Wyoming News Briefs

Man accused of shooting at friend found not guilty

GILLETTE (WNE) — The man accused of shooting a gun at his friend has been acquitted of all charges against him.

Peter Maynard had been charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. In March, he allegedly fired a gun at his friend, Joshua Vavich, after an argument.

Thursday evening, after about two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury found him not guilty on all three charges.

The question at the heart of the trial was whether Maynard acted in self-defense when he fired a shot at Vavich the night of March 22.

The two were in a dating relationship and were living together in Gillette. Vavich said he could not remember why they started arguing, but he remembers Maynard being on top of him with two hands around his neck. 

Vavich got free of Maynard and fled throughout the house, eventually opening the door that connected the house to the garage and peeking out, and that’s when Maynard fired the shot.

Maynard said he thought Vavich was grabbing a .357 from the master bedroom, so he armed himself with a .38 handgun.

Maynard said he then went outside to “put distance between” himself and Vavich. He exited through the garage. As he was walking down the driveway, he heard the door between the garage and the house open.

He turned around and saw Vavich coming out of the garage. He believed Vavich was holding the .357 revolver and he said Vavich raised his hands.

Maynard said he was scared, so he fired his gun, then immediately ran across the street. He told Police Officer Austin Baumberger that he fired one shot.

“I fired one round into the garage, not at him...” Maynard said.

Special prosecutors to serve in child murder case

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Two special prosecutors are likely to replace the Laramie County district attorney in a local child murder case.

During a Monday afternoon hearing, Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe indicated that attorneys Michael Blonigen and Pat Crank will be allowed to serve as special prosecutors in the case of Wyatt Dean Lamb.

Laramie County DA Leigh Anne Manlove is not running for a second term and will leave office in January, before Lamb’s February trial.

Manlove filed a motion July 18 to appoint Blonigen and Crank to prosecute the case.

She said Monday that her office does not have enough attorneys, and, in reaching out to other prosecutors in the state, no one agreed to take on the case.

“So I then started just going through a list of either retired or former prosecutors, and, unfortunately for Mr. Blonigen and Mr. Crank, they were on that list. But, fortunately for everyone involved, they agreed,” she told the court.

Blonigen retired as the Natrona County district attorney in 2018, later returning to the office to serve as an assistant district attorney. Crank is a Cheyenne attorney who served as Wyoming’s attorney general from 2002 to 2007.

Lamb, a Cheyenne man, is accused of physically abusing and killing his then-girlfriend’s 2-year-old son before putting the boy’s body in a dumpster. The alleged incident took place in February 2021.

Two-year-old Athian Rivera was reported missing by his mother, Kassandra Orona, at around 1 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2021. His body was discovered around 3 p.m. in a dumpster just outside an entrance to Orona’s apartment, located in the 400 block of Desmet Drive.

Lamb was ultimately charged with first-degree murder and 10 felony counts of child abuse. He pleaded not guilty to all counts last August.

Competency evaluation ordered in murder case

CODY (WNE) — Cody resident Moshe Williams, one of two defendants charged with first degree murder in the death of his daughter, 2-year-old Paisleigh Williams, will undergo a competency evaluation before the October trial date.

Williams’ lawyer, Wyoming Public Defender Dylan Rosalez, asked the Park County Court on Aug. 24 to grant a competency evaluation before the hearing on Williams’ objection to a joint trial and his motion to sever the case from codefendant Carolyn Aune could get underway.

“We did have some recent interactions with Mr. Williams that we believe we would need to have him evaluated for fitness to proceed,” Rosalez said. “Until a competency determination is made, he cannot fully participate and interact with counsel and the motions for the hearing.”

The state hospital will have 30 days to complete the evaluation.

District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield left the original trial deadlines in place, pending further information or reason to vacate that trial.

The Aug. 24 proceedings on Williams’ motion to sever and objection to a joint trial were stayed.

Deputy Park County Attorney Jack Hatfield had filed a request on Aug. 18 asking the court to deny Williams’ motion objecting to a joint trial and his motion to sever the trial from Aune.

Because there is only one charge against both Williams and Aune, Hatfield intends to introduce the same evidence against both to prove the charge, Hatfield wrote in his motion.

“The cost and burden to the state and this court in conducting two separate trials based on the same charge with the same evidence would not be in the interests of judicial economy,” he wrote.

Wyoming unemployment falls to 3.0% in July 2022

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Research & Planning Section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported last week that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 3.1% in June to 3.0% in July. 

Wyoming’s unemployment rate is lower than its July 2021 level of 4.5% and lower than the current U.S. rate of 3.5%. 

From June to July, most county unemployment rates followed their normal seasonal pattern and decreased. 

Unemployment rates often fall in July as job gains are seen in leisure and hospitality, construction, and professional and business services, according to a news release. 

The largest unemployment rate decreases occurred in Lincoln (down from 3.7% to 2.7%), Sublette (down from 3.8% to 3.2%), Uinta (down from 3.8% to 3.3%) and Teton (down from 2.2% to 1.7%) counties.

In July, unemployment rates were lower than their year-ago levels in every county. 

The largest decreases were reported in Natrona (down from 5.8% to 3.7%), Campbell (down from 5.3% to 3.3%), Niobrara (down from 4.1% to 2.2%), Converse (down from 4.7% to 2.8%) and Sweetwater (down from 5.7% to 3.9%) counties. Unemployment rates were elevated in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teton County, at 1.7%, had the lowest unemployment rate in July. It was followed by Crook County and Niobrara County, both at 2.2%, and Weston County at 2.3%. 

The highest rates were found in Sweetwater County at 3.9%, and Fremont County and Natrona County, both at 3.7%. 

Total non-farm employment in Wyoming (not seasonally adjusted and measured by place of work) rose from 284,500 in July 2021 to 291,600 in July 2022, an increase of 7,100 jobs (2.5%). 

Employment was unusually low in 2021 because of economic disruptions related to the pandemic.

Bear sighted in Rock Springs neighborhood

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — What started out as a typical Wednesday in a usually quiet neighborhood in Rock Springs turned into excitement and wonder as a black bear was spotted by a longtime resident.

Homeowners of jewel-named streets were on the lookout for wildlife as children waited for the bus at various corners of the neighborhood.

Rock Springs resident Daryl Hayes was walking his black Labrador, Obby, hoping to see deer. Hayes’ friend, Nick Roich had joined them for the morning stroll.

Between Prairie Avenue and Garnet Park, Hayes spotted something.

“At first, I asked ‘What is that?’ Then I said, ‘Oh, my, that’s a bear!’” Hayes explained. “I’ve been living here for 27 years and that’s the wildest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Rock Springs Police officers arrived on the scene to help track the bear.

“We notified Game and Fish,” said Sgt. Mathew Register. “They’re aware of the situation but we believe there’s no real threat to the public."