Wyoming News Briefs

Gillette teen sentenced to three years of probation for 2019 bathroom fire

GILLETTE (WNE) – The teenager who pleaded guilty to starting a fire in a high school bathroom in September has been given a deferred sentence, meaning if he completes three years of supervised probation, the charge will be removed from his record.

At Derek Paul’s sentencing hearing in District Court on Thursday morning, District Judge Michael N. “Nick” Deegan said he believes the 17-year-old can “put this together and succeed.”

Paul will have to complete 80 hours of community service, obtain a GED, get a job and stay off Campbell County School District property. He also will have to pay $10,000 in restitution to the school district and write an apology letter. He must get permission from the court to leave the state and from the probation officer if he wants to leave the county.

And every six months, Paul must write a letter to the court about how he’s doing.

On Sept. 30, Paul started a fire in the handicap stall of a second-floor bathroom at Thunder Basin High School. About 300 to 400 students, teachers and other staff had to evacuate the building. He has spent 221 days in the Campbell County Juvenile Detention Center since then.

In February, Paul pleaded guilty to third-degree arson, meaning he admits that he intentionally started a fire and intentionally, recklessly or with criminal negligence damaged property that was worth $200 or more. He had been accused of first-degree arson.

Paul said he started the fire because he was “mad at the school,” and admitted that it was a stupid decision.

Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office: weapons found belong to triple homicide suspect

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Three firearms believed to belong to triple homicide suspect Dana Beartusk were found by a Montana road near Kirby Monday morning, according to Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Levi Dominguez, after an individual called the SCSO and reported discovering a gun on the side of the road.

All three handguns were turned over to the Wyoming State Crime Lab for further processing, which will include collection of fingerprint evidence, Dominguez said.

The individual who called SCSO identified themselves to law enforcement, but SCSO is not releasing a name.

Beartusk pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in 4th Judicial District Court April 30.

A search for at least one firearm began the night of March 29, after law enforcement responded to a report that Beartusk allegedly shot three people in Big Horn and discovered Angelina Beartusk, Seana Fisher and Mochdaveyano “Blackhawk” Fisher deceased by gunshot wounds to the head in the style of execution. The same evening, Beartusk was apprehended in Montana by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office.

Dominguez declined to release information about the circumstances of the discovery — including type of firearms, whether they were registered, how far off the road the weapons were found and whether they were buried — to avoid hindering prosecution and pending results from the crime lab.

SCSO believes all three guns belong to Beartusk based on interviews conducted during the course of the investigation, Dominguez said.

 Jackson hospital hits zero in COVID-19 patients

JACKSON (WNE) — St. John’s Health had zero patients being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital Friday.

That shows the community’s successful response to the pandemic, hospital CEO Paul Beaupre said during Friday’s weekly community update, which was livestreamed from Town Hall. Models had predicted that this week could see a surge in cases in Wyoming and Teton County.

“I don’t think that those models were wrong,” Beaupre said. “I think that all of the sacrifices that all of you have made in sheltering in place, in social distancing and wearing masks in public have made a remarkable difference in where we are today versus where we were predicted to be.”

Beaupre also stressed that the hospital can safely handle non-COVID-19 cases. The hospital tests all patients prior to elective surgeries and plans to start randomly testing asymptomatic staff, he said.

He described one surgeon who saw four patients with ruptured appendixes in the past month; he typically sees less than one a year.

“People are putting off necessary health care,” Beaupre said, urging people not to wait.

The Teton County Health Department’s Rachael Wheeler encouraged residents to get tested, even if their symptoms are mild. The department has vouchers for people who need help covering the cost.

WIC adapts to keep services going for Wyoming families

SHERIDAN (WNE) – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Wyoming Department of Health is reminding residents about the continuing benefits available for many families through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Program.

WIC is a joint federal and state government program under the USDA that provides nutritious foods and education, breastfeeding support and health care referrals for income-eligible women who are pregnant or postpartum, infants and children up to age 5. 

All caregivers are welcome to receive help from the program including dads, foster parents, guardians, grandparents and step-parents. 

Melissa Stehwien, WIC program manager with WDH, said all of the program’s Wyoming locations are currently issuing benefits to new and existing participants and have made accommodations to follow social distancing guidelines and public health orders.

“Our goal during COVID-19 is to reach and to continue serving as many participants as possible who need our service while doing so in ways that are safe for our participants and staff,” she said.

Wyoming WIC serves people with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty income guidelines. Families using SNAP, TANF or Wyoming Medicaid benefits also qualify for WIC. There is no limit to the number of eligible participants WIC can serve.

WIC clinics are located throughout the state and can be found by using the “Clinic Locator” online at https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/wic/ or by calling 1-888-996-9378 to be routed to a local clinic.

Wolf hunt quota up 50%

JACKSON (WNE) — A bump upward in Wyoming’s wolf population means the number of animals that will be targeted in the coming hunting season is climbing, trends that carry over to Jackson Hole.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department released its wolf-hunting proposal for the 2020 season this week. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the agency has increased its quota by 50%, from 34 to 51 wolves.

That’s primarily a result of wolf numbers rising to 175 in 27 packs in the “trophy game area,” where the state seeks to keep wolves on the landscape. (In the remaining 85% of Wyoming, the “predator zone,” Canis lupus can be killed without limit.)

“The long story short is that our non-hunting human-caused mortality rate was about half of what we anticipated,” Wyoming Game and Fish wolf biologist Ken Mills said. “That’s good. It means we weren’t killing wolves from causes like lethal control. And that’s really, I think, the main reason why the population increased.”

At the end of 2018, there were 152 wolves counted in the trophy game area in the state’s northwest corner, the only part of Wyoming where Game and Fish has jurisdiction over wolves.

That year-end count rose by 23 wolves as the calendar turned this year, which means the population exceeded the 160-wolf benchmark that Wyoming’s wolf management plan targets to make sure the state achieves Endangered Species Act delisting agreements.