Wyoming News Briefs

Woman says she owns Walmart, so shoplifting isn’t theft

GILLETTE (WNE) — A California woman accused of taking more than $5000 worth of merchandise from Walmart told police that it couldn’t be considered shoplifting because she owned the store.

Police found Sina A. Dailey-Sykes, 31, outside of the Gillette store June 18 after Walmart workers had seen her walk out of the store with a cart full of items that she hadn’t paid for. Among them were a hot pink bag, a blue-striped bag and a suitcase, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Sykes admitted to police that she hadn’t paid for the items, but didn’t need to because the FBI had given her Walmart and she owned the entire contents.

Inside her car, police found the suitcase and the striped bag.

They also found more than 400 other items that had been taken from the store. No receipts were found and nearly all the items still had tags on them, according to court documents.

The total value of the merchandise was $5099.23.

Surveillance footage showed that she had arrived in the parking lot June 13 and had been living there for the past five days.

She was charged in Circuit Court with felony shoplifting, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Drunk, disorderly Yellowstone tourist gets 60 days in jail

JACKSON (WNE) –- A Yellowstone National Park tourist has been sentenced to 60 days in jail after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and other charges.

A kayak guide called security officers after Kyle Campbell, of Fairmont, Indiana, caused a disturbance when a guide refused to take his group for a scheduled kayak trip after deciding the group was too drunk to go.

The 31-year-old made threatening comments to officers, resisted arrest, kicked at rangers and banged his head in the patrol car, injuring himself, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.

“We understand that people are eager to get out this summer and enjoy our national parks; however, this type of behavior is unacceptable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray. “Stay sober, because unruly and intoxicated behavior will only earn you a spot with the jailbirds rather than enjoying the beauty and adventure of Yellowstone.”

Campbell appeared for arraignment and sentencing June 23 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth. 

Beyond the 60-day sentence, he will face a five-year term of unsupervised probation and a five-year ban from Yellowstone. He was also ordered to pay $1,550 in fines and a $50 special assessment fee, the release said.

“Campbell pleaded guilty to several criminal charges: disorderly conduct; threatening, resisting and intentionally interfering with a government employee; violating the lawful order of a government employee; being under the influence of alcohol and a controlled substance to a degree that may endanger oneself or others; and contempt of court,” the release said.

Ten-hour Gillette standoff ends with arrests

GILLETTE (WNE) — Two men were arrested following a Wednesday standoff at a Gillette apartment that lasted into Thursday morning.

An unidentified 27-year-old man reported that a 42-year-old man had refused to exit a black Dodge Ram he had borrowed from the 27-year-old. The suspect then fled and entered a 62-year-old man’s apartment and barricaded himself there. The 62-year-old reported he was “fearful” of the suspect and requested that he be removed from the home, said Police Lt. Brent Wasson.

Police arrived at 6:28 p.m., at which time they set up road blocks and established a command post for the standoff. At some point, the police used a robot to find the suspect, who was hiding underneath a bed in the apartment.

The suspect was eventually arrested on suspicion of possession of liquid meth, which officers found inside the Dodge; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; interference; and on a warrant on an original drug charge, assault and interference, Wasson said.

Just after 3 a.m. officers got a search warrant for the apartment, where they found about 7 grams of crystal meth and a handgun.

The 62-year-old old man also was arrested on suspicion of possession of meth.

The Police Department completely cleared the scene at about 4:20 a.m. Thursday and are investigating whether the firearm brandished by the suspect belonged to someone who had been disqualified from owning one. It is unknown who owned the weapon, Wasson said.

The names of the suspects haven’t been released because of the ongoing investigation, Wasson said.

Man sent to prison for string of auto burglaries, storage unit break-ins

POWELL (WNE) — An alert citizen who pursued and apprehended an auto burglar last winter didn’t just stop the burglar from rummaging through a friend’s vehicle. As it turns out, the citizen’s actions helped put an end to a long string of break-ins and thefts. Investigators ultimately tied Bryan Nihei to at least 16 auto burglaries in and around the Cody area plus six thefts from storage units outside Powell. 

Cody police suspect Nihei committed more than a dozen other burglaries and thefts between mid-December through the first part of February, but didn’t find enough evidence to prove those cases. 

Nihei, 31, received an eight- to ten-year prison sentence for his crimes from District Court Judge Bill Simpson in May. The sentence was the result of a plea agreement in which Nihei also agreed to pay $3,749 in restitution for the stolen items. 

The auto burglaries started on Dec. 13, when four vehicles were broken into in rural Cody. The thief stole a couple wallets while only sifting through some of the vehicles, Park County Sheriff’s Deputy Clayton Creel wrote. 

“Even though in some cases there were items of higher value in the back seat, the suspect only rummaged through the front seat,” Creel wrote. 

About a week later, City of Cody Police received the first of what would be 26 very similar reports of auto burglaries that continued through Feb. 1. 

While the sheriff’s office and Cody police were investigating those crimes, multiple storage units were burglarized at Dash Storage, just west of Powell.

Park County prosecutors eventually charged Nihei with 21 felony offenses, but agreed to drop all but one count of burglary in exchange for his guilty plea and acceptance of the prison sentence. 

Ten-hour Gillette standoff ends with arrests

GILLETTE (WNE) — Two men were arrested following a Wednesday standoff at a Gillette apartment that lasted into Thursday morning.

An unidentified 27-year-old man reported that a 42-year-old man had refused to exit a black Dodge Ram he had borrowed from the the 27-year-old. The suspect then fled and entered a 62-year-old man’s apartment and barricaded himself there. The 62-year-old reported he was “fearful” of the suspect and requested that he be removed from the home, said Police Lt. Brent Wasson.

Police arrived at 6:28 p.m., at which time they set up road blocks and established a command post for the standoff. At some point, the police used a robot to find the suspect, who was hiding underneath a bed in the apartment.

The suspect was eventually arrested on suspicion of possession of liquid meth, which officers found inside the Dodge; unauthorized use of a motor vehicle; interference; and on a warrant on an original drug charge, assault and interference, Wasson said.

Just after 3 a.m. officers got a search warrant for the apartment, where they found about 7 grams of crystal meth and a handgun.

The 62-year-old old man also was arrested on suspicion of possession of meth.

The Police Department completely cleared the scene at about 4:20 a.m. Thursday and are investigating whether the firearm brandished by the suspect belonged to someone who had been disqualified from owning one. It is unknown who owned the weapon, Wasson said.

The names of the suspects haven’t been released because of the ongoing investigation, Wasson said.

Yellowstone fire danger rises to ‘very high’

JACKSON (WNE) — Yellowstone National Park has upgraded its fire danger to “very high” and banned charcoal and wood campfires in the backcountry.

The “very high” level — one step below the top “extreme” danger level — means “fires are going to start easily if we’re careless or if we get lightning,” John Cataldo, the park’s fire management officer, said in an interview posted on Facebook. “And we expect them to spread pretty readily under most conditions that we’ll have during the day here.”

Yellowstone imposed Stage 1 restrictions on campfires and smoking on Thursday, the same day that Stage 1 fire restrictions kicked in for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park.

Though charcoal or wood campfires now aren’t allowed in Yellowstone’s backcountry, portable gas stoves can be used in areas clear of flammable material.

Smoking in the backcountry and on all trails is prohibited except immediately adjacent to fire rings in designated campsites or within a 3-foot-diameter area barren of all flammable material — for example, while standing in water or on a boat.

In the frontcountry and developed areas, campfires are OK only in designated fire rings located in developed campgrounds and in day-use picnic areas.

Smokers can indulge their habit in the frontcountry only in an enclosed vehicle, in a single-family dwelling, in a developed campground, in a day-use picnic area or within a 3-foot-diameter area devoid of flammable material.

Cheyenne police explain apparent rise in runaways

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Despite regularly posting about runaways on social media, the Cheyenne Police Department said in a Thursday news release that there has not been any increase in numbers. 

“CPD has increased the use of social media because of its immediacy and effectiveness in reporting runaways and missing juveniles to the public. While this may make it appear that the rate of runaway juveniles has increased, the numbers have remained consistent annually,” the release says. 

This year, CPD has received 56 reports of runaway juveniles. In 2020, CPD received 115 runaway cases total, and all of the individuals were recovered. 

“It is the policy of the CPD to thoroughly investigate all reports of runaway juveniles and missing persons,” Chief Mark Francisco said in the release. “Social media has been a very effective tool allowing us to locate missing juveniles as quickly as possible during a time where they may be vulnerable.” 

Minors run away for complex reasons, and each case varies. 

The following factors may put youth at an increased risk of running away or becoming homeless: feeling unsafe at home; abuse; family conflict; lack of acceptance of gender identity and/or sexual orientation; struggling to manage mental health; pregnancy; online enticement; to be with a friend, romantic partner or biological family.