State Briefs

Man arrested in Pinedale after ‘paranoid sniper’ report

PINEDALE (WNE) — A man who received a split sentence on felony drug charges in July apparently violated his unsupervised probation after calling dispatch to report he was hiding from snipers at the Sublette County Courthouse. 

On Oct. 12 around 3 p.m., Deputy Todd Morgan was sent to Mill Street to talk to John E. Handy, where he was hiding in his truck, according to the affidavit. A “very paranoid” Handy said 100 people were trying to “sniper” him from a building across the street. 

Morgan assured Handy that he was safe, then moved his patrol vehicle closer so Handy would feel protected as he left his truck and got in with the deputy. Morgan first conducted a pat-down on Handy and found an uncapped used syringe with some clear liquid that Handy said belonged to a diabetic friend, but drug detectives who tested it found it presumptive positive as meth, according to the affidavit. 

Handy was arrested and charged with misdemeanor meth possession and probation violation. 

He had been charged in January with three felonies: two of delivering a controlled substance, one of felony conspiracy and one misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. 

He pleaded not guilty in 9th District Court and one felony charge was dropped, records show. He was set to go to trial but a plea agreement was reached. 

On July 15, Handy pleaded “no contest” to delivery of a controlled substance, THC and misdemeanor possession of THC. He was sentenced to five to seven years in prison, suspended, for a 30-day jail sentence and three years unsupervised probation.

Gillette man identified in fatal crash

GILLETTE (WNE) — Gillette resident Jesse James McManis, 25, died in a single-car crash in town Tuesday night.

The cause of death was massive internal bleeding from blunt force trauma to the thorax, abdominal cavity, kidney and spleen among other injuries, said Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem.

Around 11 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to the report of a car crash in the 5600 block of Swanson Road. They determined that a 2012 BMW, driven by McManis, left the roadway and hit a parked school bus which then collided with a 2002 Pontiac, said Police Lt. Brent Wasson.

Keith Chrans, transportation director for the Campbell County School district, said the school bus, which was in a salvage yard, was decommissioned and is not part of the district’s current fleet. The school bus and Pontiac were both unattended.

McManis was found at the scene of the accident and taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he later died.

Officers are still looking for witnesses in the crash and the investigation is ongoing as of Thursday morning, Wasson said.

Man in custody after 41 iPhones are stolen from Cody Walmart

POWELL (WNE) — A Colorado man is in custody after he allegedly walked out of the Cody Walmart with a backpack full of stolen iPhones. 

Noah J. Douglass-Wiley, a 24-year-old Colorado Springs resident, has been charged with a felony count of theft. The charging documents do not say how many cellphones Douglass-Wiley is alleged to have stolen, but Walmart managers told police that a total of 41 iPhones — valued at $32,650 — went missing from the store on Oct. 9 and 10. 

In an affidavit filed in support of the charge, Cody Police Officer Scott Burlingame says Walmart’s surveillance cameras captured Douglass-Wiley stealing a number of phones on the night of Oct. 9. 

The suspect reportedly returned to the store on Oct. 10, but Burlingame had not reviewed that footage before the charge was filed last week. 

Walmart managers provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle that ultimately matched up with Douglass-Wiley and the Toyota Camry he was driving. 

Cody police apprehended Douglass-Wiley after he returned to Walmart on the night of Oct. 13 and was recognized by store employees. 

Not long after Douglass-Wiley’s arrest, the owner of the Camry reported the vehicle lost or stolen, saying Wiley had permission to take the car but hadn’t returned it. 

Officers obtained a warrant to search Wiley’s room at the Cody Airbnb where he, the owner of the Camry and two others were staying. While police found clothing that matched those seen in Walmart’s surveillance camera footage, they uncovered no signs of stolen cellphones or the gray backpack Wiley allegedly wore. 

A preliminary hearing in the case will decide whether there’s enough evidence for the case to move toward a trial.