Wyoming news briefs for November 25

Posted 11/26/21

News from across Wyoming.

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Wyoming news briefs for November 25

Posted

After arrest in Shoshoni, murder suspect to be returned to Mississippi

RIVERTON — A murder suspect arrested in Shoshoni was eager Wednesday morning to get back to Mississippi. 

Kingduron Baku Pyles, 19, of Columbus, Mississippi, appeared under the newly appointed Lander Circuit Court Judge Jefferson Coombs on Wednesday to face an extradition order that would send him back to the state where his alleged victim was found deceased. 

According to a report in the Columbus (Miss.) Dispatch, officers found Shad Reese, 23, on Nov. 1, shot dead in the front seat of a vehicle. One shell casing was found on scene. 

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is now responsible for arranging Pyles’ transport back to Mississippi. 

Pyles was apprehended outside a motel in Shoshoni on Saturday, when Shoshoni Police Department Chief Chris Konija was summoned to an alleged battery in which Pyles was reported to have attacked a man and smashed his cell phone. The  reported victim of the attack told Konija that Pyles was on the run for murder from Mississippi, which the chief confirmed through social media. 

“Next thing you know, the guy’s running,” Konija later told The Ranger. 

Following a brief pursuit, the man was detained and confirmed to be Pyles. 

Konija is following up with Mississippi law enforcement to ascertain whether Pyles had any murder evidence with or near him at the time of his arrest.  Konija said there was no firearm discovered, nor was Pyles seen with one at any time.  Pyles had been in Shoshoni for about six days working as a manual laborer.

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Woman crashes car into mobile home

GILLETTE — While putting her 2004 Ford into reverse Tuesday afternoon, a 34-year-old woman mistook the pedals, panicked and proceeded to drive her car backward into a mobile home on the 900 block of East Ninth Street.

The woman said that she panicked when she hit the wrong pedals and could not stop, Police Lt. Brent Wasson said.

The car damaged the exterior side and skirting of the home as well as her car. Damages to the car and home are more than $1,000.

No one was hurt during the incident, including the residents who were home, and both the driver and passenger were able to remove themselves from the car after the crash, according to a fire department press release.

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Gunwerks sues Forward Cody

CODY — A civil lawsuit was filed in Park County District Court Monday by local firearms manufacturer Gunwerks, alleging Forward Cody failed to follow through on a contractual agreement to provide the kind of facility they had agreed upon. 

Gunwerks accuses Forward Cody of breach of contract and breach of the covenant of good and fair dealing. No amount of monetary relief has been specified at this time. 

The 43,396-square-foot building, located at 201 Blackburn Ave., does exist and serves Gunwerks today, but not to the quality and specifications CEO Aaron Davidson said he expected when he entered into the contract with Forward Cody and the State of Wyoming. 

James Klessens, CEO of Forward Cody, had no comment on the lawsuit when reached by phone on Wednesday morning and said it was the first time he had been informed about its existence.

Davidson said the company has upheld its end of the bargain, investing $750,000 of its own funds in the facility and employing 75 people.

Under the agreement, Forward Cody was in charge of retaining and hiring the appropriate design and construction professionals for the project, and executing all related contracts to Gunwerks’ desire. 

Davidson said his company has followed through on the promise of employment, in addition to supporting the tax base and buying equipment for the facility. 

Davidson said there are “millions of dollars” of shortcomings in the building’s construction, “riddled with defects and errors,” according to the court filing. He said specifically, there are major issues with the sheetrock, concrete, metal siding and the site’s lack of the necessary design to drain water properly.

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Man who threatened courthouse shooting given deferred sentence

SUNDANCE — Crook County resident John Roscoe has been given a deferred sentence following an incident last October in which he was apprehended at home before he could act on his alleged plan to shoot an employee within the Crook County Courthouse. 

Sheriff’s Office deputies went to his home after receiving a warning call from a member of the public. The call came in at around 3:40 p.m. on October 29 that Roscoe was “upset and had a gun,” according to incident reports from the Sheriff’s Office. 

Before long, law enforcement had reason to believe Roscoe was targeting a specific person within the courthouse. 

The incident report states that three deputies were dispatched to Roscoe’s property. The caller was contacted again at 4:20 p.m. and reported that Roscoe had a pistol and said he was going to the courthouse. 

One witness stated that Roscoe had received a letter from the courthouse. Upon reading the letter, Roscoe allegedly became angry and stated he was going to the courthouse to shoot someone. With the help of the second witness, who spoke with Roscoe on the phone, deputies were able to ascertain that Roscoe was located in his barn. He eventually agreed to surrender to the deputies. 

The court accepted a no contest plea from Roscoe on June 14 on one felony count of possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. 

His sentence was deferred by Judge Stuart S. Healy III, pending successful completion of 18 months of supervised probation, to include an anger management evaluation and twice-yearly written reports of his progress.

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Sheridan band director to represent Wyoming in Rose Parade

SHERIDAN — Chad Rose, director of bands at Sheridan High School, has been selected to represent the state of Wyoming in the Band Directors Marching Band in the upcoming Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Rose Parade Jan. 1, 2022.

The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, the sponsoring organization behind the project, was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington, Ohio,  and the central Ohio area for more than 38 years.

The parade entry will convey the theme, “America’s Band Directors: We teach music. We teach life.”

Organizers of the parade said the dedication and accomplishments of band directors are well known to students, parents and school teachers and administrators. No matter where they teach and work — public and private schools, colleges and universities, the military, community bands — dedicated music educators and leaders work long hours to not only teach and direct music, but to teach life itself.

Nationally-known band director Jon Waters will direct the Band Directors Marching Band, the marching configurations and the music for the New Year’s Day 5.5-mile Rose Parade route.