Wyoming News Briefs

Transient man arrested for setting another man on fire

CHEYENNE (WNE) – A 54-year-old transient man was arrested early Sunday morning after Cheyenne Police said he set another man on fire.

Kenneth Potter, 54, was found at Martin Luther King Park with a knife and lighters in his possession. He was arrested and booked into the Laramie County Jail on an aggravated assault charge without incident.

At approximately 1:15 a.m. Cheyenne Police officers were dispatched to a report of an aggravated assault at 1111 Martin Luther King Court, according to a Monday morning CPD news release. Responding officers were advised that a victim was set on fire by another individual.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers located an adult male victim with severe burn injuries, according to the release. 

During the incident, the unidentified victim was allegedly sleeping at the park and woke up to the suspect standing over him and setting him on fire. The victim began to stand up and dropped a knife, police said, which the suspect grabbed and threatened him with.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for treatment.

This case remains under investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department Detective Bureau.

Former city employee arrested on felony theft charge, allegedly stealing city property

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office officials took former city of Sheridan Utility Maintenance Division Superintendent Kenneth Hirschman, 53, into custody Aug. 11 for felony theft of city property. 

Court documents allege Hirschman took 949 pounds of brass scrap metal belonging to the city without authorization; transported it to Billings in his personal vehicle on three separate occasions from July 2020 to March 2022; and sold it for $1,543, a sum he did not repay to the city. 

Hirschman allegedly used the proceeds to purchase steaks and brats for team-building lunches for his staff and refuel his truck for a fishing trip. 

The alleged crime, theft in excess of $1,000, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. 

The Sheridan Police Department conducted an investigation into Hirschman’s behavior at the behest of the city, after City Administrator Stuart McRae received allegations of misconduct. Hirschman has not been a city employee since June, McRae said. 

Salvageable scrap metal received by the city’s utilities workers belongs to the rate payors, or those who pay for the city’s utility services, McRae explained. The metal is then turned into recycling centers, and the funds recouped are returned exclusively to the utilities department budget. 

According to court documents, Hirschman was supposed to deposit city-owned scrap metal at a recycling center in Sheridan, with all credit for the metal due to the city. But that’s not what happened. 

“Hirschman stated essentially that he knew the brass was property of the city of Sheridan and…he sold the brass in Billings so he could receive cash,” wrote SPD Cpt. Tom Ringley in the affidavit of probable cause for Hirschman’s arrest. 

Two men die in crash south of Wright

GILLETTE (WNE) — Two men were killed in a three-vehicle crash southwest of Wright late Saturday night.

At 11:55 p.m. Saturday, a 36-year-old man from Oklahoma was driving a 2006 Ford F-150 south on Highway 387 near Clarkelen Road when he crossed the center line, colliding head-on with a Toyota Camry driven by a 62-year-old man from Utah, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Jeremy Beck.

The Toyota came to an uncontrolled rest on the northbound roadway and shoulder. The F-150 traveled off the road, crossed a driveway and came to a stop on its roof.

The truck’s driver, Michael Brasch, was fully ejected and died from the injuries he sustained in the crash. The driver of the Camry, Christopher Czech, also died from injuries he received during the crash.

Czech was wearing a seatbelt, while Brasch was not, Beck said.

A red Nissan Rogue, which was traveling behind the Camry, was hit by debris from the collision and came to a stop on the northbound shoulder of Highway 387. No one in the Nissan was hurt, Beck said.

Monday morning, Beck said Highway Patrol was still investigating to determine a contributing factor. At the time of the crash, the road conditions were dry and the weather was clear.

So far this year, there have been 70 deaths on Wyoming’s highways, which is right in line with the last two years. In 2021, there were 71 fatalities through mid-August, while 2020 had 75.

Gillette woman sentenced for her role in 2019 mail thefts

GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette woman was recently sentenced for her role in a rash of mail thefts in the spring of 2019.

At the end of July, Donae Larae Chavez, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl to 28 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, followed by five years of supervised release. Chavez also was ordered to pay $9.971.29 in restitution.

Chavez and Tad Mathill had been charged in July 2019 after they were linked to the theft of driver’s licenses and credit cards, with Mathill working as “the ringleader” in a series of mail thefts, according to court documents.

Local charges were dropped after they were charged federally for the crimes.

In September 2020, Mathill was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and possession of stolen mail.

The Sheriff’s Office started getting a series of complaints in April 2019 about checks and driver’s licenses stolen from the mail and used fraudulently.

In one case, two checks were stolen from a woman and were cashed for a total of $484.50 written to two people the woman didn’t know. But those two people told investigators that they were waiting for their new driver’s licenses to arrive in the mail. One said that while the Wyoming Department of Transportation had said it was mailed earlier in the month, he hadn’t received it.

Video surveillance showed that their driver’s licenses were used to cash the checks, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

In another case, a woman reported that she had requested a new credit card and although she hadn’t received it, Bank of America had alerted her to potential fraudulent use of the card.

Campbell County Sheriff Scott Matheny estimated there were more than 100 victims in the mail theft case. 

Deluge causes flooding in Laramie

LARAMIE (WNE) –- A Saturday afternoon thunderstorm brought heavy rain and hail to Laramie, prompting some areas of the city to experience flooding as storm drains struggled to keep up with the brief, but intense, deluge. 

Reports were that parts of downtown had some flooding, along with other areas around the city. 

The Laramie Police Department at one time was warning people to steer clear of 3rd and 4th streets north of Harney Street because of the flooding. 

The storm came with a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service, but as of press time there had been no reports of damage. 

A measurement of just how much rain the area received also hadn’t been reported to the National Weather Service.

Man pleads guilty to battery resulting in injury to a minor

PINEDALE (WNE) – Certified physician assistant (PA-C) Jason Lee Ray changed his plea in Sublette County Circuit Court Monday from “not guilty” to “guilty” of battery resulting in bodily injury to a minor. 

Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Curt Haws told Ray he is “a valued and valuable member of the community, but it appears [he has] an issue he needs to address” before stating he was pleased to see the terms of the plea deal include Ray agreeing to undergo an anger management evaluation. 

Ray was sentenced to six months unsupervised probation and ordered to pay restitution to the minor victim, identified only by his initials R.H., for his medical expenses and damage done to his pickup. 

According to court documents, Ray was traveling on the upper boat dock/campground road hauling his boat after spending the day on Fremont Lake. He said he was driving slowly because of the potholes in the road when he was passed in the left lane by a 2001 white Dodge 1500 pickup truck in what Ray described as “an unsafe manner” and “at a high rate of speed.” 

The juvenile driver of the pickup told law enforcement he estimated he passed Ray at 30 mph while driving in third gear. 

According to court records, Ray told the investigator that when the pickup stopped at an intersection, he pulled in behind R.H., honked his horn and then approached the driver to confront him about his unsafe driving behavior. 

Ray told the deputy that the juvenile began to swing at him through the driver’s window; the alleged victim and two witnesses told officers that Ray ripped off the teen’s shirt and struck him twice in the face. 

The teen told law enforcement that Ray “struck him with a closed fist on his left chin and then again as his friend pulled up behind them. RH told the deputy that he “didn’t touch him [Jason Ray].” 

According to court records, as Ray tried to remove R.H. from the vehicle, the teen’s foot came off the clutch, causing the 2001 Dodge to roll backward into Ray’s F250. 

Suicide prevention coalition launches local window campaign

GILLETTE (WNE) — A number of local businesses have partnered with the Campbell County Suicide Prevention Coalition for its local campaign to raise awareness for suicide prevention resources and information.

The push for awareness includes placing on the outside of storefronts two window stickers that share information on national and local hotlines and resources.

The 15 suicides in Campbell County through July have already tied the county’s highest one-year tally on record, said Ashley McRae, prevention specialist.

About 20 local businesses and agencies have agreed to place the window stickers.

“It started with us wanting to do them at the bar because of how many suicides are related to substance use, but so many other businesses asked for it so we decided to do it everywhere,” McRae said.

The coalition is also giving a similar campaign targeted toward bars and liquor stores a trial run. So far, two local bars and liquor stores have agreed to put suicide prevention stickers on packaging for alcohol, McRae said.

The campaign materials include a QR code, in addition to phone numbers and online access to resources.

The suicide hotline can be reached by calling or texting 988. The number connects callers to trained counselors who will listen, provide support and connect the caller with resources if needed.

The previous suicide hotline number, 1-800-273-8255, still works and will connect callers with help.

Wyomingites can also text “WYO” to 741-741.