News briefs from around the state of Wyoming

Transient man arrested for setting another man on fire

CHEYENNE (WNE) – A 54-year-old transient man was arrested early Sunday morning after Cheyenne Police said he set another man on fire.

Kenneth Potter, 54, was found at Martin Luther King Park with a knife and lighters in his possession. He was arrested and booked into the Laramie County Jail on an aggravated assault charge without incident.

At approximately 1:15 a.m. Cheyenne Police officers were dispatched to a report of an aggravated assault at 1111 Martin Luther King Court, according to a Monday morning CPD news release. Responding officers were advised that a victim was set on fire by another individual.

Upon arriving at the scene, officers located an adult male victim with severe burn injuries, according to the release. 

During the incident, the unidentified victim was allegedly sleeping at the park and woke up to the suspect standing over him and setting him on fire. The victim began to stand up and dropped a knife, police said, which the suspect grabbed and threatened him with.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center for treatment.

This case remains under investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department Detective Bureau.

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NWC enrollment numbers uncertain as fall semester approaches

POWELL (WNE)  — Two weeks ahead of the opening of the fall semester at Northwest College, anticipated enrollment is hard to predict. 

The first day classes of the 2022 fall semester is Wednesday, Aug. 31. 

“We’ve been pulling numbers for some time, and they are fluid at this time of year. All colleges are seeing some movement in the month of August,” said NWC President Lisa Watson. 

Comparing fall of 2021 and this year, “We’re currently up 1%,” Watson said. “That’s a good sign, and we’re hoping that will hold.” 

If it does, the college would see a headcount somewhere between 1,400 and 1,500 students. 

In fall 2022, NWC would like to leave the COVID years behind. Masks are not going to be required. 

“We’re trying to transition away from a pandemic response and really focus on other stressors they have experienced during the last few years,” Wormald wrote in his letter. “Over the course of the 2020- 2021 and 2021-2022 school years, 15 students have dropped out of Powell High School.” 

The at-risk liaison would be responsible for working with students who may be at-risk of not graduating and helping them to achieve graduation.

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Former city employee arrested on felony theft charge, allegedly stealing city property

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office officials took former city of Sheridan Utility Maintenance Division Superintendent Kenneth Hirschman, 53, into custody Aug. 11 for felony theft of city property. 

Court documents allege Hirschman took 949 pounds of brass scrap metal belonging to the city without authorization; transported it to Billings in his personal vehicle on three separate occasions from July 2020 to March 2022; and sold it for $1,543, a sum he did not repay to the city. 

Hirschman allegedly used the proceeds to purchase steaks and brats for team-building lunches for his staff and refuel his truck for a fishing trip. 

The alleged crime, theft in excess of $1,000, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. 

The Sheridan Police Department conducted an investigation into Hirschman’s behavior at the behest of the city, after City Administrator Stuart McRae received allegations of misconduct. Hirschman has not been a city employee since June, McRae said. 

Salvageable scrap metal received by the city’s utilities workers belongs to the rate payors, or those who pay for the city’s utility services, McRae explained. The metal is then turned into recycling centers, and the funds recouped are returned exclusively to the utilities department budget. 

According to court documents, Hirschman was supposed to deposit city-owned scrap metal at a recycling center in Sheridan, with all credit for the metal due to the city. But that’s not what happened. 

“Hirschman stated essentially that he knew the brass was property of the city of Sheridan and…he sold the brass in Billings so he could receive cash,” wrote SPD Cpt. Tom Ringley in the affidavit of probable cause for Hirschman’s arrest. 

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Two men die in crash south of Wright

GILLETTE (WNE) — Two men were killed in a three-vehicle crash southwest of Wright late Saturday night.

At 11:55 p.m. Saturday, a 36-year-old man from Oklahoma was driving a 2006 Ford F-150 south on Highway 387 near Clarkelen Road when he crossed the center line, colliding head-on with a Toyota Camry driven by a 62-year-old man from Utah, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Jeremy Beck.

The Toyota came to an uncontrolled rest on the northbound roadway and shoulder. The F-150 traveled off the road, crossed a driveway and came to a stop on its roof.

The truck’s driver, Michael Brasch, was fully ejected and died from the injuries he sustained in the crash. The driver of the Camry, Christopher Czech, also died from injuries he received during the crash.

Czech was wearing a seatbelt, while Brasch was not, Beck said.

A red Nissan Rogue, which was traveling behind the Camry, was hit by debris from the collision and came to a stop on the northbound shoulder of Highway 387. No one in the Nissan was hurt, Beck said.

Monday morning, Beck said Highway Patrol was still investigating to determine a contributing factor. At the time of the crash, the road conditions were dry and the weather was clear.

So far this year, there have been 70 deaths on Wyoming’s highways, which is right in line with the last two years. In 2021, there were 71 fatalities through mid-August, while 2020 had 75.