There was no such thing,” said Caleb Peters, Crook County wastewater treatment specialist.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"How It Started"}]

The dispute began in October 2024, when Crook County officials discovered several Amish property owners west of Hulett had built pit-style outhouses without the permits required under county wastewater regulations.

[{"type":"text","text":"Peters said he became aware of the issue through satellite imaging."}]

Some outhouses were not sealed or properly vented, he told Cowboy State Daily.

“There was a compilation of a whole bunch of things,” he said, which led him to reach out to the property owners.

While he did not have an exact number, Peters said he guessed about 20 outhouses did not comply with county regulations.

County commissioner Bob Latham said county code requires human-waste receptacles to be portable, pumpable or connected to a septic system.

“You have to build them correctly and permit them,” Crook County commission chair Fred Devish said.

Upon learning about the codes and permitting regulations, all but two families complied, Peters said.

Those families were the Abe and Elizabeth Yoder and Rudy and Irene Borntreger, he said. An estate moving sale was held for both families earlier this month. The Yoders moved to Iowa, the Borntregers to Wisconsin.

[{"type":"text","text":"Yoder told Cowboy State Daily he felt targeted and strong-armed."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Sovereignty And The Law"}]

Yoder is sovereign, meaning he belongs to a group of self-governing people. He has no Social Security number and no birth certificate.

According to the Young Center for Amish Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, the Amish pay taxes. However, they do not pay Social Security taxes because they believe it is a form of insurance.

Yoder said his outhouses were built to code, including two that served an Amish schoolhouse on his land.

“I had researched to be sure I had everything up to specs,” he told Cowboy State Daily.

The only thing missing: A permit for each outhouse. Permits cost $200 each.

[{"type":"text","text":"Yoder said he had lived on the land for 10 years without a permit."}]

“It was never a problem,” he said. “Now, they come out and pounce upon me.”

Yoder said he believed the push was largely about money. Sheridan rancher Pepper Fipps, who has done business with Yoder, agrees.

“It’s amazing how the government wants their money,” Fipps told Cowboy State Daily.

But Devish said $200 is “not a terrible amount.” The fee pays for the county’s time to inspect and process necessary paperwork.

“It’s not a money grab,” he said. “We’re not making millions of dollars on wastewater permitting.”

According to Yoder, the county was in clear violation of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States. Under the 14th Amendment, the state is prohibited from depriving any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law.”

“In my way of looking at it, they threatened my life by threatening to take my children away. They threatened to take my property by putting a lien against it. This is unconstitutional,” he told Cowboy State Daily.

[{"type":"text","text":"Both Devish and Peters dismissed those claims."}]

“We don’t make laws without repercussions,” Devish said. “Whether you’re Amish or Mormon or Catholic or whoever the hell you want to be, there are rules.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The issue largely boiled down to filling out paperwork, Devish added."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"But it’s paperwork Yoder was not willing to sign."}]

Pomerenke told Cowboy State Daily that Yoder didn’t want to sign paperwork because under his sovereignty he didn’t need to.

He recounted a similar struggle that his own Amish grandfather experienced a half-century ago in Wisconsin. His grandfather was fined $75 a day for having non-conforming outhouses and ultimately landed in jail.

“He wouldn’t pay because he didn’t think it was a valid law,” Yoder said.

Finally, the county in Wisconsin ruled the grandfather was a simple farmer who wasn’t hurting anything and decided to leave him alone.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Letters"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"In Crook County, the lengthy dispute played out in a series of letters."}]

Devish said one person sent a letter to commissioners saying, “I don’t know why county commissioners are so interested in my feces.”

“I’m not particularly interested in yours,” he said he responded. “I’m interested in everybody’s and that it goes where it needs to go in a proper manner. It is a biohazard that needs to be disposed of properly.”

Yoder said he sent multiple letters to county commissioners asking why permits were needed.

Peters said the Yoders did not respond to the letters he sent detailing the problems and the necessary solutions.

[{"type":"text","text":"“We had no way to talk to them,” he said."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Trespassing?"}]

Yoder said eventually county officials asked him to sign a contract that would allow them to come onto his property anytime to inspect the outhouses for the schoolhouse.

[{"type":"text","text":"Yoder did not sign it. But, he said, county officials showed up anyway."}]

“They trespassed,” he said. “They opened doors they had no permission to open.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Peters sees it differently."}]

“If we know there’s a health and safety violation, we have to investigate it,” he said. “If we have suspicion of something there, we have the right to go in.”

Peters said his attempts to communicate with Yoder were fruitless. He sent multiple letters with no response, he said.

“If (Yoder) wants to call that trespassing, then I guess so,” Devish said. “I think we should have the ability to go and see what’s being done or not being done.”

Having a record of what takes place on the land is important for future landowners, he said.

“I don’t want to buy some place that has biohazards that I’ll have to take care of,” Devish added.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Seizing Children?"}]

Yoder also said the county threatened to take his children if he didn’t comply with regulations.

He said officials leaned on a 2025 high-profile case in Massachusetts in which the children of Isael Rivera and Ruth Encarnacion were taken into custody by the state after a pediatrician reported the family for medical neglect because they refused to vaccinate their 9-month-old due to religious beliefs. Those children remain in the care of the Massachusetts DCF and the case is ongoing.

[{"type":"text","text":"“They used that case to threaten us,” Yoder said."}]

Devish said to that claim, “I laugh out loud. That is ridiculous. No. No. There’s no taking children away. Good Lord.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Peters likewise strongly disagreed."}]

“We indicated in all our letters that it is a safety violation that could cause harm to family and neighbors,” he said. “But it had nothing to do with anything about his kids.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From Outhouses To Port-a-Potties"}]

As it became clear the county would not allow outhouses without permits, Yoder said he decided to write a letter, informing county commissioners he would discontinue using his outhouses and instead install a port-a-potty for the schoolhouse.

Peters wrote back: The county would need to know the location of a permanent port-a-potty to be sure it complied with necessary setbacks.

“With a port-a-potty, you’ve got to have someone pump it out and dispose of the sewage properly,” Devish said.

[{"type":"text","text":"He added that paperwork to properly abandon outhouses is required."}]

“If they’re no longer going to be used, we still need to know where they are,” he said.

County commissioner Bob Latham told Cowboy State Daily previously that the nonconforming outhouses threatened the groundwater.

“The possibility for groundwater contamination and disease is just something we can’t ignore,” Devish added.

Yoder disagreed, saying his outhouses were located far enough away from water sources that it was never a problem. All his outhouses were situated within concrete vaults, according to county code, he said.

Devish said the issue boils down to a failure to complete proper paperwork.

“We don’t go crawling around with a spyglass to see who’s not putting their crap in the right place,” he said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From Wyoming To Iowa"}]

Yoder said he moved to Wyoming in 2014 because of its remoteness and an opportunity to raise food for people.

[{"type":"text","text":"“I really like the area,” he said. “I really like the people.”"}]

Proximity to Gillette and Spearfish, South Dakota, allowed them to buy necessary groceries and supplies.

“We would have farmers markets, and we raised a lot of produce,” he said.

One of the people who Yoder gravitated to was Pomerenke. Yoder shoed his horses.

[{"type":"text","text":"Pomerenke attended the estate sale several weeks ago."}]

He bought an antique double-tub wash basin full of flowers for his wife. He also bought one of Yoder’s ponies for his grandchildren.

“I sat next to Abe,” he told Cowboy State Daily, “I said, your story will not die here'.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Yoder said he felt targeted."}]

“They thought if they could win me they could win the whole community,” he said. “They thought they needed to strong-arm me.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Community Divided"}]

For Yoder, the biggest disappointment is not that he felt strong-armed by the county. It’s that his own people backed down when county government came knocking.

Abe Yoder moved his Amish family from Wyoming to Iowa after he says Crook County officials threatened him with stiff fines and removing his children over outhouse permits. County officials deny those claims and say they only sought wastewater compliance.