Wyoming News Briefs

Bond revoked for Dell Range shooting defendant

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Tirso Munguia, 19, one of the three defendants charged in connection with the shooting death of Angelina Harrison, 16, had his bond revoked last week after violating the terms of his bond by allegedly making contact with Harrison’s family.

Judge Edward Buchanan ordered the District Court to revoke Munguia’s bond, saying that he “materially violated his bond.” Buchanan also said that his bond could be reinstated on the same terms, with the condition that Munguia be subject to GPS tracking, and that he cannot leave his residence.

On May 18, Munguia was arrested for allegedly violating the conditions of his bond after coming into contact with the victim’s family at a fundraiser in Harrison’s memory, according to court documents.

“Munguia arrived at a fundraiser for [Harrison] hosted by members of [Harrison’s] family in the 200 block of East 23rd Street,” Cheyenne Police Detective Alex Huff wrote in a report. “Munguia approached members of [Harrison’s] family at the fundraiser and caused a disturbance.”

Munguia allegedly killed Harrison in January after mishandling a firearm in the backseat of a car in which both were passengers, a Cheyenne Police Department investigation concluded. He was charged with one count of felony involuntary manslaughter.

Reports by officers stated that Munguia was seated behind Harrison while Sarah Heath, 26, drove them down Dell Range Boulevard on Jan. 9 near Frontier Mall. Cody Nicholson, 18, was also in the car. He gave Munguia his personal firearm, which officials say Munguia accidentally fired, killing Harrison.

In early May, Munguia pleaded guilty and was awaiting sentencing on that charge.

The conditions of his bond stipulated that he could not make any contact with the victim’s family. 

Plea changed in harassment case

CODY (WNE) — The Powell man arrested in January for harassing his ex-girlfriend at her workplace by flipping the breaker twice in order to “irritate” her pleaded guilty May 3 during a change of plea hearing.

Erik L. Jensen, 35, pleaded guilty to intent to harass and two counts of violating a protection order.

During his May 9 change of plea hearing, Jensen pleaded guilty to one count of intent to harass rather than one count of stalking, due to a plea agreement.

He was subsequently sentenced to serve between 18 and 24 months with credit for 101 days served.

However, Park County District Court Judge Bill Simpson suspended the sentence and ordered Jensen to be incarcerated in the Park County Detention Center for 19 days.

After serving his sentence — as long as he completes it without violating the rules of the Detention Center — Jensen will be placed on supervised probation for three years.

In January of last year, the Powell Police Department was dispatched to the K-Bar Saloon after receiving reports someone had manually flipped the breaker to the electrical box and the owner believed it had been done deliberately, according to the affidavit.

A few hours later, officers were dispatched to the bar again after the power was turned off for the second time, the affidavit said.

The bartender saw the suspect fleeing down the alley and identified him as Jensen, someone she had been in a past relationship with, the affidavit said. She told police Jensen had also been crouching behind the dumpster at the bar the day before he flipped the electrical box switch, the affidavit said.

At the time of the incidents in January, Jensen’s ex-girlfriend had an active protection order against him.

Cell tower approved on Switchback Ranch property

CODY (WNE) — More than seven years after the Park County Commissioners first approved a special use permit to build a cellphone tower on property owned by Switchback Ranch LLC, a similar project is moving forward on its land in the Clark area.

During its May 24 meeting, the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission approved Bridger Tower Corporation’s special use permit application to build a 310-foot monopole tower.

The tower’s site is located 20 miles northwest of Powell and 2,000 feet southeast of the intersection of State Highways 120 and 294, said Kim Dillivan, assistant director of Park County Planning and Zoning. According to the construction drawings, Verizon Wireless is a proposed carrier with an identifiable lease area on the tower. The tower could eventually be used by up to three additional cell service providers as well, Dillivan said.

Chad Krahel, senior vice president with Bridger Tower Corporation, said the new tower would serve roughly a 30-mile radius surrounding the tower.

“This tower particularly is designed to fill the gap in coverage between Cody and Belfry,” Krahel said. “In theory, this tower should cover the community of Clark and on down the highway in both directions…for a 30-mile radius…That wouldn’t be high speed coverage or 5G, but it would cover basic phone service for safety and 911 calls and things like that.”

Unlike another recent cell phone tower proposal in the Wapiti area, the tower on the Switchback Ranch has not generated any public comment or controversy, Dillivan said. No written public comments were received by Park County Planning and Zoning, and Krahel was the only person who gave comments during the May 24 meeting.

Gillette man faces $22K restitution for unemployment fraud

GILLETTE (WNE) — A Gillette man pleaded guilty to misrepresenting or falsifying statements to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services and was ordered to repay more than $22,000 he received in fraudulent benefits.

Klaus G. Paugsch, 49, pleaded guilty at a May 22 change of plea hearing to one of five counts of making misrepresentations or false statements in violation of the Wyoming Workers’ Compensation Act, according to court documents.

District Judge Stuart S. Healy III dismissed the remaining four counts, per plea negotiations.

In a plea agreement, Paugsch agreed to pay $22,189.52 in restitution to DWS.

Paugsch qualified for temporary disability benefits after suffering a work-related injury in September 2020 while he was a Wyoming Lawn Pro employee, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Based on Paugsch’s application, he qualified to receive $1,835.16 in benefits each month.

As a condition of the claims, Paugsch was required to report to DWS when returning to work of any kind, including part-time or temporary, and report the gross earnings, when applicable.

In October 2022, Paugsch admitted to working for Walmart, Manpower U.S. Inc. and Thunder Basin Coal Company without notifying DWS and continuing to collect monthly benefits.

He was paid $45,995.08 throughout the 726 days he was approved to receive benefits, of which he fraudulently received $22,189.52 between Oct. 2021 and September 2022, according to the affidavit.

He now faces an open sentencing at his Aug. 29 hearing. The felony conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

WYDOT receives active shooter training from WHP

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Wyoming Department of Transportation workers received active shooter training from Wyoming Highway Patrol Thursday.

WYDOT District 4 Public Involvement Specialist Laura Dalles said the training consisted of survival tactics, first aid and simulated live fire scenarios with blank rounds. 

“The goal was just to provide us with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for us to survive an active shooter incident and then to provide us insight into how law enforcement would respond and what the expectations would be in the event of a situation like that,” Dalles said.

“We have to be open to the public, and a lot of times people will not be happy with state agencies for whatever reason — or you may have a disgruntled employee who has gone off the rails. It’s important to just train us how [to] respond in that situation.”

WYDOT employees were taught to identify potential warning signs of an active shooter, such as behavioral changes in coworkers and patrons. Employees were instructed to identify exits, hiding places and mundane items that could potentially be used for self-defense in a dire situation.

While the training focused largely on preparing for what to expect in an office setting, Dalles said it was also valuable for employees who participated to apply to their everyday lives. Shootings can and do occur everywhere — such as churches, movie theaters, concerts and schools — and when people are well informed on how to respond during such an incident, everyone benefits, Dalles said.

Each of WYDOT’s five districts across the state have received the active shooter training from WHP. Dalles said the material will be included in onboarding for new employees as well, ensuring each and every WYDOT employee has been properly informed.

Sheridan County, Ranchester populations growing quickly

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Sheridan County has one of the highest rates of population increase in Wyoming since 2020.

The Wyoming Department of Administration and Information released 2022 population statistics in May, which revealed Sheridan County had gained 1171 people or an increase of 3.8% since U.S. Census data was collected in April 2020. 

In the same timeframe, the population of Wyoming has gone up by 4544 people, an increase of 0.8%.

Part of the population increase, both in Sheridan County and Wyoming is due to an increase in retirement-age people moving to Wyoming.

With an increase in population by 11.1%, Ranchester had the largest rate of growth in the county and the second largest statewide, behind only Burlington in Big Horn County.

Ranchester’s population currently sits at 1181, though further growth is the expectation in the town.

Wenlin Liu, administrator and chief economist in the state’s Economic Analysis Division, said a big part of the population increase seen by Ranchester and other small communities in the U.S. is due to COVID-19. Population increases are generally returning to pre-COVID conditions, though smaller community populations are still climbing, said Liu.

Sheridan County School District 1 has seen an uptick in enrollment due to the community’s population increase. 

“The setting is just beautiful in Sheridan County and in Johnson County as well… And I think people started looking around at places that were able to go back to school much quicker than other areas of our country,” said SCSD1 Superintendent Pete Kilbride.

“I think people are working more remotely, and so the fact they don’t have to go into an office allows them to live here in Wyoming and telecommute, and that’s been a great advantage for them.”

Megabus and Express Arrow Partnership expands route access

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The trek from Cheyenne to Denver will be made easier as Megabus partners with Express Arrow to expand service options for 29 cities across Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado.

This partnership will include daily trips between Cheyenne and Casper, Wheatland, Douglas, Buffalo, Shoshoni, Thermopolis, Worland, Basin, Greybull and Cody; as well as Billings, Montana and Denver and Greeley, Colorado.

Several of these routes existed prior to the partnership through Express Arrow. The partnership has made these routes accessible through the Megabus website.

Megabus intends to further connect routes to its larger network, making further travel more accessible via bus, said Megabus Vice President of Commercial Colin Emberson.

“What the partnership brings is [Express Arrow’s] routes, their expertise in the area,” Emberson said. “And then, teaming that up with the Megabus brand, with the website we have, and then also being able to tie it into our wider network.”

Schedules are now available, and tickets can be purchased for travel at us.megabus.com.

Grabski sentenced to treatment and probation in fentanyl distribution case

WORLAND (WNE) — Jamie Lee Grabski entered a plea agreement with the State of Wyoming on May 24 in Washakie County District Court before Judge Bobbi Overfield, suspending the sentence for his case involving conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance. 

Grabski was originally arrested in November of last year following the investigation into the death of a Worland woman by fatal overdose. 

Searches of her phone revealed a recent text message conversation with Grabski in which he solicited her to purchase fentanyl pills from him, according to court documents. 

The charge given to Grabski carried a penalty of a 10- to 15-year prison sentence. 

The charge of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance does not bear the consequences of the death associated with this incident. 

This was the first felony Grabski committed in the state of Wyoming. However, he has an extensive criminal history in the state of Ohio, including two counts of felonious assault, illegal manufacturing of drugs and grand theft. 

The terms of the plea agreement include completion of the inpatient addiction treatment program at Southwest Counseling in Rock Springs as well as three years of supervised probation. 

Public Defender Michelle Burns said her client was involved in a car accident four years ago that resulted in traumatic brain injury. He is also dealing with addiction to multiple narcotics, and lost his father to addiction and his previous partner to suicide within the same week in 2019. 

She said Grabski recognizes that he has an addiction and wishes to take this opportunity to “turn his life around.” 

Rock Springs police arrest Utah woman for running over man at gas station

ROCK SPRINGS (WNE) — A death that occurred one evening at the Kum & Go on 1540 9th St. is being investigated by the Rock Springs Police Department.

Public information officer Elizabeth Coontz said Rene Irisrose Daniels, 46, of Parowan, Utah, has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

On Wednesday, May 24, RSPD was dispatched to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County in reference to an assault. 

Once on the scene, officers learned that a male in his 40s had been transported to the hospital after he was struck by a vehicle. The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries. 

Officers made contact with Daniels, the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, and she was arrested and booked in Sweetwater County Detention Center on charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Coontz added that the RSPD is looking to find three witnesses that were pumping gas at Kum & Go, between 10:10 and 11 p.m. Anyone with a tip can call dispatch at 307-352-1575 and reference the case number R23-10135.

Coontz emphasized that it was not a shooting.