Wyoming News Briefs

New Cheyenne park shooting defendants plead not guilty

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Brothers Jalen and Santana Trujillo, who are facing charges of misdemeanor accessory after the fact to first-degree murder (not a relative), pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing Monday morning.

Their case is set for a jury trial, with a scheduling conference scheduled to take place in November.

The brothers, 19, are co-defendants with Johnny Munoz, 17, and Julian Espinoza, 16. 

The four of them, along with Jeremy Lackey, 18, were allegedly in a black SUV, driven by Espinoza, in the early morning hours of April 30. As the vehicle passed by Lincoln Park, shots were fired from the vehicle that caused the death of 15-year-old BayLee Carabajal-Clark.

Laramie County Assistant District Attorney William Edelman amended the charges against Jalen and Santana Trujillo, reducing them from felonies to misdemeanors. Edelman told Circuit Judge Sean C. Chambers on Monday that he made this change to reflect the fact that Jalen and Santana were allegedly an accessory to a crime committed by a minor.

Jalen and Santana were originally facing up to three years in prison and a $3000 fine. Now that the case is a misdemeanor, they face a maximum of six months in jail and a $750 fine, if convicted.

Espinoza allegedly slowed down near Lincoln Park the morning of April 30, and Munoz allegedly fired at a crowd of people on the basketball court, according to court documents.

A Cheyenne Police Department officer who testified at Espinoza’s preliminary hearing said he had heard that Munoz allegedly intended to shoot Carabajal-Clark’s cousin, Joey Carabajal Jr. Munoz pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder at a hearing in June. His criminal trial has been tentatively set for October.

Espinoza also pleaded not guilty in June, with his trial scheduled to take place later in the year.

Cody mayor works to calm controversy as temple discussion delayed again

CODY (WNE) — Components for the Cody temple proposed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been confirmed by local LDS leaders to be stacked behind the Y-Tex building on Big Horn Avenue.

The modules appeared at least a month before the LDS submitted its site plan application to locate the temple off Skyline Drive in May, said Terry Skinner, a member of the Protect Our Cody Neighborhoods group that opposes the temple’s proposed site.

Several issues related to the Cody temple — including a special exemption application related to the building’s height, a conditional use permit and a commercial site plan — were on the agenda of the city’s July 11 Planning and Zoning Board meeting, but the applicant requested a postponement, board chair Carson Rowley said.

Rowley anticipates the issues will be discussed at the board’s July 25 meeting.

In the meantime, due to the controversy that’s developed over the proposed location, Cody Mayor Matt Hall last week convened a meeting with representatives of Skinner’s group and the LDS project manager “to start a dialogue,” he said.

“It was a good conversation, everyone articulated their positions,” Hall said. “The next step is up to them.”

Hall added that everyone is concerned about “the narrative getting churned” and how the temple discussion “is dividing the community.” He’s hoping to repair it.

“I’m quite concerned about the community and the health of the community,” he said.

Something may come of Hall’s effort, Skinner said July 17, yet he noted that the whole issue should have been addressed sooner.

The City Planning and Zoning Board first discussed the temple’s applications in a June 15 meeting, and decisions have been tabled and postponed on several occasions.

Woman gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park

JACKSON (WNE) — A bison gored a 47-year-old woman Monday morning in Yellowstone National Park, the first time this year that a visitor has encountered the large ungulate’s horns in America’s first national park.

The woman sustained “significant injuries to her chest and abdomen” and was transported by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, according to Yellowstone officials in a Monday afternoon press release.

The woman was walking in a field in front of the Lake Lodge Cabins, located on the northern tip of Yellowstone Lake, when she and her companion saw two bison, park officials said. When the walkers saw the animals, they turned to walk away from the bison. One of the animals charged and gored the woman.

Yellowstone officials said they didn’t know how close the woman and her companion were to the bison when it charged.

“This incident remains under investigation, and there is no additional information to share, including the woman’s condition,” officials wrote in the press release.

In Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, regulations require visitors to stay more than 25 yards away from large animals, including bison, and more than 100 yards away from large carnivores, including bears and wolves.

That’s because animals in both parks are wild and can be dangerous when approached by humans.

Bison, in particular, can become agitated quickly during mating season, also known as the “rut,” which runs from mid-July to mid-August.

Man arrested for felony stalking after calling woman 29 times, trying to get into her home

GILLETTE (WNE) — A 41-year-old man was arrested for felony stalking after calling a woman 29 times in a row and making threats.

Police responded to a report of the man trying to break into a home on Laramie Street Friday morning, Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said.

When they arrived, he was on the front steps, and a 44-year-old woman was inside. She said the man showed up and pounded on the door, demanding to be let in.

She reported that this was the second time in two days this had happened, referencing a similar incident that occurred Thursday. She also believed he had damaged her vehicle earlier in the day Friday, Wasson said.

Officers learned the man had called the woman 29 consecutive times and texted her 14 times, Wasson said, and the messages included threats of harm.

Due to the continued pattern of behavior and the nature of the messages, the man, Leo Michael, was arrested for felony stalking.

Teenager arrested for two shooting incidents

CASPER (WNE) — A suspect in two separate but related shootings has been arrested, according to a joint press release from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office and Casper Police Department. 

A 16-year-old male has been charged as an adult with three counts of aggravated assault, one count of felony property damage and one count of witness intimidation for shootings that occurred Tuesday and Thursday. 

Around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday night, law enforcement responded to a disturbance near the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds. A call to dispatch said a group of juveniles and young adults were arguing, according to the statement. 

“While law enforcement was responding, reporting parties told dispatch that they heard what they believe to be a single gunshot and that there was one adult female with an apparent gunshot wound to the lower leg,” the statement reads. 

The woman was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and later released. 

Near 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Casper Police Department responded to a shots fired report on the 3500 block of Bighorn Road. 

“Reporting parties stated that they heard what they believed to be approximately ten gunshots,” the press release states. Upon arrival, officers determined that an occupied house was hit by ten bullets. No one inside was injured. 

The joint investigation determined that the two incidents were related and law enforcement identified a suspect. The 16-year-old male was arrested and transported to the Natrona County Detention Center Thursday afternoon. 

NCSD and CPD believe that the incidents are isolated and disputes between two groups. They say that there is no ongoing threat to the community. 

Childcare grant for Western students extended

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — Western Wyoming Community College (Western) and the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) recently announced that current students who are parents are still eligible to receive a childcare grant of up to $6000 for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Funding for this extended grant is limited.

This is a one-time opportunity aimed at parents and guardians of children between six weeks old through preschool.

Students enrolled in a Western degree, credit diploma or certificate program for fall 2023 and/or spring 2024 are eligible to receive the grant. All class formats (e.g. online, hybrid and in-person) are accepted as long as one or more of the following experiences in childcare costs apply: underemployed, unemployed, reduced college course load, reduced credits earned in prior academic term, risk of reduced credits in the upcoming academic term and childcare costs that prohibit education.

In 1975, the college was established as the first in Wyoming to provide a childcare center on campus to help student-parents succeed in their academic pursuits.

The Western Children’s Center can provide care and educational experiences for up to 100 children and student-parents save on average $687 per month in childcare (westernwyoming.edu/ childcare). Recently, the WCC dropped the requirement of student-parents to be on campus while their children are in the center, allowing more flexibility for online learners.

This grant is not limited to WCC but can be applied to various childcare facilities that meet grant criteria such as homecare and other childcare businesses. This opportunity applies to Western’s service area of Sweetwater, Carbon, Lincoln, Sublette and Unita counties.

For more information on the childcare grant, visit westernwyoming.edu/childcaregrant or contact the Financial Aid Department at mustangcentral@ westernwyoming.edu.

Hageman votes for National Defense Authorization Act

CHEYENNE (WNE) — On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the House 219-210.

The FY24 NDAA provides for the nation’s defense, counters Communist Chinese aggression and supports our service members and their families through a pay increase, improved housing and access to health care, according to a news release from Hageman’s office.

The following are Wyoming-specific projects included in the bill:

• $27 million for F.E. Warren Air Force Base GBSD Integrated Command Center (INC 2)

• $85 million F.E. Warren Air Force Base GBSD Integrated Training Center

• $28 million F.E. Warren Air Force Base GBSD Missile Handling Complex (INC 2)

• $25 million F.E. Warren Air Force Base Microgrid and Battery Storage

• The FY23 NDAA prohibited the National Guard from reducing the minimum inventory of C-130 aircraft below 271 aircraft. The bill would extend this prohibition into 2024.

“Since the founding of our nation, providing for our common defense has been a Constitutional responsibility of Congress.The NDAA is one of the mechanisms used to provide authorization for key provisions of that defense. Because of its importance to our national security, it is an authorization that has been passed in a bipartisan, bicameral manner for 62 years in a row,” Hageman said in the release..

“This year, the NDAA provided a way to end many of the woke policies that have been infecting our military since President Biden took office. We are banning critical race theory (CRT) and gender reassignment surgeries, stopping radical climate change policies, ending government paid travel for abortions, and scaling back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates.”

Inmate in Uinta County calls Campbell County Sheriff’s Office to report mistreatment

GILLETTE (WNE) — A 33-year-old inmate at the Uinta County Detention Center called the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday afternoon to report that the detention officers at the Uinta County jail were threatening him and other inmates.

He said he and the other inmates, who were supervised by probation and parole officers from Campbell County, were threatened by the detention officers with prison time. He alleged the detention officers told the inmates that if they didn’t follow the rules, they would be returned to prison, said Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny.

He told the sheriff’s office that it was criminal behavior and constituted “cruel and unusual punishment,” and he also wanted the probation and parole officers to be investigated because they refused to charge the Uinta County detention officers, Matheny said.

The sheriff’s office explained that it has no jurisdiction in Uinta County, and that the probation and parole officers have no authority to charge crimes outside of probation and parole violations.

The sheriff’s office suggested the man contact the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation if he has any further issues. The man told the sheriff’s office that he was making the call on a “black phone,” which was understood to mean the phone was unauthorized.

The Uinta County Jail was alerted about the illegal phone, Matheny said.

State releases Wyoming Insight business, energy report for June

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The June 2023 issue of the Wyoming Insight is available at the state of Wyoming’s Economic Analysis Division website at eadiv.state.wy.us/.

The Wyoming Insight serves as an energy index and business indicators report for the state.

Highlights from this month’s issue include the following: 

• Oil prices decrease slightly; natural gas prices stay around $2/MMBtu.

“The West Texas Intermediate monthly average price for crude oil was $70.25 per bbl. in June,” said Dylan Bainer, principal economist for the state’s Economic Analysis Division.

Average active oil rigs were 16 in June, and the conventional gas rig count was two. A year ago, there were 17 oil rigs and three conventional gas rigs.

The June 2023 natural gas price at the Opal Hub averaged $2.12 per million British thermal units (MMBtu), $0.23 higher than the May 2023 average.The Henry Hub natural gas price averaged $2.19/MMBtu in June, $0.05 higher than last month.

• Mining sector sales and use tax revenues continue to improve.

“June sales (and) use tax collections from the mining sector were up $1.9 million (+24.0%) year-over-year,” Bainer said. This is the 22nd consecutive month mining sector collections have increased year-over-year. Total collections were $75.6 million, $6.4 million (+9.2%) more than June last year.

• Oil and gas employment is still down big compared to pre-pandemic levels, but slowly improving.

“Oil and gas employment in the state numbered 9,100 jobs in May 2023, 700 more than May last year,” said Bainer. Before the COVID19 pandemic started to have a large impact on the economy in April 2020, oil and gas employment in the state numbered nearly 12,000 jobs.

• Mining employment is still down compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“Relative to February 2020 (before the pandemic hit the labor market in March 2020), total employment has returned to pre-COVID levels, but employment in the mining sector has still not fully recovered,” said Bainer. 

Compared to February 2020, employment in the mining sector in May 2023 was down 2,700 jobs.

Lovell schools add honesty clause to existing drug policy

LOVELL (WNE) — Big Horn County School District No. 2 has approved changes to their substance abuse policy, adding penalties if a student is found to be dishonest during questioning.

Known informally as the party rule, the extracurricular substance abuse policy establishes consequences for when a student partakes in an illicit substance outside of school grounds. Two major changes were made to the policy during the board’s regular meeting on Monday, July 10.

The first, called the honesty clause, doubles the penalties if a student does not confess to their use of substances outside of school walls before a drug test.

“If a student is honest when confronted by a school official with a violation, the consequences shall be as set forth in these guidelines. If a student denies involvement and conclusive evidence of guilt is determined by the administrator at a later date, then the suspension shall be doubled for the first and second offenses,” the new addition reads.

The second addition to the policy relaxes a penalty, strictly defining an event as one day of activity. The added language specifically addresses how tournaments will be handled in the case of student suspension.

“In the case of a tournament/meet, each day of that specific tournament will count as one event toward their suspension,” the proposed policy change reads. “If a participant will miss the first day of the tournament due to a suspension, they may not participate in the remainder of the tournament.”

District court trial date set for man accused of rape

BUFFALO (WNE) — A Johnson County man is facing charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a mentally disabled victim, according to documents filed in Fourth Wyoming Judicial District Court.

Robert Burton awaits his Nov. 6 trial for one count of sexual assault in the first degree following his June 29 arraignment, documents show. At the arraignment, Burton pleaded not guilty. The charge carries a sentence of five to 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The victim reported being raped multiple times by Burton between 2017 and 2018 to a counselor last year, who then reported the disclosure to the Wyoming Department of Family Services, according to court documents.

Despite originally denying in an interview that the two had sexual intercourse, Burton eventually admitted to police the two did have sex but that it was consensual, according to court documents.

Court documents say the victim physically and verbally protested during each encounter and reported such protestations to police. 

Burton has been serving a 10- to 20-year sentence in the Wyoming State Penitentiary since 2019 for the sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections Inmate Query.