State Briefs

Kidnapping suspect faces three felony charges in Cheyenne

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The man accused of kidnapping a 1-year-old child and assaulting the child’s pregnant mother Thursday is facing several felony charges in Cheyenne, along with new charges from his arrest in Colorado.

Mijito Johnson, 26, was charged Friday with two felony counts of aggravated assault against a pregnant woman and a charge of interference with custody of a child.

Johnson currently is in custody in Aurora, Colorado, where he also faces misdemeanor charges of interference with an officer and related to his arrest.

According to the charges, Johnson allegedly struck his pregnant girlfriend multiple times before taking the infant from her arms and fleeing to his brother’s house in Colorado.

An Amber Alert was issued in Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma, prompting a multi-state search for the abducted child.

Johnson was arrested by the Aurora Police Department late Thursday night. Officers found his vehicle abandoned in a parking lot and located him a short distance away at his brother’s residence.

He currently is in custody in Aurora on a no-hold bond, and is scheduled for his first court date May 9.

Granderson charges still pending as draft approaches

LARAMIE (WNE) — With two weeks until the 2019 NFL Draft, it seems that the top prospect from the University of Wyoming, defensive end Carl Granderson, will still have a sexual assault case pending against him on draft day.

Granderson is currently facing third-degree sexual assault charges after he allegedly molested two women who were sleeping at his apartment on South 23rd Street in November.

The incident occurred the day after UW’s football season ended.

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges Friday at an arraignment in Albany County’s district court.

The “not guilty” plea itself, however, gives no indication of whether Granderson actually intends to assert he’s innocent of the crime. The overwhelming majority of defendants who plead not guilty at their arraignment later plead guilty once prosecutors and defense attorney have hashed out a plea deal.

Under state statute, prosecutors must typically bring a case to trial within 180 days of the defendant’s arraignment.

A procedural plea of “not guilty” merely sets a deadline for a trial and, typically, spurs plea negotiations.

Before the charges were filed, Granderson was projected as a mid-round draft pick. One of the NFL’s own analysts is still predicting that he’ll be drafted, but in the sixth round.

A month ago, Granderson had a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he declined to discuss the charges with reporters. Had he been convicted of the sexual assault charge at the time, he would have been ineligible to participate.

Two women reported to the UW Police Department on Nov. 26 that Granderson “had touched them sexually, without their permission, while they were sleeping” that same day.

Former staff member attacks employees at Cheyenne VA hospital

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A former employee welding a baseball bat walked into the Cheyenne VA Medical Center and attacked two staff members Thursday, VA officials say.

According to Sam House, the VA’s public affairs officer, the attack took place around noon at the hospital’s community center.

The two staff members suffered minor injuries and were treated at the VA and released, House said.

Cheyenne VA Police arrested the former employee within minutes of the assault and transferred the man to the sheriff’s department after treatment at the VA’s emergency room.

VA officials did not immediately identify the former employee. And although he was turned over to Laramie County Sheriff’s deputies for processing at the county jail, spokeswoman Capt. Linda Gesell said she couldn’t confirm his identity as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

Alleged conspirator charged in meth ring

POWELL (WNE) — After putting the leaders of a large drug distribution ring behind bars, authorities are beginning to prosecute those alleged to have played smaller roles in the organization.

The Park County Attorney’s Office recently filed a pair of felony charges against a 31-year-old Cody woman, Erin J. Clark. Agents with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation say Clark distributed relatively large quantities of methamphetamine between January and July 2017, working with local ring leader William “Bill” Lee, also of Cody.

The charges specifically allege that, on a near-daily basis, Lee delivered a 3.5-gram “eight-ball” of meth to Clark at LaVina’s bar and liquor store in Powell, where she worked at the time. After accepting the drugs through the establishment’s drive-through window, Clark would sell them and pay Lee $280, charging documents allege, amounting to about half of the proceeds.

The case is based on statements that DCI agents gathered between the fall of 2017 and the summer of 2018 from confidential sources, Lee and Clark herself.

Clark was arrested in late March and charged with counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of meth with intent to deliver. She pleaded not guilty in Park County District Court last week, with a trial tentatively set for June.

Clark’s case stemmed from DCI’s multi-year investigation into a drug trafficking organization that was moving meth across Park, Big Horn and Natrona counties. During their work — which started in November 2016 — DCI agents came to believe that Lee was the area’s largest meth dealer.