Wyoming News Briefs

Two Park County residents found dead; carbon monoxide poisoning suspected

CODY (WNE) — Two Park County residents, Jeff McKearny, 64, and Steven Werbelow, 66, were found dead in their camper on October 23. The suspected cause of death is accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, according to county coroner Cody Gortmaker.

The two men were hunting near Eagle Creek Campground up the North Fork, which is where their bodies were found. Investigations are still ongoing, Gortmaker said.

Werbelow, who was a Powell resident, was an accomplished taxidermist and well-known in the hunting community.

“I’ve known Steven for about ten years…he’s done a few taxidermy pieces for my family. He was a world-renowned taxidermist,” said Cord Barton of Cody.

Barton, who had been hunting with Werbelow in the past, said he was hunting in the same area as Werbelow and McKearney when they were found dead.

“I was planning on checking in with him when I finished my hunt,” Barton said. “He was an honest man that loved hunting whitetails and lions.”

According to his Linkedin profile, McKearney, a Cody resident, was a senior pastor at Cody Bible Church, a title he had held since February of 2023.

Services for McKearney will be held at Cody Bible Church at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Plans for Werbelow’s services have not been announced at time of publishing.

Containment of Elk Fire now at 82%

GILLETTE (WNE) — One month after it was started by lightning, the Elk Fire has burned 98,352 acres and is 82% contained.

Rain, snow and cooler temperatures over the last couple of weeks have helped slow down the fire’s growth.

Sunday firefighters were prepared for elevated fire behavior, which did occur, resulting in active burning with a pronounced smoke column near Soldier Creek, according to a press release from Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1.

Firefighters also continued suppression repair activities aided by heavy equipment with about 50% of dozer line rehabilitation now finished.

Weather conditions were expected to squelch fire activity beginning Monday night, as snow and rain totals in the area could be as high as 14 inches and 1 inch, respectively, by Wednesday.

Temperatures were expected to drop, with winds of 7-12 mph with gusts up to 20 mph.

Park County Search and Rescue helps extricate people from wilderness in two incidents

POWELL (WNE) — Park County Search and Rescue volunteers helped extract two people from the wilderness in separate incidents last weekend.

Early Friday evening, the Park County 911 Center received a 911 call for a 24-year-old male who had sustained a severely broken lower leg while packing out an elk camp, according to a Park County Sheriff’s Office release.

The injured male was located approximately eight miles up the Deer Creek Trail on the South Fork of the Shoshone River. Park County Search and Rescue, along with Guardian Medical Flight of Cody, were dispatched to the scene.

The Guardian crew was able to drop off a paramedic approximately a quarter of a mile away, who accessed the patient while the helicopter flew back to the trailhead to retrieve more equipment and two PCSAR members to aid in evacuating the subject.

The PCSAR team and Guardian crew were able to haul the injured male back to the remote landing zone. Guardian transported the male to Cody Regional Health where he was treated. His condition is unknown at this time.

Saturday evening at approximately 8:18 p.m., the Park County Communications Center received a 911 call from a solo motorcycle rider who was stranded approximately 2 miles north of the top of McCullough Peaks.

The 73-year-old male was not injured but was unable to get himself and his motorcycle out.

PCSAR responded to the scene using ATVs. Members used a combination of coordinates from the 911 call, night vision equipment and a newly purchased handheld thermal imaging device to locate the man.

He was then transported back to Cody and given a ride home back to Powell.

Wyoming Judicial Branch warns against jury duty scams

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The Wyoming Judicial Branch is alerting residents about an increase in jury duty scams reported in Wyoming.

These scams are similar to those occurring in other parts of the country.

Scammers are targeting citizens by impersonating law enforcement officers or court officials, claiming that people have missed jury duty and now face arrest unless they pay a fine immediately.

These fraudulent calls often use high-pressure tactics and may even spoof phone numbers to appear as if calls are coming from a legitimate court or police department.

The scammers typically call, text or email individuals, demanding payment or personal information to avoid legal action. They may claim that a warrant has been issued for the person’s arrest due to failure to appear for jury duty and pressure the individual into making a payment through untraceable means like gift cards, wire transfers, or even cryptocurrency.

The Wyoming Judicial Branch emphasizes that it does not use these methods to contact citizens and will never demand payment over the phone for missed jury service or other court-related matters.

Be suspicious of any phone calls, emails or texts from “law enforcement” or “court officials” that:

• Ask for financial information; and/or

• Threaten jail for failure to comply with a demand for funds; and/or

• Demand payment of funds anywhere other than a clerk of court’s office.

Jury duty is a civic responsibility, and notification of jury service will always come through official communication channels and never in the form of a phone call demanding immediate payment.

Suspicious calls should be reported to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

94 grams of meth net couple 199 months in prison

LANDER (WNE) —A drug-trafficking scheme that brought methamphetamine and fentanyl from Colorado to Fremont County resulted in a combined 199 months in prison for a pair sentenced in federal court.

Dusty Harris, 42, of Casper, and co-conspirator Thelma Faber, 45, of Greeley, Colo., were arrested after the Wyoming Division of Criminal Apprehension learned last November that Harris funneled drugs to Fremont County and the reservation.

Deputies from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office then stopped a vehicle driven by Harris in Shoshoni on November 4 and seized 94 grams of methamphetamine and 34 grams of the deadly opioid fentanyl, along with other drugs and paraphernalia.

Investigators seized the pair’s cellphones, which yielded “a multitude of texts and social media messages being exchanged in late October 2023 through early November 2023 between Harris, Faber, and others regarding the distribution of controlled substances,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Harris and Faber were indicted on January 10 and both pleaded guilty on May 9 of this year.

Harris was sentenced to 142 months in prison on July 31; Faber received 57 months’ incarceration at a hearing on October 21, both by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl.

The case was investigated by the DCI and Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist.

Dyno Nobel celebrates 60th anniversary of Cheyenne facility

CHEYENNE (WNE) — This year, Dyno Nobel celebrates the 60th anniversary of the construction of its Cheyenne facility, one of 32 across the globe.

The company is a leading supplier of industrial explosives and blasting services to the mining, quarrying, seismic and construction industries.

At its Cheyenne plant, more than 200 employees work to create ammonia from natural gas which is then used to produce other chemicals such as urea, fertilizer and nitric acid.

The plant was constructed in 1964 after an untapped source of natural gas was identified in the area. It was owned and operated by Wycon Chemical Company until it was later purchased by Coastal Chemical Company. In 2008, Dyno Nobel purchased the plant and has continued to grow the facility.

According to Dyno Nobel, its Cheyenne facility contributes approximately $35 million per year to the community through taxes. In addition, the facility committed more than $18,000 in donations and $60,000 in sponsorships in the area this year.

Two years ago, Dyno Nobel installed a new reverse osmosis system for wastewater treatment at its Cheyenne facility. Story said this has allowed it to recycle and reuse a little more than 200,000 kiloliters of water.

In 2024, across Dyno Nobel Americas, the company launched a rooftop solar project, which is expected to be completed in 2025. Dyno Nobel estimates that this and other efforts will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 550,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to the annual emissions of nearly 131,000 cars.

Gray encourages voters to use new polling place locator

CHEYENNE (WNE) —The Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office has announced a new polling place locator where voters can enter residence information to locate their polling location or voting center for the general election Nov. 5.

“Our new polling place locator provides a great tool for voters in locating their polling place and viewing sample ballots for statewide and legislative races,” Secretary of State Chuck Gray said in a news release.

“As we approach the 2024 General Election, I encourage all voters to use our new polling place locator to find out where to vote on Election Day. As the Secretary of State’s Office, we remain committed to providing enhanced services for the people of Wyoming.”

The polling place locator for the 2024 general election can be found online at https://myelectionday.sos.wyo.gov.

Worland man dies in rollover accident

WORLAND (WNE) — A Washakie County man died in a one-vehicle rollover last Wednesday, Oct. 16.

According to Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Nicholas Warren, public information officer for District 5, Edward Junior Matheson, 81, was driving a Ford Crown Victoria northbound on U.S. 20. The vehicle left the roadway to the right.

Matheson apparently overcorrected and reentered the roadway, crossing the southbound lane of travel in a “passenger-side-leading” slide.

The vehicle left the roadway to the left, “tripped,” and rolled an unknown number of times.

The vehicle struck a fencepost and came to rest in an upright position facing southwest off the roadway, according to a summary report of the WHP.

Matheson was wearing his seat belt but succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The crash occurred at about 3:43 p.m. at mile marker 151.

The roadway was dry and the weather was clear.

Possible medical condition is being considered as a possible contributing factor.

Old Bill’s run raises $23M for nonprofits

JACKSON (WNE) — This year’s Old Bill’s Fun Run raised about $23.5 million in support of local nonprofits, a step back from the fundraiser’s nearly $28 million record-smashing total last year.

While this year’s total is lower than last year, it’s still higher than the $20 million total two years ago.

More than 4000 people donated, according to the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the organization that runs the event. The foundation said it received 23,597 individual gifts.

The generous couple who founded the charitable event and wish to remain known only as “Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill” provided the first $1 million to jump-start the match pool. That pool, boosted by gifts from CoChallengers and Friends, raised $5,585,938.

A record 107 CoChallengers partnered with Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill this year, according to Anne Bradley, the community foundation’s chief marketing officer.

Participating organizations received just shy of $18 million in gifts designated specifically for them.

Including this year, Old Bill’s Fun Run has raised $280 million for nonprofits to date.

“The incredible generosity of thousands of community members makes this event possible year after year,” Julie O’Halloran, board chair of the Community Foundation, said in a news release.