News briefs from around the state

Committeewoman cited over errant shots fired during hunt 

POWELL (WNE) — Nina Webber, the Wyoming Republican National Committeewoman and a two-time candidate for House District 24, has been charged with reckless endangerment stemming from a morning elk hunt Nov. 30 near Wapiti. 

Ranch manager Cory Williams at Trout Creek said he and his wife were forced to seek cover as bullets from a group of hunters buzzed over their heads while they were outside their home preparing for work. 

He said he heard roughly two dozen shots being fired as elk stacked up on private land near the Wapiti post office. 

The bullets were fired in the direction of U.S. Highway 14/16/20W but did not cross the roadway, according to the sheriff’s office report. 

Webber was the only member of the hunt party cited by a Park County deputy responding to the scene. She said during a brief interview Friday afternoon that she has retained an attorney and will fight the allegations. 

Park County Sheriff Scott Steward said the investigation at the scene revealed Webber was the only hunter in the group who was in position to take the shots threatening the Williams family. 

“I think the evidence in this case will show that when she was interviewed by the deputy, and asked to point out the direction she was firing, she was showing the direction she was firing was directly toward the home,” Steward said. 

Elk numbering close to 300 at times often congregate in the fields surrounding ranches and homes along the highway during the season. 

Steward said there is nothing wrong with hunting the herd as long as hunters are aware of nearby residences and the road; however, hunting has become more complicated recently as more people are building homes in the area, he said. 

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Arrest leads to discovery of cocaine

CODY (WNE) — After being taken to jail on a warrant, a Cody woman was charged Dec. 1 with allegedly transporting cocaine into the jail, which officers found after conducting a second search of her person.

It is a felony, and if convicted, Sarah A. Glumac, 46, will face imprisonment for no more than three years, a fine of no more than $3,000 or both.

Cody Police Officer Thomas Wilshusen was dispatched to Legacy Meats after an anonymous caller reported Glumac was working there. At the time, she had an outstanding bench warrant from Park County for failure to pay.

Glumac was arrested and searched, with Wilshusen removing her wallet and keys.

She was then transported to the Park County Detention Center, where she was again searched “in accordance to jail procedure” by Park County Detention Sgt. Cathy Thomas, the affidavit said.

Thomas found a small plastic bag with .75 grams of a white powder.

Glumac was read her rights and subsequently confirmed the plastic bag contained cocaine, the affidavit said.

She was given a $7,485 bond for one count of taking a controlled substance into jail and two counts related to her warrant.

As of Dec. 6, Glumac remained an inmate in the Park County Detention Center, awaiting further proceedings in Park County Circuit Court.

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Man arrested for DUI after driving into oncoming traffic, backing into patrol car

GILLETTE (WNE) —  A 25-year-old man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol early Sunday morning after he backed his pickup into a patrol car.

He was driving a gray Dodge truck with no headlights shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday

When police tried stopping him, he began swerving and he tried to pull over on the left side of the road, where he was driving into oncoming traffic. He eventually stopped at the intersection of Warlow Drive and North Gillette Avenue, said Police Deputy Chief Brent Wasson.

He then put his truck in reverse and backed into a 2021 Ford patrol car, causing $5,000 in damage.

He was arrested for DUI after refusing to perform sobriety tests. He also was ticketed with failure to maintain a single lane of travel and improper backing, Wasson said.

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Cody woman arrested for child abuse

CODY (WNE) — A Cody woman was arrested Nov. 20 for allegedly committing child abuse after choking her 15-year-old child and throwing him against a wall because he would not give her his cellphone.

Jacqueline Williams, 34, if convicted, could face imprisonment for no more than 10 years, a fine of no more than $10,000 or both.

Cody Police Officers Trevor Budd and Brett Tillery were dispatched to Williams’ home around 4 p.m. on Nov. 20 for an “in progress physical domestic violence” call, the affidavit said.

Budd made the first contact with Williams’ child.

“[He] was speaking with a raspy voice, had apparent trouble swallowing while talking and had bloodshot eyes consistent with petechiae,” Budd wrote in the affidavit. “I recognized these signs ... to be consistent with someone having their airway restricted.”

Petechiae are spots of bleeding that can occur under the skin or on eyes and can be a sign of choking or strangulation, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“During (the) argument, Williams jumped on the seated [child] and placed her hand on [his] throat, restricting his breathing,” the affidavit said. “[The child] then stood up but was slammed against the wall by Williams who still had her hand around his throat and windpipe area.”

A witness of the encounter between Williams and her child told police that the child’s face had turned purple, and he was coughing while Williams had him against the wall by his throat.

Williams was arraigned in Park County Circuit Court and given a $10,000 personal recognizance signature bond, allowing her to sign her name and be released.

After a preliminary hearing on Nov. 29, Williams’ case was transferred to district court, where she now waits to be arraigned.