News briefs from around Wyoming

Woman charged with hit-and-run in Cody

CODY (WNE) — Jennifer Christen Phillips, 40, of Cody, pleaded not guilty Friday to hit-and-run charges after she allegedly struck an 11-year-old on a bicycle.

She also pleaded not guilty to one count of failing to yield the right of way in a crosswalk.

Parker DeFord was riding his bicycle Sept. 20 with some friends near the intersection of 16th Street and Stampede Avenue. As DeFord attempted to cross 16th Street around 5:30 p.m., a white Dodge Ram turning from 16th onto Stampede Avenue struck him. The vehicle did not stop.

Phillips turned herself in to the Cody Police Department after learning it was searching for a white Dodge pickup and after her husband told her a child had been injured, her attorney said at the arraignment hearing in Park County Circuit Court on Friday, Sept. 23.

“Her version of events is she felt she hit the curb and did not realize she had hit a young child and caused injuries,” Phillips’ attorney Timothy Blatt said at the hearing.

According to Nicole DeFord, Parker’s mother, he sustained a broken left tibia, two broken ribs on his left side, a small puncture in one of his lungs and several broken or chipped teeth.

“Any reasonable person under the circumstances would have known they hit somebody on a bicycle,” Deputy Park County Attorney Jack Hatfield said at the hearing.

Hatfield initially asked judge Joey Darrah for a $5,000 cash and surety bond after saying Phillips was a flight risk and there was a concern for public safety.

Darrah agreed there was a public safety concern and limited Phillips’ driving privileges.

Phillips was also given a $6,000 personal recognizance bond. A jury trial is scheduled for Feb. 9, 2023.

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Vandals cause more than $12,000 in damage to solar-powered road signs

WORLAND (WNE) — A reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of those involved in shooting signs in Washakie County, including two particularly expensive solar-powered signs that read back drivers’ speed to alert them if they’re exceeding the limit, according to Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness, 

One of the solar signs was shot sometime in the day or two before Sept. 8. 

One of the signs was on the Lower Nowood Road, according to Rakness. The other was on Flat Head Road. 

Rakness said authorities are offering a reward for the arrest and conviction of those involved. The reward will depend on the information provided and how credible it is. 

Deputies have gathered some evidence, but Rakness was not at liberty to specify its nature.

The sheriff said the “heart of the” signs were the solar panels. The solar signs, Rakness said, cost more than $6,000 each. 

Totaled with the standard road signs that were shot, Washakie County taxpayers have incurred a $12,000 loss thanks to the vandals. 

According to Wyoming statute, a person is guilty of felony property destruction if the cost of restoring the damaged property or the value of the property destroyed exceeds $1,000 or more. Felony property destruction is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars, $10,000 in fines or both.

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Gasoline prices back up more than 5 cents in Wyoming in past week

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have risen 5.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.83 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 14.8 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and stand 37.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has declined 5.1 cents in the last week, and stands at $4.88 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Wyoming was priced at $3.09 per gallon Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.79, a difference of $1.70 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has risen 3.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.67 per gallon Monday. The national average is down 17.5 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 49.3 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data.

The data is compiled from more weekly price reports covering over 150,000 U.S. gas stations.