Wyoming News Briefs

Gillette man charged with stalking in addition to kidnapping, battery

GILLETTE (WNE) – A man who used different aliases on social media and asked people to contact his ex-girlfriend on his behalf has pleaded not guilty to felony stalking charges.

Jonathan R. Fishbeck, 29, remains in Campbell County jail.

The two had a falling out March 20, and when his former girlfriend tried to leave through the garage, Fishbeck allegedly forcibly restrained her and prevented her from leaving the house by grabbing her hair and pulling her back inside before throwing her into a nearby bathroom. That led to charges of kidnapping (confinement with the intent of inflicting injury or to terrorize) and domestic battery, a felony because he had two prior convictions for domestic battery in 2011.

He also pleaded not guilty to those charges at his May 25 arraignment.

Two days after the alleged domestic violence, the woman was granted a temporary protection order against him and he was served that order while in jail.

When he was released April 6, his bond conditions included a stipulation that he have no contact with the woman.

But the following day, he called her from an unknown number and talked to her for ten minutes, according to an affidavit of probable cause. She recorded the call.

On April 13, a man identified as “Roy C” contacted her on her OnlyFans account, sending dozens of messages, including some encouraging her to contact Fishbeck and talk to him about what happened. He also sent pictures of the two of them together. Based on the way he was talking, she believed it was Fishbeck.

Police called the phone number “Roy C” provided to her and Fishbeck answered, according to the affidavit. 

Investor, philanthropist Friess dies

JACKSON (WNE) — Foster Friess, a part-time Jackson resident, legendary investor, philanthropist and political insider, died Thursday at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 81.

The announcement came from Foster’s Outriders, the charity organization through which Friess donated tens of millions of dollars in Jackson and around the world.

A Friess family statement said they were “thankful to the many people who have shared their prayers during his illness” and that “we know many of you mourn with us.”

No cause was given, but the Jackson Hole News&Guide reported in January that Friess was fighting a bone marrow cancer called myelodysplasia.

The announcement of Friess’ death said he had given away more than $500 million during his lifetime.

In January, Friess gave $40 million by making a list of 400 people he knew and letting each of them decide how to direct $100,000. At least 35 of the recipients were in Jackson Hole, and many others were around Wyoming.

Friess was also active in conservative Republican politics, not only as a source of donations but as a candidate. He lost the 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial primary to eventual Gov. Mark Gordon by a margin of about 37,000 to 29,000 votes.

Friess was also an early hopeful in the 2020 primary campaign for Wyoming U.S. senator that was eventually won by Cynthia Lummis.

Yellowstone hiker injured in bear attack

JACKSON (WNE) — A hiker who set out alone outside the Mammoth Hot Springs area on Friday morning was badly injured in an encounter with a grizzly bear.

Yellowstone National Park sent out word within hours of the incident that a 39-year-old male was able to walk out under his own power after the mauling. The man was about 1.5 miles down the Beaver Ponds Trail from the trailhead when he encountered what was believed to be two grizzlies.

“One bear made contact with the hiker and he sustained significant injuries to his lower extremities,” Yellowstone’s notice said.

The man was transported to the Livingston Hospital by a National Park Service ambulance. The 6-mile-long Beaver Ponds Trail, which is heavily trafficked, is also closed until further notice.

This is the first person injured by a grizzly bear inside Yellowstone during 2021, though there have been other maulings in the ecosystem. In April, 40-year-old Charles “Carl” Mock, of West Yellowstone, Montana, died as a result of complications from injuries sustained from a male grizzly that was defending a moose carcass. The grizzly was later killed by wildlife officials investigating the attack.

Best practices for recreating in grizzly country include hiking in groups of three or more, carrying bear spray, making noise and staying alert.

Yellowstone’s public affairs office said Friday there were no additional details about the injured hiker to share at this time.

Tribe forms panel to study marijuana legalization

RIVERTON (WNE) — The Eastern Shoshone Tribe didn’t legalize marijuana – yet. 

At the tribe’s May 15 General Council meeting, tribal voters agreed to craft a panel to investigate the viability of cannabis use and cultivation on the Wind River Indian Reservation, for Eastern Shoshone Tribal members. 

Having lost quorum partway through the meeting, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe has resolved to continue its general council on July 24, retaining Wade LeBeau as chairman of the session. 

The marijuana panel created by the Eastern Shoshone General Council is to be held by that body, not by the business council, which is the executive branch of the tribe.

No past or present Eastern Shoshone Business Council members will be allowed to sit on the Shoshone Cannabis Commission, which will monitor sales and regulation if and when marijuana is legalized in any form. 

The new commission is to be sovereign, retaining the autonomy to cut ties with outside contractors or tribal members in violation of contracts, laws, or tribal treaty. 

The commission also must seek its own attorney, at the approval of the Shoshone General Council. 

Referencing inter-governmental relations and the well-being of his own people, LeBeau told The Ranger that the commission’s purpose is to set “the foundation for medical and industrial cannabis and hemp use — not (set) the stage for recreational marijuana use.” 

He said the tribe might find profitability in CBD oils, hemp production and medical cannabis. 

“It has to go in stages,” said LeBeau. “Not everything can go at once, because it has to be done right.”

No commercial air service to Cheyenne for CFD

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Commercial airline flights at Cheyenne Regional Airport will be suspended slightly longer than initially expected due to construction delays on runway upgrades, meaning widely available flights into Wyoming’s capital won’t be available during Cheyenne Frontier Days in July.

After commercial flights were suspended in April to begin a $62 million infrastructure investment, local airport officials announced earlier this week that the reopening date will no longer be in July.

Nathan Banton, general manager of the Cheyenne Regional Airport, said the delay was caused by a nationwide shortage in the type of concrete needed to complete the runway renovations, along with some weather delays this spring.

“That’s what’s really kind of driving the delay in the project at the moment,” Banton said. “Right now, the airport is still usable, but the runway we have available right now isn’t long enough for commercial flights to land.”

“What’s going to happen is we’re not able to get into that next phase of the project prior to CFD starting, which is really quite unfortunate, especially since we worked hard with our airline partner (so that) they were going to do three flights a day during Cheyenne Frontier Days for us to really help with people getting in and out,” he added.

Banton said the plan now is for the project to be completed by the start of September, ahead of the Labor Day weekend. At that point, United Airlines flights between Cheyenne and Denver are expected to resume.

Charges pending against man in theft of giant tires

GILLETTE (WNE) — Charges against a 64-year-old Upton man are pending after he admitted to stealing two haul truck tires worth more than $50,000 from the Black Thunder mine near Wright in 2019.

Sheriff’s Investigator Josh Knittel said that on May 19, the mine called the Sheriff’s Office to report two haul truck tires had been stolen from the mine site between October 2019 and the beginning of 2020.

Big Horn Tires had received a call from a tire broker who said he had two tires for sale through the 64-year-old man, who was trying to sell them for $23,000, Knittel said. The deal had been finalized May 17, and the tire broker had arranged for the tires to be shipped to Big Horn Tires, which planned to sell them to Black Thunder.

When the truck arrived to pick the tires up, the 64-year-old figured out that they were headed to Gillette and he canceled the deal, Knittel said.

Black Thunder had conducted an audit of its tire inventory and learned that two were missing. The serial numbers on the missing tires matched the numbers on the tires the 64-year-old was trying to sell, Knittel said.

The man told investigators he was working at the mine’s tire department when he drove up to the mine one day with a semi-trailer, loaded up two new tires and left. He hung onto them for a while and tried to sell them back to the mine, Knittel said.

The tires, which are valued at $28,000 each, are on their way back to Black Thunder.