The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
The Voice of the Community Since 1909, Serving Moorcroft and Pine Haven, Wyoming
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Dewey Schoenewald of Moorcroft faces multiple felony charges associated with burglary after allegedly taking numerous items from an oil field pumping station. These charges may be combined with another active case involving Schoenewald that was recently bound over to District Court. On January 18, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of a theft on the D Road near Moorcroft. The victim informed the deputy that a theft had taken place that morning at his oil field pumping station. At the location, the deputy reports observ...
According to federal law, every county must organize a group of people whose role is to prepare for a hazardous material spill or environmental hazard. Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Robinson is reintroducing that committee but first, he’s going to need some volunteers. Crook County has not had a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) since around 2018. “We’re technically out of compliance, as far as the federal government is concerned,” he says. The requirement comes from the Emergency Planning and Community-Right-to-Know Act, establi...
Ken Dockweiler of Bridger Pipelines updated the county commissioners Tuesday morning on progress made within the county to install a new oil pipeline that will match the route of the existing Butte Pipeline line in this area. Beginning near Hulett and crossing over into Weston County to eventually end up in Guernsey, construction on the line is already in progress further south. In Crook County, said Dockweiler, a meeting has been held with various county representatives, including County Attorney Joe Baron, Road & Bridge Foreman Morgan...
Rumors spread last week that coronavirus had been diagnosed in Wyoming. Crook County Public Health reassures the public that this information was incorrect and there is currently no danger of contracting the virus in this state. “We have no diagnosed or suspected cases of coronavirus in the State of Wyoming, or in any of the adjoining states around Wyoming, at this time,” says Becky Tinsley, Crook County Public Health. “It’s not an immediate threat here. The things that were posted [on websites...
Dewey Schoenewald has been arrested on burglary charges after his vehicle was found stuck in snow at a private property where several buildings had been broken into. On January 19, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office sergeant was dispatched to a property in Moorcroft that he describes as sitting on a private road with no fewer than five “No Trespassing” signs in plain view. At the property, he interviewed the owners. The owners claimed they had arrived home to see an unattended silver pickup truck stuck in the snow and footprints leading to the s...
Moorcroft resident Charles Clarence Birr has been arrested on possession charges after a search of his residence for an associated case revealed numerous items related to meth use. On January 21, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputy was conducting a search warrant of the Birr residence in Moorcroft associated with a related case involving burglary. While standing in the living room, the deputy reports noticing items related to drug use in plain view. These included a glass pipe next to the couch where Birr was seated that the deputy notes i...
A Douglas man has been charged with possession with intent to deliver after allegedly informing a police officer who had spotted him walking drunkenly through town that he was taking a bag of marijuana from one friend to another. On January 7, a Moorcroft Police Officer was stationed at the intersection of East Converse and North Yellowstone at around 8:30 p.m. when he observed a man stumbling down the street, later identified as Brock Allen Smith. The officer reports that Smith was on the roadway, despite there being a sidewalk available, and...
A North Dakota man led law enforcement on an extended high speed chase on Sunday, reaching speeds well over 100 mph. The chase began when the suspect refused to exit his vehicle and ended with the discovery of a stash of marijuana that he appears to have hidden in some undergrowth. On January 5, a Crook County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was patrolling Hwy 585 when he observed a white vehicle bearing a Texas license plate traveling north near milepost 26. Having clocked the vehicle at 77 mph in a 70 mph, the deputy executed a traffic stop. The d...
The minimum age for purchasing tobacco anywhere in the United States was raised just before Christmas from 18 to 21. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet issued full guidance as to how this should be handled at a state and local level, prompting the Crook County Sheriff’s Office to issue a statement on how tobacco sales are to be enforced at this time. “Regardless of federal law, the Crook County Sheriff’s Office will enforce Wyoming State Statutes regarding the sale, purchase, pos...
The beginning of the year will bring two notable changes to the process of titling a vehicle. It will now be possible to set up the paperwork for joint ownership such that only one signature is needed to transfer that title on; it will also become legal to ask someone else to help you handle your paperwork. In the first instance, says County Clerk Linda Fritz, “Representative Tyler Lindholm pursued legislation so that, if you title a vehicle with a conjunction of ‘or’, then only one person has to sign to sell. It still has to be notarized.” Unt...
The county’s year-long study to find a solution for water issues in the area around Carlile is now well underway, the county commissioners heard last week. Landowner surveys have been sent out and collected and well sampling has taken place across the study area. According to Jaime Tarver, Senior Project Manager, one of the most important next steps for the study will be to identify “champions” among the landowners who are interested in pushing forward with the ideas that may come out of it. The study, under the direct supervision of Wyomi...
The county commissioners heard public comment on an alleged shooting nuisance in the Sundance Canyon Ranch subdivision on Tuesday. Attendees were invited to share their thoughts during a hearing that had been postponed from November to make sure all interested parties had received notice of the complaint. Ultimately, the commission determined that the subdivision’s own improvement and service district would be a more appropriate avenue through which to find a solution. The landowner who brought the issue to the county once again presented t...
Cook Lake is once again open for recreation, but the dam project is not quite finished yet. Delays due to weather mean that the site will likely close again in the spring to wrap up construction, says District Ranger Mike Gosse. “The Cook Lake project is done for this year, but not completely finished yet. The wintery weather we had in October caused delays in getting the project 100 percent finished,” he says. “The Bureau of Reclamation crew did a great job in working through some tough conditions and did get the project 85 to 90 perce...
As the 2020 elections begin to ramp up, the County Clerk’s Association of Wyoming (CCA) is encouraging women across the state to exercise their hard-won voting rights. Wyoming was not only the first U.S. territory to grant women the right to vote, 150 years ago this month, it was also the first place in the world to take that step. Women in Wyoming headed to the polls a full quarter century before New Zealand became the first country to claim the same honor. It wouldn’t be until the next century that Australia followed suit and parts of Eur...
A 73-year-old hunter from Riverton got turned around in what he’d thought was a familiar part of Boundary Gulch last week. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Crook County Sheriff’s Office and Crook County Volunteer Search & Rescue, he was rescued and brought to safety. When the hunter was finally located on November 19, he had managed to travel five miles from his starting point through treacherous terrain. The hunter knew the area, having been to Crook County a number of times before. It was, in fact, his level of familiarity with the spe...
A state land acquisition that would return part of the Moskee to public ownership may finally be coming to fruition. Originally given the blessing of the State Board of Land Commissioners more than three years ago, the 4714-acres of scenic canyon lands in the Grand Canyon area, adjacent to the Black Hills National Forest, would be purchased from the Moskee Land Corporation. Jessica Murkin, Real Estate Analyst for the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, updated the county commissioners on progress last week. She explained that the...
A grief group launches next week specifically for Crook County’s teens, offering a confidential environment in which bereaved young people can learn to work through loss in a constructive way. The teenage years bring their own set of challenges and the death of a loved one can have a serious impact on emotional development, say group founders Doug and Jess Donnell, so this group will aim to provide a set of tools that will teach teens how to deal with grief in a healthy manner. “Please remember, dealt with correctly, these tragedies are an opp...
8-year-old Michael Campbell of Sturgis, SD appeared in court in Meade County, SD, last week charged with murder in the second degree after a body was discovered in his home that was believed to be that of missing Upton resident Shayna Ritthaler. Ritthaler, who attended school in Moorcroft and lived south of Upton, disappeared on October 3. Moorcroft Police Department quickly asked for the public’s help in providing information about the 16-year-old, who was last seen entering a black vehicle at the Coffee Cup Fuel Stop at around 12:36 p.m. Acc...
Michael Campbell of Sturgis, SD appeared in court this morning charged with murder in the second degree after a body was discovered in his home that was believed to be that of missing Upton resident Shayna Ritthaler. Ritthaler disappeared on October 3. Moorcroft Police Department quickly asked for the public’s help in providing information about the 16-year-old, who was last seen entering a black vehicle at the Coffee Cup in Moorcroft at around 12:36 p.m. The department later received information that suggested Ritthaler was in the Lead and D...
It wouldn’t be possible without support from the community, says Tanja Miller of Alpenthal’s Dairy Goats, who organized the Black Hills Dairy Goat Association’s Dairy Goat Show at the fairgrounds over the weekend. This was the second year Crook County hosted its own goat show and, says Miller, numbers were up considerably. “We were bigger this year than last year,” she says. “We had 240 goats and we have two rings, so we actually show 480 animals in less than 12 hours – on top of four showmans...
Andrew Carl Buller of Cody, otherwise known as Andy StandingWolf, has been sentenced on charges of domestic battery, false imprisonment and interference with emergency calls following an incident at Keyhole State Park in January, 2018 during which he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend during a fishing trip to the lake. On January 24, 2018, a Keyhole State Park Ranger was contacted by dispatch about an assault that had occurred ten days earlier at the lake. The complainant informed dispatch that she had been assaulted at one of the cabins by...
Descendants of the Wyoming prisoners of war whose lives were lost during World War II when a Japanese freighter was sunk are invited to an event honoring the nine men in Riverton next month. The dedication will honor the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the Arisan Maru on October 24, 1944. The Arisan Maru was used as a transportation vessel for POWs from the Philippines to Manchuria, China or Japan, one of the “hell ships” known for their inhumane conditions or cruelty among the crew. On the date of its sinking, it was carrying an estimated 1...
The federal government will be performing its ten-year head count in 2020 and the U.S. Census Bureau has requested help to ensure as many people as possible consent to be included. County Clerk Linda Fritz has been tasked with forming a five-person Complete Count Committee to promote the census and inform members of the community of the benefits it can bring to the area. “They’re hoping they can get people involved in the committee who are well known, so that people trust them to be able to look out for their best interests with the cen...
Surprising thought it may seem this close to cooler weather, Fire Warden Doug Leis would like the community to be aware that fire season may finally have arrived. Two small incidents last Wednesday afternoon could mark the beginning of a period during which plenty of fuel and dry conditions causes more fires to spark than the county has seen so far all year. “I think our fire season is probably going to be starting about this time this year, if the conditions dry out from here,” Leis nods. On Wednesday afternoon, county volunteers assisted by t...
Kids gathered last week at schools across the county to hear a presentation about Rachel’s Challenge, a program that promotes the legacy of Rachel Joy Scott. The young girl was the first person killed in the Columbine High School tragedy, but what she became known for were the simple acts of humanity and kindness she had loved to perform. The transformational power of her story was used to create the challenge, which promotes a more positive climate in schools. Her vision was to start a chain reaction of compassion, which the program reflects i...
