Wyoming News Briefs

Hightman drops Supreme Court appeal

GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man serving prison time for stealing from his fiancée – who remains missing – in the days and weeks after she was last seen, has backed out of his appeal filed with the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Nathan J. Hightman, 40, filed his intent to appeal less than two weeks after receiving a three- to six-year prison sentence — along with fines, restitution and probation — in June. 

The motion to waive his appeal was filed last week, as Hightman decided not to move forward after weighing his options with his public defender, according to court documents.

Gillette police have named Hightman as a person of interest but not charged him with any crimes in connection to Irene Gakwa’s disappearance.

Hightman remains in prison in Rawlins, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections website.

At the time of his sentencing, Hightman also received three years of supervised probation to begin once released from prison and more than $13,000 in restitution, fines and legal fees for felony convictions of theft, unlawful use of a credit card and crimes against intellectual property.

He entered cold pleas to each of those three charges in March and agreed to an open sentencing hearing, where District Judge James M. “Mike” Causey heard arguments from each side with all sentencing guidelines up to the maximum in play for each count.

The charges he pleaded guilty to are for stealing money from Gakwa’s bank account, running up her credit cards and deleting her email account in the days and weeks after Feb. 24, 2022, when she was last seen in a video call with her parents.

The investigation into her disappearance remains ongoing with few updates released since the time of Hightman’s arrest.

Anyone with information on Gakwa can call the Gillette Police Department at 307-686-5250.

Montana woman imprisoned after shoplifting from Cody WalMart

POWELL (WNE) — A Billings woman who stole thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from the Cody Walmart has been ordered to serve three to five years in prison. 

Sandra R. Frisby, 36, received the sentence last month for stealing nearly 100 items from the store in April 2022; the merchandise, which was reportedly taken in two separate trips, was valued at close to $5500. 

Walmart staff confronted Frisby as she left the store with her second cart-full of stolen goods, charging documents say, but she fled. Cody Police Officer Tyler Eubanks caught up with Frisby a few blocks away. 

In an affidavit recounting the incident, Eubanks said the suspect admitted to stealing the items with the intent of reselling them in Montana. When asked if she knew the value of what she’d taken, “Frisby replied it is a felony because it is over $1000 worth of goods,” Eubanks wrote. 

The Park County Attorney’s Office charged her with felony theft totaling $1000 or more, along with a felony count of burglary (alleging she entered the store with the intent to commit a felony) and a misdemeanor count of possessing a controlled substance, which related to a small amount of marijuana found in her van. 

Prosecutors said Frisby had been banned from all Walmart locations in March 2021, after she shoplifted from the Laurel, Montana store; she was also suspected of having stolen items from the Billings location in 2021, Eubanks wrote. 

When Frisby was stopped in Cody on April 2, 2022, police found 87 stolen items in her minivan; Walmart personnel determined she’d taken a total of 93 items valued at $5473.53. 

State, local nonprofit partner to deliver sensory kits to Campbell County EMS

GILLETTE (WNE) — Campbell County EMTs now have some extra help when they’re assisting people who have sensory disorders.

Campbell County Health EMS was the first recipient of sensory kits from Cody’s Puzzle Piece Foundation, a nonprofit organization started by local EMT Heather Martin to raise awareness and money for people with sensory issues.

Each sensory kit includes items such as fidget toys, sunglasses, noise-canceling earmuffs, a weighted blanket, and a communication card. These items were carefully selected to calm individuals of all ages who may experience sensory challenges during emergencies.

Martin created the foundation five years after her son, Cody Sams, died in a car crash in east Gillette. Sams was diagnosed at an early age with high functioning autism.

Emergencies are very high-stress situations, and for people with sensory issues who might not be able to communicate well, they’re made even more stressful. The kits can assist those with sensory disorders to refocus, de-escalate and advocate for their needs.

The goal of the initiative is to protect people like Cody and the dedicated EMS staff, firefighters, police officers and other first responders.

The kits were made possible thanks to funding from Wyoming Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services for Children, or EMSC, and this is just the beginning.

Wyoming EMSC moved to pay to have sensory kits in all ambulances in Wyoming, and Cody’s Puzzle Piece Foundation is helping the kits to ambulance services across the state. The foundation plans to help fund the restocking of the kits to ensure every emergency vehicle always has one ready.

Gillette police waiting for records in investigation of courthouse death

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Gillette Police Department is still investigating the death of Dennis Green, a Gillette man who died after attempting suicide while in the custody of the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office in September.

Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said the investigation is still ongoing. Last week the police department served a search warrant to receive some data, including phone records. Right now the department is waiting to receive those records, Wasson said.

So far, the investigation has not identified anything to dispute Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem’s determination that Green’s cause of death was suicide, Wasson said.

Sheriff Scott Matheny said Green died by suicide Sept. 21 after being discovered in a holding cell inside the Campbell County Courthouse, where he had been taken after a judge had placed him in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office, and that it happened in “a matter of minutes.” 

The holding cell is essentially a room where inmates wait before they appear before a judge or are taken to jail.

WyoFile first reported the story Oct. 6.

Matheny said the Gillette Police Department is handling the investigation because the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation was not readily available to conduct it at the time.

Barrasso, Lummis vote to ban federal mask mandates

CHEYENNE (WNE) — This week, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., praised the U.S. Senate for passing Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s amendment to the Senate minibus appropriations bill prohibiting the Department of Transportation from using any federal funds to enforce mask mandates.

The amendment, which passed the Senate by a vote of 59-38, bans mask mandates on passenger airlines, commuter rail, rapid transit buses and any other transportation program funding through Fiscal Year 2024.

“Today, the Senate took an important step in protecting the freedoms and rights of all Americans,” Barrasso said in a news release. “The federal government has no business mandating Americans wear masks on airlines or public transit.”

“We cannot expect the people of Wyoming to forgo their personal freedoms for misguided and ineffective mask mandates,” Lummis said in the release. “The passage of this commonsense amendment is a big win for states’ rights, and I am glad we are one step closer to shielding the people of Wyoming from D.C. bureaucrats’ unfounded and heavy-handed federal mandates.”

Human skull found in storage unit belonged to middle-aged man, forensic pathologist says

GILLETTE (WNE) — The human skull that was found in a storage unit Wednesday afternoon appears to have belonged to a middle-aged man, according to a forensic pathologist.

A 46-year-old man bought the contents of a storage unit on Hitt Boulevard in an abandoned property auction, and when he looked through it, he found a human skull.

Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said images of the skull were sent to the forensic pathologist, who concluded that it belonged to a man between the ages of 30 and 50 years old.

The forensic pathologist also concluded in his report that the man was “most likely Caucasian,” Wasson said.

Right now there is no indication that the skull is related to any criminal activity, Wasson said, and the investigation continues.

Barrasso, Lummis bill pushes back on electric vehicle mandate

CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., joined their colleagues in introducing the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act to push back on the Biden administration’s Green New Deal agenda.

The bill is designed to do that by preventing the implementation of a proposed rule that limits the people of Wyoming’s choices when purchasing a car, with the senators calling it “radical” and “executive overreach” in a news release.

“Democrats are trying to force-feed Wyoming drivers expensive electrical vehicles — vehicles that we don’t need, want and most families can’t afford,” Barrasso said in the release. “Farmers and ranchers count on vehicles that are affordable and reliable. In Wyoming, with our cold winters and vast distances, electric cars are neither. The CARS Act will put Wyoming drivers — not Joe Biden — back into the driver’s seat when it comes to deciding what type of vehicle works best for them.”

Lummis said in the release, “From day one, this administration has been strangling the people of Wyoming with restrictive red tape and eroding their freedoms. The Biden administration’s latest executive overreach is a thinly veiled attempt to force the people of Wyoming into driving expensive electric vehicles.”

This legislation is in response to a draft rule issued April 12 by the Environmental Protection Agency that sets stringent emissions standards for pollutants and greenhouse gasses for certain vehicles. 

If finalized, the EPA estimates more than two-thirds of all new vehicles could be electric by 2032. Among other things, the CARS ACT would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing or enforcing this proposed emissions rule.

Torrington mother remains missing

TORRINGTON (WNE) — It has been more than two months since the family of Azia Diane Saldana, age 33, has had any contact with her.

Lisa Castro and her husband of Torrington last reportedly saw their only child on August 26, 2023 when she left their home on foot to play Cowboy Skills games at the Western Travel Terminal located on east highway 26 in Torrington.

Saldana, a mother of four, is described as a 5’6 to 5’7 Hispanic female with brown hair and brown eyes. She has multiple tattoos, two cheek piercings and she also has her septum pierced. 

She was last seen wearing black leggings and a black and gray sweatshirt with ‘WORD’ printed on it. 

She has struggled with prior drug addiction, and she often disappears.

“There has been a lot of information stating it is believed that Azia went to Colorado but there has been no proof or confirmed sightings of her there,” Private Investigator Stacy Koester said. “At this time, there hasn’t been one confirmed sighting — just rumors and speculation.” 

Koester, who volunteers her time to help the families of missing people with Wyofind through Road Warriors for the Missing, has been working on Saldana’s case for the past few weeks.

The Castros stated Saldana often disappears but she does reach out to family and her long-time, on-and-off-again boyfriend, Dylan Prahl, when she is gone. 

“She’s never told us where she goes, and she always comes back with Dylan,” Castro said. “Miraculously, she appears with Dylan, disappears with Dylan and reappears with Dylan. That’s why I can’t believe she hasn’t contacted him.” 

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Saldana, please contact Detective Maestas at the Torrington Police Department at (307) 532-7001 or Private Investigator Stacy Koester at (307) 299-6710.

Aggressive dog disrupts mail service to entire block

POWELL (WNE) — An aggressive dog prompted the U.S. Postal Service to stop delivering mail to an entire Powell block for roughly seven weeks, but the agency was recently able to restore service. 

Service was paused in the 200 block of North Bernard Street after a carrier was bitten on Aug. 18.

The owner received warnings for dog running at large, failure to obtain a city dog license and dangerous or vicious animal, Powell Police Chief Roy Eckerdt said. 

After the bite, the Postal Service stopped serving the entire block, which includes ten addresses. 

One of those residents, Bryant Startin, said he never received notice about the stoppage, only learning about the situation when a merchant informed him that his package couldn’t be delivered. When he asked Powell postal workers what was going on, Startin said he was told that residents on the block would need to pick up their mail at the post office until further notice. 

Startin said that being punished over another resident’s dog “just doesn’t seem right.” 

However, if an aggressive dog is on the loose, the Postal Service can and will stop service to the area, “because we do take the safety of our employees extremely seriously,” USPS Senior Director of Occupational Safety and Health Linda DeCarlo said in a June podcast from the agency. 

DeCarlo encouraged dog owners to restrain their pets, adding that, “nobody wants to be that person that makes all of your neighbors have to get in the car every day to drive down to a local post office to pick up their mail.” 

On Oct. 11, Startin received a notice that mail service was resuming. Exactly what prompted the change is unclear — a Denver-based spokesman for the USPS didn’t answer repeated inquiries from the Tribune about the situation — but Startin said this week that service is now back to normal.

Man pleads not guilty to child sex abuse

CASPER (WNE) — A Casper man who was fired from Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming after being accused of sexually abusing a minor pleaded not guilty. 

Daniel Joseph Uptain, 38, is charged with three counts of third-degree sexual assault of a minor, two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a minor and one count of sexual exploitation of children. 

Uptain pleaded not guilty Wednesday to all six counts in Natrona County District Court. 

Each charge was allegedly “with the same victim,” Timothy Cotton, Uptain’s attorney, said in court. 

He is facing over 100 years in prison, if found guilty on all charges. 

Although the alleged crimes did not occur on Boys and Girls Club premises, “crimes of abuse run counter to everything our organization stands for – no harm should come to any child under any circumstance,” CEO Ashley Bright said in a statement last month. 

Uptain was barred from all programs and facilities. 

This summer, a child allegedly told their counselor at a treatment center in Powell that they met up with Uptain, who they had previously met at the Boys and Girls Club, the affidavit in the case states. Uptain allegedly started communicating with the child last fall on a dating application called MeetMe, the affidavit states. 

The child allegedly told officials they had met up with Uptain four times and had sex with him three times, the affidavit states. Uptain allegedly would bring marijuana dab pens, alcohol, vape pens and cash, and in exchange, the child had sexual intercourse with him, the affidavit states. 

He is also accused of exchanging nude photographs with the child, and there was a “strong possibility” there were also videos exchanged, the affidavit states.

Although Uptain allegedly told authorities the child was listed as 28 years old on the dating ap, he “admitted that [the child] did not look anywhere close” to that age. 

His trial is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.