Wyoming News Briefs

20th Air Force welcomes its first female commander

CHEYENNE (WNE) - The 20th Air Force received its first female commander, the highest- ranking position overseeing the nation's ground-based nuclear missiles, weeks after Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., released his blockade on military promotions last month.

Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser was officially initiated into the position during a symbolic change-of-command ceremony Friday at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. 

"It's not lost on me that I'm the first woman to lead the 20th Air Force," Huser said in her ceremonial speech. "I may be the first, but I'm the first of many, many awesome women who are going to come after me."

The change-of-command ceremony was also attended by Huser's husband and two children, one of whom was celebrating her 14th birthday.

"A lot of times, women who move into senior positions are single or they don't have kids," Huser told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle after the ceremony. "My kids probably hate it, but I parade them around, so that way people can see it. ...You can be a woman, you can have a family and you can do this awesome mission."

The position of 20th Air Force commander is responsible for the people who operate, maintain, secure and support the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile force. That includes personnel at F.E. Warren, as well as Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Huser served as special assistant to the previous commander, her predecessor, Maj. Gen. Michael Lutton. Lutton was promoted to 20th Air Force commander in July 2020 but did not receive a formal ceremony due to the pandemic.

Rawlins Police Department responds to shots fired call on New Year's Eve

RAWLINS (WNE) - Fireworks weren't the only things popping off on New Year's Eve in Rawlins.

On Sunday, Dec. 31, at around 10 p.m., the Rawlins Police Department, with the assistance from the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Carbon County Sheriff 's Department, responded to a shots fired call in the area of the 100 Block of 12th Street in Rawlins.

"We are thankful to report that no injuries have been reported due to the incident, and no damage has been located to any nearby property," a press release from the city of Rawlins stated.

While investigating the source of the shots, additional shots were fired in close proximity to officers and a subject was observed firing from the rear of a residence. The home was identified and surrounded, while nearby houses were evacuated.

According to Rawlins Police Chief Michael Ward, a white, male subject in his mid 40s, eventually exited and was arrested. After investigation, the subject has been charged with reckless endangerment.

Ward said that several guns were recovered and are considered as evidence. He added that it is being handled by the Carbon County Attorney's Office.

Governor welcomes BLM decision on fighting cheatgrass

CHEYENNE (WNE) -- Gov. Mark Gordon launched an initiative to fight terrestrial invasive species including cheatgrass in 2019. A key tool identified in that initiative is the herbicide Indaziflam. This is used in Wyoming's control of cheatgrass, which imperils wildlife, cripples migration corridors and increases the risk of forest and range fires.

The Bureau of Land Management has announced that it is adding ingredients registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, including Indaziflam, to its list of approved herbicide active ingredients.

Following a Notice of Availability, the BLM expects to publish a Record of Decision regarding this proposal early in 2024.

The governor applauded this decision in a news release: "This long-awaited announcement is welcome year-end news. Governor Polis and I have been vigorous in encouraging BLM to complete this review process for more than a year. Invasive grasses and weeds are a well-documented threat to the wellbeing of native grasslands and animals like mule deer. Indaziflam is an herbicide that has been tested on private, state and US Forest Service lands and is a proven, necessary, and effective means of control for invasive species such as cheatgrass. I applaud the BLM for completing this process albeit somewhat ploddingly. Assuming the ROD goes as expected, BLM land managers will have an effective tool for 2024 as they work with state agencies to identify treatment areas. Wyoming's wildlife and range will benefit."

Gordon is proposing the Legislature set aside $20 million in the upcoming budget to fight the scourge of invasives like cheatgrass.

Duo linked to $20K theft from Gillette Ulta arrested in NYC

GILLETTE (WNE) - A man and woman linked to a two-day theft of more than $20,000 at the Gillette Ulta Beauty store in August were arrested in New York earlier this month while trying to board a flight to Colombia.

The two, Jhonathan Valencia Linares, 37, and Jennyfer Jasbleidy Guzman Morera, 28, both of Colombia, also were linked to Ulta Beauty thefts across the country totaling more than $400,000, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

On Aug. 30, police responded to a shoplifting call at Ulta Beauty on South Douglas Highway where the store manager reported several shelves of products missing, according to court documents. 

Surveillance video showed three people - two women and one man - entered the store Aug. 24 and stole $16,442.50 worth of items in about 20 minutes, according to court documents. 

A store employee remembered the three in the store but when she approached "they would hold their hands up and say 'no, no, no.'" The employee assumed the three didn't speak English and didn't need help, but video showed all three taking items off shelves and hiding them, according to court documents.

On Aug. 25, video showed the three stealing another $3612 in items, bringing the total from the two days to $20,054.50 in stolen goods.

At the end of October, Linares was charged with felony theft of more than $1000 in Campbell County. At the end of November, Guzman Morera was charged with two felony theft counts, according to court documents, and warrants were issued for their arrests.

On Dec. 11 in New York City, port authority agents arrested Linares and Guzman Morera as suspects in a Homeland Security Investigations case and on the Campbell County warrants, Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson said. 

Pine Haven man charged with aggravated assault

SUNDANCE (WNE) - A Pine Haven man has been charged with aggravated assault and bound over to District Court after allegedly pulling a knife on a person who was attempting to make him leave a local bar.

On December 8, a Crook County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched to a bar in Pine Haven for a disturbance involving a weapon.

The suspect was later identified as Todd Allen Wiseman according to his driver's license.

According to court reports, Wiseman was asked to leave the bar after vomiting on the floor. Upon exiting, he allegedly remained outside on the property and urinated on the outdoor furniture.

Wiseman was allegedly again asked to vacate the property and an attempt was made by a representative of the establishment to escort him from the premises.

According to court reports, Wiseman then became physical with the representative and put his hands in his pants pocket. The representative, fearing Wiseman may be reaching for a gun, allegedly pushed him away.

The representative and a patron of the bar reported that Wiseman retrieved a folding blade knife from his pocket and brandished it at them. The two were able to wrestle Wiseman to the ground and contain him until law enforcement arrived.

Both witnesses stated that Wiseman had a strong grip on the knife and they had "extreme difficulty" removing it from his hand.

Wiseman has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony punishable by up to ten years of incarceration.