WYOMING NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Wyoming’s average gas prices down by 3 cents a gallon in past week

CHEYENNE—Average gasoline prices in Wyoming have fallen 3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.88 per gallon Monday, according to GasBuddy.com’s survey of 494 stations in Wyoming.

Prices in Wyoming are 16.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago, and stand 6.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.The national average price of diesel has risen 3.3 cents in the last week and stands at $4.333 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the lowest price in the state on Sunday was $3.50 per gallon, while the highest was $4.59, a difference of $1.09 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline has fallen 4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.78 per gallon Monday.The national average is up 5.8 cents per gallon from a month ago, and stands 3.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data.

This data was compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Jackson man pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation

JACKSON—A Jackson man pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon to three felony counts of child sexual exploitation after a November 2022 cyber tip alerted Teton County investigators to the videos.

According to documents filed in court, three videos with child sexual abuse material involving prepubescent boys were “transferred and retained” in November in a Snapchat account belonging to Michael Patrick Adams, 61.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s state task force that investigates internet crimes against children sent the cyber tips to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 20.

The videos, which ranged from 20 seconds to 73 seconds in length, were still there Jan. 30 when officers served a search warrant on his home and devices.

Adams has been in jail since his arrest on Feb. 17.

In the plea agreement signed Aug. 16, Adams pleaded guilty to three felony counts: two counts of possessing exploitative material and one count for distributing it. The videos detectives found involved prepubescent boys engaging in sexual acts.

“I copied the said video and shared it; I passed it to another person,” Adams said in court Tuesday. He acknowledged that he knowingly placed one of the videos into the Snapchat app for distribution.

Adams was originally charged with 10 felony counts of sexual exploitation of children, but per the plea agreement, seven charges have been dropped.

Adams could serve three to 10 years in prison for each of the first two felony counts; for the third felony count, the distribution of child pornography, the window in the plea agreement is five to 10 years. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Construction underway to mitigate Highway 14 landslide

SHERIDAN—Construction is underway to combat a growing landslide near Steamboat Point, according to Laura Dalles, public relations specialist at the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s District 4.

High amounts of rainfall and moisture add opportunity for slope failure — or landslides — on mountain roads. When soils like clay become oversaturated with moisture, the soils become too heavy and give way to gravitational pull, resulting in landslides. Dalles said this is why WYDOT began construction on the Little Tongue River slide, located at mile marker 69.8 of US Highway 14.

WYDOT geologist James Dahill said the Little Tongue River slide site poses a unique challenge in that the highway runs directly through its midpoint, creating potential for slides both above and below the roadway.

In May 2020, the top or ‘head’ of the landslide was not a concern to the highway, but over the next two years, distinct cracks were noted along the right of way and guardrail posts.

By May 2022, the landslide had grown wider and the cracks were nearing the pavement edge. WYDOT crews constructed a detour to manage the surface water runoff and provide passage in the case of a potential landslide. Meanwhile, drilling investigations were completed and a design was started on a longer term solution.

The design was finalized and the project, with a total cost of $3.49 million, was put into contract with Colorado contractor Coggins and Sons in June. Construction began July 17 to install a soldier pile retaining wall consisting of 33 steel piles drilled into place to stabilize the saturated soil. Following the installation of the retaining wall, 66 ground anchors will be installed to stitch the active sliding soil to the underlying intact bedrock, Dalles said.

Construction is currently set for completion by November.

Cheyenne couple arrested for attempted murder of 2-year-old boy

CHEYENNE—Two suspects were arrested last week by the Cheyenne Police Department on charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

According to a press release sent out Saturday by CPD, the victim was a 2-year-old boy. CPD said the injuries were allegedly inflicted by the child’s mother, Hannah Wingert, 20, and her boyfriend, Joshua Moody, 21, both of Cheyenne.

Officers were called to the 500 block of West Sixth Street at 12:36 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23. On the scene, an officer observed “severe, life-threatening injuries (to the child), which appeared to be the result of physical abuse.”

The child was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, and then flown to Denver Children’s Hospital, where doctors confirmed he had multiple broken bones and internal injuries.

“It was reported that the child was covered in bruises and the caller was concerned for his welfare,” read CPD’s press release. “... The primary encounter diagnosis indicated non-accidental trauma to the child.”

CPD said Wingert and Moody were both arrested without incident on Friday and booked into the Laramie County jail.

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