Wyoming News Briefs

Driver kills mountain lion on Moose-Wilson Road

JACKSON (WNE) — A vehicle hit and killed a mountain lion Thursday evening on the Moose-Wilson Road, a fatal strike that follows a series of other deadly encounters between cars and animals in Jackson Hole.

A motorist struck the roughly two-year-old female cat at about 6:30 p.m., said Mark Gocke, a spokesman with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 

Mountain lions are intelligent, social carnivores that occasionally make public appearances in Jackson Hole. This spring, for example, a young cat was shooed out from under walking bridges at R Park, near the intersection of Highway 22 and Highway 390. 

But sightings are still rare. The big cats are elusive and, while biologists don’t have an official count of Jackson Hole’s mountain lion population, Game and Fish officials expect that there are more in the valley than it appears.

“They’re typically pretty secretive and nocturnal and you just don’t see them much,” Gocke said. “It’s pretty unusual to have them hit by a car.”

A number of mountain lion sightings have been reported recently, he said, including a handful of pumas spotted along Fall Creek Road, south of Wilson. 

In the last ten days, there were two reports of a cat making daytime crossings of Highway 22 between the Skyline subdivision and West Gros Ventre Butte, unusual activity given mountain lions’ nocturnal nature.

Mountain lions aren’t the only critters being fatally struck on roads. On July 25, a moose was killed near Coal Creek on Teton Pass. Then, last Sunday evening, a black bear was struck in the Hoback Canyon. 

“There’s a lot of people, a lot of vehicles on our roads right now, and our roads go through a lot of good wildlife habitat,” Gocke said. “We just need to be vigilant and expect to see wildlife at night.”

Rawlins Police Department reports series of vandalism

RAWLINS (WNE) — A series of vandalism at Bolten Park, located at 110 E Davis Street, has city officials and law enforcement asking for the public’s assistance in finding the culprits.

According to Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward, there have been separate occasions of someone trashing the bathrooms and tossing rocks/gravel into the toilets. In early June and again on Friday, July 28, the bathrooms were vandalized with trash and rocks. In early spring, graffiti was spray painted on the walls.

“That’s the biggest crime trend here at the moment. I’m grateful that’s all we have, but I still don’t like that it’s happening,” said Ward.

“On at least one occasion, we had to get an extra-long snake to remove the gravel from the toilet, so the restrooms were closed for several days,” said Jason Sehon, the city’s parks and recreation director. “On other occasions, they are only closed for a day or two.”

Anyone who has information regarding the vandalism is asked to call the Rawlins Police Department at 307328-4530.

Colorado man arrested after 40-plus mile chase from Gillette to Upton

GILLETTE (WNE) — A 59-year-old Colorado man was arrested early Wednesday morning after leading deputies and Wyoming Highway Patrol on a high speed chase in a stolen truck for more than 40 miles.

Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, a deputy was at the intersection of Highway 51 and Fairview Road, just east of Wyodak, when he saw a 2012 Ram pickup, driven by the Colorado man, drive through the stop sign.

The deputy tried to pull the truck over, but the driver accelerated east on Highway 51, said Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds.

Three deputies pursued the truck, which reached speeds of 100 mph. They deployed spike strips on Highway 51 just outside of Moorcroft, eventually deflating three tires on the pickup.

The man then got onto Highway 16, still heading east, at speeds of 40 to 50 mph while driving on three rims, Reynolds said. He was able to drive like this for more than 20 miles, as deputies and troopers pursued him.

Troopers deployed spike strips near Upton to try to get the truck’s last tire but were unsuccessful.

At about three miles east of Upton on Highway 16, a trooper hit the truck and caused it to go into a ditch and roll onto its side at a slow speed, Reynolds said.

The driver and his two passengers, a 25-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl, were not hurt in the crash.

The pickup had been reported stolen out of Colorado and three fentanyl pills were found in the truck. The man was arrested for possession of fentanyl, possession of stolen property and numerous traffic offenses, Reynolds said.

The woman was arrested for possession of fentanyl. Deputies were unable to contact the girl’s guardian, and she was placed into the custody of the Department of Family Services.

Barrasso introduces rural mental health bill

LANDER (WNE) — U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to increase access and coverage to behavioral, psychological and mental health services in rural areas.

The Accelerating the Development of Advanced Psychology Trainees Act will establish Medicare coverage for advanced psychology trainees, allowing nearly 4000 trainees to bill for services provided under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. 

This legislation will help rural areas across the country expand access to services for seniors, improve recruitment of mental and behavioral health providers and maintain the mental health care workforce. 

“Wyoming and other rural communities across the country often face the greatest shortage of mental health providers. Long distances and bad weather can make it hard for patients to receive the quality care they deserve,” said Barrasso.

“As a doctor, I know firsthand how important it is to recruit and maintain quality mental health professionals. Our bill addresses these issues by giving Medicare patients greater access to mental health services closer to home.”

The legislation is supported by the Wyoming Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association.

“As a long-time psychologist in Wyoming, I am very grateful for Senator Barrasso and Bennet’s leadership on the ADAPT Act. This crucial legislation will provide much-needed support for psychology trainees in Medicare, fortifying the training pipeline for psychologists,” said Dr. Hollis Hackman, legislative chair and federal advocacy coordinator for the Wyoming Psychological Association.

Bacteria discovered in Teton County creeks

JACKSON (WNE) — High levels of E. coli bacteria in Fish Creek near Wilson have prompted county health officials to post a warning sign at the Hunt Bridge alerting floaters, waders and swimmers to potential health risks.

Sampling and analysis of surface water in the creek revealed E. coli levels that exceed Wyoming health and safety standards and increase the risk of pathogen-related illness for humans, a Teton County Health Department press release said.

Fish Creek users are advised against swimming or similar water contact activities until testing indicates a reduced risk.

In addition to the caution sign on Fish Creek, water quality awareness signs are posted on Flat Creek in Karns Meadow, Russ Garaman Park, and Rafter J Ranch, areas where the creek is frequently used for recreation.

The signs include steps to minimize pathogen-related illness, such as not swallowing water, rinsing off with clean water after swimming, drying ears thoroughly with a towel after swimming, and washing hands with soap and clean water before preparing or eating food.

E. coli are a group of bacteria found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals. Most strains are harmless, but four groups are known to be transmitted via contaminated food or water and can cause illness if swallowed. Symptoms vary for each person but often include gastrointestinal illness, such as stomach cramps and diarrhea.

The presence of E. coli may also indicate elevated risk of the presence of and infection from other gastrointestinal pathogens, according to Teton County public health officials.

Sheridan Orthopedic civil suit goes to trial Monday

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Trial began Monday for a civil suit against Sheridan orthopedic Associates P.C. and Dr. Brian Laman. Filed in 2019, plaintiff Mary Moore alleges Laman declined several times to operate on a fracture in her wrist, leaving her with permanent misalignment and diminished quality of life.

According to court documents, Moore suffered an injury to her left wrist May 21, 2017, due to a fall while gardening and was treated with a splint at Billings Clinic Urgent Care, after which Moore was referred to her primary care provider for follow-up treatment. X-rays revealed two fractures and moderate impaction to Moore’s injured left wrist.

May 22, 2017, Moore visited Sheridan orthopedic to have the injury further evaluated by Laman.

According to the complaint, Laman declined to perform surgery on the fracture and treated Moore with a short-arm cast.

Moore was then denied surgery by Laman again June 7, 2017 and again June 28, 2017, according to court documents.

Following the May 22 visit, court documents allege Moore returned to Billings Clinic for further evaluation as she was experiencing wrist pain, numbness, tingling and swelling. Moore was seen by four different specialists between Oct. 26, 2017 and Aug. 8, 2018, the final appointment of which resulted in the conclusion by Dr. Barry Smith that the non-operative approach to Moore’s treatment had caused misalignment and radiocarpal arthritis, both permanent conditions.

Court documents allege Sheridan Orthopedic and Laman failed to surgically repair the fractures, inform Moore of the potential risks of non-operative treatment, conform to industry standards of care for similar fractures and comply with the Wyoming Medical Practices Act, resulting in lifelong consequences to Moore’s health and well-being.

Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Darci Phillips set a five-day trial for the case to begin Monday, Aug. 8 at 9 a.m.