Wyoming News Briefs

Newcastle schools locked down after report of student with gun

NEWCASTLE (WNE) — Newcastle High School was in an extended lockdown on March 15 after the school was informed that a student had brought a gun to school. There have been no injuries reported as a result of the incident, but after the school’s administration confirmed that a gun had been brought to school, both Newcastle Middle School and the high school remained locked down while law enforcement investigated the situation. 

“It is no secret; we actually recovered a gun on school grounds. I don’t know if we know the full intent, but the nice thing is everyone is alive.,” Weston County School District #1 Superintendent Brad LaCroix told the News Letter Journal. 

According to LaCroix, the lockdown began after a student came forward with information about another student having a gun in the high school on Wednesday morning.

“Thankfully for all of us, one student who found out about the weapon did the one thing we hope all our students will do when they hear or see suspicious or concerning activity: they reported it,” Principal Bryce Hoffman said in a letter sent to families after the lockdown.

The principal informed families that law enforcement was notified as soon as the administration was made aware of the situation, and action was taken immediately to ensure the safety of students and staff. 

“We all think that we are in a small town, in a community that has a good understanding of guns and gun usage. However, when it comes to a gun on school grounds with harmful intent, we have to rethink the safety of everyone,” said LaCroix. 

The juvenile suspect is currently being detained at the Campbell County Juvenile Detention Facility. Newcastle Police Department Chief Chuck said he believes the student is being charged with crimes, although he was not able to divulge the actual charges.

City of Gillette asks local elementary students to name garbage trucks

GILLETTE (WNE) — Last fall when the elementary school students of Campbell County were asked to come up with names for the city of Gillette’s snowplows, they stepped up.

This spring, the city is once again asking students for their help. This time, it’s not snow plows that are needing names, but garbage trucks.

Skylar Riehemann, the city’s solid waste manager, said a couple of the garbage truck drivers “were jealous that the snow plows got named,” and work began to see if they could get in on the fun.

The original plan was to name the garbage trucks at the start of the next school year. One of the drivers suggested doing it before school lets out for the summer so the kids can see the trucks on their routes.

Unlike the snowplows, the garbage trucks go all over town and aren’t limited to one particular area or route.

The city has asked each of the elementary schools in the district to submit one name for a garbage truck. The deadline is April 10.

The solid waste crew will pick their favorite names. The city has eight full-size garbage trucks and one smaller truck, so nine names will be selected.

“Since they’re the ones who are driving the trucks, they should have a little bit of say,” Riehemann said.

Then the designs and stickers will be made up and put on the trucks by the beginning of May.

Woman alleged to have drunkenly crashed into Cody restaurant

POWELL (WNE) — Prosecutors say a drunk driver crashed through the wall of a Cody restaurant on Sunday night, temporarily trapping a man under her truck. 

Heather L. Johnson, 58, is facing a felony count of causing serious bodily injury while driving while under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances. Johnson is also charged with misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence for a third time in ten years and reckless driving. 

As of Monday afternoon, she remained in the Park County Detention Center, with bond set at $15,000, cash or surety. 

Johnson is alleged to have driven into the front entrance of El Vaquero shortly before 8:30 p.m. The Mexican restaurant, located just off Bighorn Avenue/U.S. Highway 14-A, was closed at the time, but there were still people inside. 

Cody police said Johnson’s Dodge pickup entered the south end of the building and went into a private room that’s separate from the restaurant’s dining area. 

Charging documents and comments from a prosecutor indicate that a young man was inside the room, and that Johnson’s truck pinned him to a chair. When they arrived on scene, members of the Cody volunteer fire department were able to lift the vehicle enough to free the trapped man. He was taken to Cody Regional Health, where police said he received treatment and was later released. 

Johnson was also taken to Cody Regional Health, where she told a nurse she’d drunk “approximately 32 ounces of vodka,” according to an affidavit from Cody Police Officer Tom Wilshusen. 

A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for March 27.

Gillette man featured in Amazon bestseller

GILLETTE (WNE) — Anyone looking for a best-selling read featuring a local resident can now buy “Next Level Your Life,” by Dale Young and Tammy Hane, on Amazon. The book was compiled and created by Kyle Wilson.

The 200-page book features a variety of authors, including Jay Johnson, a Gillette business owner. The authors include professionals, speakers, entrepreneurs and bestselling authors from across the country.

Johnson’s chapter in the work is titled “Code 3 American: A Sniper’s Final Shot to Save America.”

“I have the heart of a patriot, and I believe our flag is a sacred symbol of freedom. Immense sacrifice is sewn into every fiber of our flag and cannot be repaid. Patriots gifted us the United States of America and the best way of life the world has ever known. Our children deserve it, and patriots of the past demand a return on their investment,” Johnson said in an excerpt from the book.

With a variety of chapters, the book focuses on promoting growth, overcoming difficulties and transforming a person’s life.

Johnson founded local business Custom Contracting in 2004 and is also the founder and CEO of Code 3 Assets, a business focused on investment strategies for increasing wealth.

Custom Contracting is a veteran owned and family operated general contracting service in Gillette that serves locals, Buffalo, Wright and the Black Hills region.

Tough winter takes toll on the start of calving season in Sheridan County

SHERIDAN (WNE) — As calving season ramps up in Sheridan County, many ranches have been hit by a long winter of cold temperatures and consistent snowfall. Ranchers in the area have struggled to keep calves healthy and alive due to cold and wet conditions.

Calving season is a critical time for ranchers, as they rely on the birth of healthy calves to maintain and grow their herds. It is a season that generally lasts for 60 to 90 days in late winter and throughout spring. The severe weather conditions have made the start of this season a difficult one.

“We’ve had several feet of snow and temperatures well below freezing,” SR Cattle Company rancher David Kane said. “It’s been tough on our cattle, especially the newborns.”

This year, ranchers have taken extra measures to ensure the safety of the calves, including birthing them inside barns and having a calf warmer ready to help dry them off.

“One of the most important things is to get the calves dried off and fed,” Kane said. “They can survive a lot after that. They are resilient.”

With such a harsh winter, the SR Ranch keeps someone with the cattle at all times of the day to ensure the health and safety of the cattle through the calving process.

Other ways ranchers ensure the health of the herd is by breeding out the cattle that have a hard time surviving the winter. This is done by selling cattle that have trouble through the process.

Other ranches in Sheridan County begin calving season in late March and early April. Spring calving allows for ranchers to have a more hands-off approach.

Gov. Mark Gordon earlier this month finalized a U.S. Department of Agriculture request for a secretarial disaster designation.

Swastika reported in public park removed

JACKSON (WNE) — The Jackson Police Department responded March 9 to a report that a swastika had been carved into a wooden bench in a public park on Deloney Avenue.

The person who reported the swastika had contacted police through their website that morning, asking for the symbol to be taken down.

According to Lt. Russ Ruschill of the Jackson Police Department, an officer investigated and took photographs of the swastika, which Ruschill said was about the size of a silver dollar, or about one inch in diameter.

Steve Ashworth, the Director of the Teton County/Jackson Parks and Recreation Department, confirmed in an email that the swastika was removed within an hour of his department being notified.

Ashworth said the swastika was there “less than two days.”

“We have seen one swastika in the past, a couple of years ago,” Ashworth said in an email. “We see very little — if hardly any — hate graffiti, mostly profanity.”

Ruschill confirmed that since December, there have been no other reports.

At this time, Ruschill said police do not have any leads. The incident was ultimately referred to Parks and Rec.

The swastika has roots to many cultures including Mesopotamia and Scandinavia, as well as early Christian and Byzantine art. It’s most commonly known as a symbol of Nazism or Neo-Nazism.

Williams deemed competent once again

CODY (WNE) — Moshe Williams, one of the two defendants charged with the murder of two-year-old Paisleigh Williams, was found competent to stand trial for the second time.

In response, the state, represented by Park County Deputy and Prosecuting Attorney Jack Hatfield, has asked Park County District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield to rejoin Williams’ case with Carolyn Aune’s case.

During a March 16 hearing on Williams’ competency evaluation, counsel for Williams — Dylan Rosalez — said, “We have received the independent evaluation and we will accept the findings of both evaluations that Mr. Williams is fit to proceed.”

In October of last year, Rosalez had requested a second opinion after receiving the first competency evaluation, which found Williams was mentally competent to stand trial.

During the hearing, counsel for Aune, Elisabeth Trefonas, objected to Aune not being able to receive and review Williams’ competency evaluations.

“We are entitled to review those to make our own determination as to whether or not there’s any exculpatory evidence,” Trefonas told Overfield.

Exculpatory evidence is favorable to a defendant, absolving them of alleged fault or guilt.

Hatfield agreed that Trefonas should have access to those reports.

Overfield told Hatfield to file a motion so the evaluations could be reviewed by Aune’s counsel in private in the judge’s chambers.

Rosalez maintained his objection to sharing the competency evaluations with Aune’s counsel, but told Overfield, “The way we’re proceeding is appropriate.”

Gordon vetoes some portions of prescription drug bill

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Gov. Mark Gordon exercised his line item veto authority on portions of Senate File 151/ SEA No. 90, “Wyoming prescription drug transparency act,” before signing it Friday.

He noted it has important policy changes related to rural, independent pharmacists, a critical component of health care in Wyoming. He vetoed portions of the bill that could have had significant impacts on prescription costs for Wyoming consumers, according to a news release from Gordon’s office.

To demonstrate his desire to provide financial relief to rural, independent pharmacies, Gordon signed a Governor’s Directive for the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information to negotiate payment of an increased amount of dispensing fee claims of up to $10 per brand label claim and $12 per generic brand claim to independent pharmacists participating in the Wyoming State Employees’ and Officials’ Group Insurance program.

The governor did line-item several provisions in the bill and wrote to legislators that the act, as drafted, “may do more harm than good, inadvertently shifting increased and burdensome pharmaceutical costs to consumers, despite the good work done by all involved to provide local relief.”