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Public Safety

A blown tire on a commercial truck appears to be what triggered a crash Wednesday that shut down U.S. Highway 20/26 outside Shoshoni for nearly four hours, leaving motorists stranded in sweltering near 100-degree temperatures while emergency crews cleared the road.

Wyoming Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Aaron Brown said an eastbound semitruck east of Shoshoni traveling toward Casper suffered a tire failure at about 10:30 a.m., causing it to drift into the westbound lane and sideswipe a GMC Yukon. 

Brown said there were no fatalities, though the extent of any injuries was not immediately available because troopers were still working at the scene. 

The highway was closed for nearly four hours as temperatures — expected to hit the high-90s and get near 100 Wednesday — rose while people were stuck behind the crash.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Hours In The Heat"}]

Scott Spiess of Lander told Cowboy State Daily he became stuck in the backup around 10 a.m. and remained there for hours.

"It says it's 94 where I'm sitting right now, so it's probably closer to about 98 on the highway," Spiess said while waiting for the road to reopen. "People hauling horses, I would be concerned about their animals."

Spiess said he never saw the collision itself but watched as a large emergency response unfold.

"I do know that they brought in three flatbed wreckers and two semi wreckers, and at one point in time, they had two helicopters and several fire department and police department vehicles on scene,” he said.

Photos shared with Cowboy State Daily show emergency vehicles, a helicopter and heavy-duty wreckers gathered along the highway as traffic stretched into the distance.

Another image shows one of the commercial trucks involved with extensive front-end damage and its engine compartment exposed.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Investigation Continues"}]

Brown said the Wyoming Highway Patrol expects to temporarily close the highway again Thursday so investigators can reconstruct the crash and determine exactly what happened.

[{"type":"text","text":"A timeline for that closure has not yet been announced. "}]

[{"type":"text","text":"The crash remains under investigation."}]

Highway 2026 crash Unknown 51 7 15 269

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

<title>Crash Shuts Down Highway 20/26 Near Shoshoni For Hours In Near 100-Degree Heat | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A blown tire on a semitrailer sent it into the opposite lane, sideswiping a GMC Yukon and closing U.S. 20/26 near Shoshoni for more than four hours Wednesday, stranding motorists in near 100-degree heat. 

Crash Shuts Down Highway 20/26 Near Shoshoni For Hours In Near 100-Degree Heat

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Law Enforcement

As Wyomingites across the state amplify their concerns over license plate reader cameras, people are reporting devices to camera-mapping site Deflock.org that might not actually be license plate readers.

 peg Cody, Gillette, and Lusk as places that have license plate readers.

Law enforcement agencies in Cody and Gillette both say they’re not using license plate readers. 

In the case of Cody, a quick-lube mechanic shop owner said the camera reported as a license plate reader is a vehicle counter, which he had installed to tout the shop's area traffic volume in case he ever wants to sell his business.

In the case of Gillette, the police department and sheriff’s office both say they’re not using license plate readers, while the Wyoming Department of Transportation speculated the devices — mapped at the town’s busiest intersection — could be traffic signal monitors.   

But Lusk is using license plate readers, and the Deflock entry on that little town is correct, Lusk Police Chief Jacob Gordon confirmed Wednesday to Cowboy State Daily.

Gordon said he started the installation project for the town’s two license plate readers — both from Motorola’s Vigilant line rather than the better-known Flock brand — about three years ago.

Town residents brought questions and minimal resistance to that, Gordon recalled. He said he addressed people’s concerns by describing the cameras’ limited vantage.  

The chief said he started the project after going to a training in Nebraska while he was still a sergeant with the departmentand heard how a mobile license plate reader in a deputy’s vehicle had thwarted a predator who’d kidnapped a girl.

“That really resonated with me on what these cameras can do and what resources they are, to help police in investigations,” said Gordon.

The highway that case involved is similar to the one passing through Lusk, he added.

Gordon said his agency focuses the cameras toward addressing human trafficking, kidnapping, stolen vehicle and drug investigations. 

He said “the cell service up north gets pretty rough and we just were having complaints about people being run off the road, trying to run off the road single women that were driving.”

[{"type":"text","text":"The intel system linked to the cameras is a useful resource, said Gordon."}]

Agencies can flag suspect or sought vehicles, and other agencies notice those hits when the license plates cross their cameras. 

Beyond that, Gordon said an agent who is linked to other agencies via memorandum of understanding can search for recent logged locations on a license plate number that has not yet been flagged.

He said Lusk Police Department has around 2,800 memoranda of understanding with other agencies, and he’s been able to help Wyoming agencies like Rock Springs get information from that large network to discern the general direction of suspect vehicles.

[{"type":"text","text":"Lusk PD’s data system stores information for 30 days, said Gordon."}]

He said the police have two stationary, pole cameras mounted in town right now.

One of those, logged correctly in the Deflock.org map, is at the Ranchers Feed Supply store.

A store manager who declined to be identified by name walked outside and confirmed there’s a camera there during a Tuesday interview with Cowboy State Daily. She voiced surprise, as if noticing the device for the first time.

Lusk PD has another camera “farther south” around the town entrance, said Gordon.

He cast the people of Lusk as a check on any potential abuses of the system.

“If we start utilizing (the system) as an overreach or, you know, it’s not working the way we thought, we’ll just take them down and be done,” Gordon said. 

But for now, he added, “The system isn’t that invasive, but assists in those types of serious issues, and can assist in saving people’s lives. I think it’s super beneficial.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Louder In Green River"}]

The people of Green River appear to have brought 

Outspoken Green River residents earlier this month halted their police chief’s bid to install license plate readers at town entrances.

Gregory Sherwin, who identified himself as a lifelong resident of Green River, cast the system as just another slow, well-intentioned erosion of freedom during a July 7 meeting of the City Council.

He urged the council to “defend these principles of due process, presumption of innocence and freedom of association — and the simple right to move about our communities without being constantly monitored, analyzed and profiled.”

Sherwin added, “These are not outdated ideals. They’re the foundation of a free people.”

Besides Lusk, the Wyoming communities of Cheyenne, Jackson, Glenrock, and the Wind River Indian Reservation all have license plate reader cameras in place.

[{"type":"text","text":"Gillette Says Nope"}]

Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny and Gillette Deputy Chief of Police Brent Wasson both told Cowboy State Daily their agencies don’t use license plate readers.

Someone logged a Flock Safety brand camera at the intersection of East Boxelder Road and South Douglas Highway.

“That’s a state highway. I would assume that is state infrastructure,” said Wasson in a Tuesday phone interview. “I don’t have any idea. I can tell you we don’t (have any cameras).”

The Wyoming Department of Transportation also said it doesn’t have any cameras there. 

The agency had already given to Cowboy State Daily 

 license plate reader sites pursuant to a records request, said WYDOT public relations manager Doug McGee.

McGee said the devices logged at the intersection could be traffic control sensors.

“Our Traffic Program has a Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera in that area that allows us to remotely monitor signal operations. We do not store any images from these types of cameras,” he said in a Tuesday email. “The image supplied on DeFlock does look similar to that camera, but not knowing the source, I can't be certain.”

Matheny went to the site himself to answer Cowboy State Daily’s inquiry.

They looked like traffic motion sensors for the stoplights to him, said the sheriff.

“I don’t see anything else that would indicate an LP reader,” added Matheny.

[{"type":"text","text":"Counting Cars In Cody"}]

A Deflock.org user logged an alleged Motorola license plate reader for Cody’s intersection of Yellowstone Avenue and Conifer Lane.

That’s actually a car counter, said Jared Friess, owner of quick-lube style car shop Majestic Lube.

“So, we’re a chain of quick-lubes, so when you buy quick-lubes, the most important thing is traffic counts,” said Friess. "Because they base (market value) on volume.”

He said he had the car counter installed so he has a value marker to tout if he ever wants to sell the business.

He said the devices are confined to the subscriptions people buy for them, and his subscription is only for counting cars. He confirmed the device is a Motorola.

“Any big chains like Autozone or anything will have that,” he said. “No one who owns these types of stores will buy one unless there’s data of how many vehicles pass through the business.”

Cody Police Department Lt. Juston Wead said the agency doesn’t have any license plate readers. 

And, “no, we are not in the process of looking into them at all,” he added.

Lusk license plate reader 7 15 26

<title>License Plate Reader Map Right That Lusk Has Them, Wrong About Cody And Gillette | Cowboy State Daily</title>

As people across Wyoming raise concerns over license plate reader cameras, they're mapping cameras that might not actually be license plate readers. A new Deflock.org entry saying Lusk has them is right, but it’s wrong about Cody and Gillette.

License Plate Reader Map Right That Lusk Has Them, Wrong About Cody And Gillette

Courts

A former assistant director at the Shoshoni Senior Center is accused of exploiting a 93-year-old woman who depended on the center for meals, transportation and other daily assistance, allegedly accepting and depositing $33,400 in checks from the woman over a 14-month period.

Jeannie Kroenke is charged with one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a felony that alleges she used her position of trust to financially exploit an elderly client of the senior center.

A probable cause affidavit filed by Shoshoni Police Chief Christopher Konija claims the alleged victim lives alone, relies on the senior center for services and uses a wheelchair.

Investigators wrote that the woman became confused easily, sometimes mistook Kroenke for other people and was unable to manage her finances without assistance.

The allegations have shaken one of Shoshoni's most important community institutions, where older residents gather for meals, activities and transportation services.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Bank Spots Suspicious Check"}]

The investigation began last Thursday after Wyoming Community Bank contacted the Shoshoni Police Department about suspected elder financial exploitation.

BMO Bank flagged one of the older woman's recent checks after an employee noticed handwriting that appeared inconsistent with the rest of the document.

Police allege nine checks totaling $33,400 were written between April 17, 2025, and June 23, 2026, ranging from $1,000 to $15,000, the affidavit says.

Investigators say all nine checks were deposited into Kroenke's personal bank account.

One of the checks appeared to have originally been written for $5,000 before being altered to $15,000, says the affidavit. 

Kroenke initially denied changing the amount. Later, investigators wrote that she acknowledged believing the check was for $5,000 until a bank teller told her it was worth $15,000.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"I was overjoyed,\" Kroenke allegedly told investigators."}]

She later claimed she contacted the 93-year-old, who told her to go ahead and deposit the larger amount.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Go Have Fun'"}]

During an interview with police, Kroenke acknowledged receiving multiple checks from the senior center client, but said the money had been given voluntarily.

Kroenke told police that the woman wanted to help pay expenses related to the mental health treatment for a family member of Kroenke's and would sometimes hand her $1,000 while telling her to "go have fun."

Kroenke said she also used $10,000 of the 93-year-old's money repay money that she owed a family member. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Another disputed transaction involved a $6,200 check."}]

Konija wrote in the affidavit that the 93-year-old believed she had intended that money as a donation to the Shoshoni Senior Center's historical preservation project.

Kroenke told investigators the woman was confusing that check with another donation.

Near the end of the interview, police say Kroenke acknowledged that accepting money from a client looked inappropriate because of her position at the senior center and admitted no one else knew the older woman had been giving her money.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Layers Of Oversight "}]

For many residents, the Shoshoni Senior Center serves as far more than a place to eat lunch.

The center provides meals, transportation, home-delivered food and other support services while also hosting community events that draw seniors from across the region.

"It's really important part of our whole town," Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith told Cowboy State Daily.

Highsmith said the center serves not only Shoshoni residents, but seniors from surrounding rural communities and Riverton, calling it "a great institution."

He urged residents not to judge the organization based on the allegations against one former employee.

"If the allegations are true, it was an act of one person and not an act of the senior center as a whole," Highsmith said. "It's one individual, it's not the senior center."

Highsmith added that smaller communities often have fewer layers of oversight than larger organizations, but said situations like this should prompt a review of internal safeguards to help prevent similar incidents in the future.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Board Meeting"}]

Shoshoni Senior Center Executive Director Rikki Neale confirmed to Cowboy State Daily that the center's board of directors was scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss the matter. She declined further comment ahead of the meeting.

Kroenke made her initial appearance Monday in Fremont County Circuit Court. Her bond was set at $10,000 cash only or a $25,000 surety bond.

As of Wednesday afternoon, she was no longer listed as an inmate at the Fremont County Detention Center.

[{"type":"text","text":"A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. July 22."}]

Shoshoni Senior Center 7 15 26

<title>Former Shoshoni Senior Center Official Accused Of Scamming $33K From 93-Year-Old | Cowboy State Daily</title>

The former assistant director of the Shoshoni Senior Center has been charged on suspicion of scamming more than $33,000 from a 93-year-old client. She told police the woman would sometimes hand her $1,000 and say, “Go have fun."

Former Shoshoni Senior Center Official Accused Of Scamming $33K From 93-Year-Old

Nearly three weeks after a commercial tanker 

in a construction zone west of Casper, killing two people and injuring eight others, no criminal charges have been filed as a Wyoming Highway Patrol investigation continues.

That isn't stopping a Casper attorney from pursuing the first civil lawsuit stemming from the deadly crash on behalf of a family hurt in the pileup.

The negligence lawsuit, filed Friday in Natrona County District Court, names Ryan Brothers Trucking Inc. and a John Doe defendant, identified as the tanker driver whose identity was not yet known to the plaintiffs when the complaint was filed.

The identity of the truck driver hasn’t been publicly released as the investigation is active, the Wyoming Highway Patrol has said.

Contacted by Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, WHP spokesman Aaron Brown said the investigation has so far taken weeks because of the sheer amount of evidence investigators must review.

Unlike a typical fatal crash, this one involved a commercial tanker truck and seven other vehicles, which requires investigators to analyze electronic data from the truck and any available from all the civilian vehicles.

“It’s the scale. There’s a ton of data to be coming out of this thing,” Brown said. “We have a ton of data to sift through to try and get this thing done."

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Makensi Van Patten and Chantry Van Patten, individually and as parents and guardians of their two minor children.

A Wyoming Highway Patrol crash summary reports that the driver of a westbound Western Star tanker truck failed to stop for traffic queued to enter a one-lane construction zone on U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58.3, striking seven stopped vehicles.

The crash killed James Faris Cox, 74, and Susan Horn Cox, 69, of Golden, Colorado, and injured eight others. The Highway Patrol listed driver inattention as a possible contributing factor.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Family Seeks Damages"}]

The lawsuit alleges the tanker driver negligently failed to stop for traffic backed up at the construction zone, triggering the eight-vehicle chain-reaction crash.

It further claims the Van Patten family's Toyota Highlander was struck after the commercial truck plowed into the line of stopped vehicles.

Makensi and Chantry Van Patten, along with their two children, suffered physical injuries in the collision, according to the complaint. 

It also claims the parents and one of the children witnessed another family member suffer serious bodily injury, causing emotional trauma in addition to physical injuries.

The family is seeking compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent injuries, loss of enjoyment of life, lost earning capacity and other damages to be determined at trial.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'Get This Case Going' "}]

Attorney Dallas Laird, who represents the family along with James Fitzgerald, said the lawsuit was filed to protect his clients' legal rights.

"The lawsuit was filed to get this case going and to preserve my client's rights," Laird told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.

Laird said it is too early to determine the full extent of the family's damages.

"We don't know at this point because they're still in treatment, and these are kind of long-term injuries," he said.

Asked what the family hopes to accomplish through the litigation, Laird answered simply: "A settlement of the case."

He added that the complaint could change as additional evidence becomes available.

"Our theory is, at this point, we may have to amend the complaint once we get the Highway Patrol report," Laird said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Fifth Amendment "}]

Among the lawsuit's allegations is that the tanker driver invoked the Fifth Amendment right with law enforcement and declined to answer questions following the crash.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"That was told to me by the Highway Patrol,\" Laird said. "}]

Since the crash, Cowboy State Daily has repeatedly asked about the investigation and the potential for criminal charges to be filed. 

Among the unanswered questions are whether the tanker driver has been cited, arrested or could face criminal charges; whether investigators can confirm the lawsuit's allegation that the driver invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination; whether the case has been referred to prosecutors for criminal review; and when investigators expect to conclude the investigation.

The Highway Patrol did not respond except to say the investigation remains active and that it’s complicated and involved nature takes time to complete. 

Cowboy State Daily also reached out to Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen to ask whether the case has been submitted for criminal review or whether any charges are anticipated. He also did not respond before publication.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no criminal charges had been announced in connection with the crash.

Ryan Brothers Trucking said that it has "no comment on ongoing litigation at this time."

Double Fatal Crash Go Fund Me 7 15

<title>Family Hurt In Semi Crash That Killed 2 West Of Casper Sues Trucker, Company | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A family hurt in a crash west of Casper that killed two people when a semitruck plowed into a construction zone is suing the trucking company and the as-yet unidentified truck driver. No criminal charges have yet been filed as an investigation continues.

Family Hurt In Semi Crash That Killed 2 West Of Casper Sues Trucker, Company

Government & Politics

Politics

Two of the 10 Republicans vying for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat faced off Wednesday at a convention hall on Riverton’s airport hill, headquarters of “The Gentry.” 

The morning coffee group comprising men of a certain age has become a hot destination for political candidates of all levels 

from local sheriff candidates to governor

Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow and state Senate President Bo Biteman converged on the coffee meet at the same time Wednesday. 

“There are some folks in this race of good character. And there are some folks in this race of suspect character,” said Balow. “So I’m thankful to you folks for doing your homework. 

"As awkward as it is for Bo and I to be here together — this is great.” 

[{"type":"text","text":"Biteman nodded."}]

The two candidates will vie for the GOP nomination to U.S. House in Wyoming’s Aug. 18 primary election. 

 Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Teton County rancher Frank Chapman, Casper businessman Reid Rasner, philanthropist Steve Friess, 

 veterans David Giralt and Kevin Christensen, former lawmaker Keith Goodenough, and Richard Dodson. 

 fielded questions, heard frustration and shared their visions.

Group regular, biker and former elementary school puppeteer Wayne Dick voiced a sense of futility over the polarization in politics. 

“I guess that’s where my struggle is: to try to get the country working for the country instead of so split; so out in la-la land and (saying), ‘If you don’t agree with me you’re wrong,’” said Dick. 

The Gentry’s host and former Riverton Mayor Ron Warpness echoed that, and said he consumes too much news and has concerns about policymaking on both the state and federal levels, but has reached a point at which his only outlet at times is to “come here and vent.” 

As for Congress and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell specifically, “My God, he makes Joe Biden look like a mental giant,” lamented Warpness. 

Biteman answered that its time pragmatic delegates took back sanity from the far right and far left. 

“If you let (fringes) dictate policy, no one’s happy, everyone’s fighting and we get gridlock,” said Biteman. 

, asked the candidates multiple questions. One of those was about their stance on data centers.

Balow said the state should develop consistent framework toward the industry, exercise what she cast as rightful suspicion, and stop giving tax breaks. 

She pointed to her work on the top state executive boards, where she said her opposition to some wind farm advancements helped craft more consistent framework. 

Biteman echoed Balow on the tax break sentiment especially, saying that state law has outlived its purpose. 

As a former state representative, Gray voted twice to keep Wyoming’s sales tax exemption for large data projects in place — in 2021 and 2022 — though he’s come out altogether against data centers in his current campaign. 

He’s since told Cowboy State Daily that when he voted to keep that exemption, people didn’t expect the rapid advance of artificial intelligence now amplifying data center controversies. 

on a private lands level, landowners should have freedom to contract with data centers. He voiced opposition to the “NIMBY” (not-in-my-backyard) crowd, which he said seeks to dictate how people can use their own property. 

Biteman, who is a professional landman, pointed to his background in energy and his energy advocacy. 

He took the data center topic as a chance to criticize “the surveillance state,” and said if Congress has a role 

 data centers, it should be ensuring they’re not farming people’s information around privacy constraints, and to ensure the government isn’t using private companies to get around the Fourth Amendment. 

[{"type":"text","text":"“Get a warrant, if you want my private information,” said Biteman. "}]

He voiced opposition toward Flock and other-brand license plate reader cameras, which he cast as expansive data miners. 

Both candidates touted their energy backgrounds. Balow noted that she grew up in Gillette, one of the state’s mining strongholds. 

She and Biteman both said they want to unlock energy dominance to free the industry from its boom and bust cycle. Both voiced favor toward the nuclear industry. 

Balow said Wyoming can develop nuclear energy businesses without having to store nuclear waste.

U.S. House hopefuls Bo Biteman and Jillian Balow became the latest candidates to face a grilling Wednesday, by Riverton's political old-guard coffee group "The Gentry." Balow said the race has people of good character, and some "of suspect character."

Maudeen Kidd, 75