Episode Details

It's time to take a look at what's happening around Wyoming for Thursday, January 15th. I'm Mac Watson.

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A field officer for the federal Bureau of Land Management was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder,. Cowboy State Daily's Clair McFarland reports that 53-year-old Richard "Deak" Dollard allegedly choked a man to death in a Lander bar fight.

"The affidavit says that there was tough talk and exchanges before this. And then the dad and son were getting in there and fighting. And then it describes Deak Dollard entering the fray and choking the guy, while another of the suspects pulled the man's hood so that his head was yanking back, and then he fell on the floor…Deke Dollard, who is accused of doing the choke out, the allegedly fatal choke out, is charged with second degree murder, which is a felony punishable by between 20 years in life in prison. But there's an alternate charge where, if it's more appropriate, the jury, if it goes to trial, could choose voluntary manslaughter, which is only punishable by up to 20 years in prison. And so then Justin and Jesse would attach, they are facing accessories before the fact charges. If manslaughter is more appropriate there, it's up to 20 for them."

Deak Dollard's LinkedIn lists him as a U.S. Bureau of Land Management field staff law enforcement ranger from May 2016 to the present date.

The BLM's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a voicemail request for comment.

Read the full story HERE.

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After arguing with a homeless man named Earl over a $30 debt at a long-term stay motel, a 69-year-old man reportedly told Earl to "die, bitch," then shot him in the chest Friday. Cowboy State Daily's Greg Johnson reports that a court affidavit available Wednesday says the encounter was caught on video.

"They said the surveillance video showed him kind of standing over him for a bit, and then he went back into his room. And then he stayed there for another four hours, while about every cop in Cheyenne, it was, it was a huge scene. 34 cars were there, responding to the SWAT team with their big tank. They finally got it. They finally got him out."...These guys knew each other. There's some, there's some discrepancy on the $30 whether he was paid back, or whether he was trying to pay him back at the time. But apparently there was, yeah, $30 and it led to the guy being shot, being shot."

According to Cheyenne PD, Harold Wayne Sarvis is facing an attempted second-degree murder charge.

Read the full story HERE.

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Natrona County legislators gathered Wednesday to preview priorities ahead of next month's budget session. Cowboy State Daily's Zak Sonntag reports that the discussion was hijacked by some stunned over Tuesday's defunding of the Wyoming Business Council.

"Every panelist weighed in on it. It was kind of like what turns out to be something of an ideological battle line taking shape around this microcosm of the Wyoming Business Council, and they're saying, what is the proper role of the state in the economy? And you had legislators like Representative Lee Campbell, who wants to see the Business Council stay around. She wants to see funding for a white for the University of Wyoming. And the big concern is the workforce. They say, if we don't have an educated workforce, we're not going to attract employers, and if we don't have a business council that's here to help employers, we're not going to attra