State Briefs

Man charged in Riverton stabbing faces enhanced sentence

RIVERTON (WNE) — Accused of stabbing a 55-year-old man in a van near North Federal Blvd last week, Jody VanFleet was sent to a higher court on Wednesday. 

The 37-year-old VanFleet has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one for the stabbing, and one for threatening the alleged victim with a drawn deadly weapon. 

One of the assaults is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 

But because VanFleet has been convicted of two felonies prior and now faces an allegation of felonious violence, the state enhanced the other aggravated assault charge with the habitual criminal penalty – enabling a possible 10-50 years on the sentence. 

He also faces one felony-level charge of domestic violence, which carries another 10-50-year enhancement, and again refers to VanFleet’s prior felonies. 

He was convicted in 2016 in California, for “attempted corporal injury on… cohabitant,” and in 2007 in Wyoming, for assault resulting in a serious bodily injury. 

Riverton Police Department Detective Jim Donahue testified during the hearing that officers responded on March 10 to reports of a man lying in the street, bleeding.

“Martin Harris was in fact bleeding from the chest, profusely…[and] had a large stab wound to the center of his chest,” the detective related.

“He said after he was stabbed he tried to seek medical attention and Mr. VanFleet would not allow him to leave in order to get help,” Donahue said.

Health official urges spring breakers to test before, after trip

JACKSON (WNE) — With spring break coming up, Teton County health officials are encouraging residents who plan to travel to do so safely, which includes getting tested a few days before leaving and again after returning home.

“This is the time to consider travel very carefully,” Dr. Travis Riddell, the Teton District health officer, said during Friday’s community COVID-19 briefing.

Also at the update, Riddell reported a local uptick in new infections. In the two-week period ending Thursday, Teton County saw 132 new cases, up 110% from the previous two-week period, he said.

As for traveling, Riddell noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages even vaccinated people to delay nonessential trips, as travel increases one’s risk of spreading and getting the disease.

CDC recommendations for those who go anyway, he said, include getting fully vaccinated and getting tested one to three days before travel.

He recommended the Vault test, which can be ordered online or picked up at the Teton County Health Department and done at home.

Even vaccinated people need to be tested, because there’s not enough data about post-vaccine transmission.

“Yes, the vaccine will prevent you from getting hospitalized or worse,” Riddell said, “but we can’t say for sure yet, especially given the presence of these variants, that getting vaccinated will prevent you from spreading the virus, perhaps without having symptoms.”

Two arrested with eight pounds of pot

GILLETTE (WNE) — Two Wisconsin men were arrested on drug charges Tuesday morning after being caught with 8 pounds of marijuana.

A Campbell County Sheriff’s Office deputy patrolling Highway 50 saw a white 2018 Nissan Maxima going 89 mph in a 70 mph zone. The deputy followed the car and pulled it over near Red Hills Road. A drug dog indicated drugs were in the car, and more than 8 pounds of marijuana was found in the trunk, said Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds.

The two men seemed nervous and their stories did not match up, Reynolds said. The driver, Dwayne Hardwick, 37, told deputies they were coming from California, while the passenger, Eric Johnson, 39, said they were on vacation and were driving back to Wisconsin from Las Vegas.

Both men were arrested for felony possession of marijuana and possession with intent to deliver.

Reynolds said the deputy observed that because of the amount of marijuana, he believed they were intending to deliver it and that it was not just for recreational use. The marijuana was in various forms, including in vacuum-sealed bags that weighed more than 1 pound each, 25 unused packages labeled “Hawaiian Root,” one large joint and one THC vape oil cartridge.

Total weight of the drugs found is more than 8 pounds, Reynolds said.

Both men appeared before Circuit Court Judge Paul Phillips on Wednesday afternoon for their initial appearance. Their bonds were both set at $10,000, cash surety.