State Briefs

Goshen County School District considers drug-testing policy for students

TORRINGTON (WNE) — The Goshen County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees discussed at its regular meeting July 9 the merits and drawbacks of mandatory drug testing for seventh-grade through senior students involved in extracurricular activities.

On one hand, Trustees said, GCSD budgets $20,000 annually for student drug testing, and in the face of increased budget constraints, suspending the program would save the district money.

“I am of the opinion that it’s spending of funds we aren’t necessarily seeing a return on,” Trustee Christine Miller said, adding she’s heard of students figuring out how to test clean when they’ve used drugs. “I have concerns about that. I’m not sure it’s something I would like to see continue.”

Chair Kath Patrick mentioned the honor program, in which students pledge to remain clean.

Ryan Clayton worried about drug use in the area growing if the testing stops.

Carlos Saucedo explained the policy is made to prevent drug use and should not be seen as a “Gotcha!” tactic.

“If [a student tests positive], we have next steps to follow,” he said, continuing to say without the policy, students are at a greater risk of engaging in negative behavior. “This could be the last step in a couple of kids’ journey, saying ‘I want to stay clean’” and falling back on the policy, Saucedo said. “I would really hate to lose it.”

Zach Miller suggested there may be less expensive alternatives to the current policy the district could explore in the future.

No action was taken on the matter.

Man charged after stabbing puppy

GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man will be charged with felony animal cruelty after stabbing his son’s puppy with a knife last week.

A 19-year-old man said his 45-year-old father, Richard Pope, stabbed his six-month-old German shepherd six times in the abdomen with a fixed-blade knife, said Police Lt. Brent Wasson.

The son said he was at the skate park when Pope called him, angry at the puppy because it had pooped on the floor, Wasson said. The son showed texts to officers from Pope threatening harm to the dog. When the son came home, his dog had been stabbed and his father was holding a bloody knife.

The son took the dog to Red Hills Veterinary Hospital where it was treated. The dog is doing fine, Wasson said.

Pope was arrested on active warrants Thursday after police saw him walking on West 4J Road and he will be charged with felony animal cruelty, Wasson said.

Propane, bullets ignite in fire near Lovell

LOVELL (WNE) — A botched fireworks launch led to a number of unexpected explosions near Crooked Creek on Monday, July 1. 

Two camper trailers and a shed on Crooked Creek Road are considered a total loss after they went up in flames due to improper use of fireworks that ignited a propane tank and acetylene bottle on the property. 

Members of the Lovell Fire Department responded to the scene at 4:58 p.m. to find both trailers engulfed. 

“We pulled our first truck so we could go hit it quick because there was a welder and four-wheeler right there next to the trailers,” Assistant Fire Chief Bob Mangus said. “Maybe we can save them if we hit it quick. But that’s when the gunshots started going off.”

The fire had reached two ammo boxes full of bullets inside the trailers, and suddenly bullets started igniting within the fire.

Bullets set off in a fire aren’t nearly as dangerous as they are when fired in a gun, Mangus said. The heat typically blows the primer out of the shell, which causes the bullet to make a loud sound but doesn’t cause the velocity one might expect.

It’s still a risk, Mangus said.

“Rather than anyone going in and getting hurt we just decided to back off, and when our big truck got there we used our monitor,” Mangus recalled.

The monitor, commonly known as a water cannon, shoots a higher velocity stream of water, allowing the fire department to handle the fire quickly from a distance. 

The deluge of water tampered down the flames significantly, and the fire was extinguished shortly after.

Man accused of stealing $65,000 from Mining Association

CHEYENNE (WNE) — A computer technician who is accused of stealing nearly $65,000 by forging checks from the Wyoming Mining Association in 2016 was recently transferred to Laramie County from the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp in Newcastle to appear in district court.

Matthew Rose, 29, faces five counts of forgery and one count of theft. He is accused of stealing six checks from the Mining Association, forging signatures on five of them and ultimately depositing the money into his personal bank account.

According to court documents:

Rose was given after-hours access to the Mining Association office when the organization was preparing to move from 2601 Central Ave. to its current location at 1401 Airport Parkway #230. Rose was an employee for Geek Garage, which was subcontracted by Wyomingnetwork LLC to coordinate the transfer of telephone lines and computer equipment to the new office. He was given after-hours access from Aug. 1 to Aug. 5, 2016.

Around Oct. 27, 2016, two Mining Association employees, office manager Heidi Peterson and accountant Tammy Lantz, reported a theft by fraud to Cheyenne Police. Five checks were made out to Geek Garage that had not been authorized by the Mining Association, totaling $64,591.01.

Peterson had discovered the missing checks about two weeks earlier, around Oct. 11, 2016. The checks were kept in a box in a desk drawer that was not typically locked. Peterson immediately moved to stop payment on the checks, but Lantz found upon reconciliation that five of the checks had already cleared.

Each charge of forgery carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, as does the single theft charge.