NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers
Posted 5/28/20

News in Brief from across the Cowboy State

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NEWS BRIEFS for Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Posted

Up to 250 allowed at outdoor gatherings

SHERIDAN (WNE) — Effective June 1, outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people will be allowed with social distancing and increased sanitization measures in place, announced Gov. Mark Gordon Wednesday afternoon. 

The updated public health order allows for sporting events, rodeos and other outdoor events will be permitted to have up to 250 spectators in attendance, in addition to the event participants.

“It’s time we had the chance to enjoy summer,” Gordon said. “The ability to gather outdoors in larger groups will be good for Wyoming citizens, businesses and our communities as we enter the season. We are not out of the woods yet, though, so please use good judgement and don’t jeopardize yourself and others by acting recklessly. We want to keep moving forward.”

Hosts and organizers of these outdoor events are asked to screen staff for symptoms of COVID-19 and ensure adequate personal protective equipment is available. Food and beverage services at outdoor gatherings are required to follow the provision for restaurants outlined in public health order no. 1.

Indoor events and gatherings, other than religious gatherings and other exemptions listed in the order, will continue to be restricted to groups of 25 or fewer.

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Suspect in Cheyenne murder in custody

CHEYENNE (WNE) — The suspect named in connection with a Friday night shooting homicide is now in Cheyenne Police custody.

Benjamin Ketcham, 31, of Cheyenne, was named as a suspect Tuesday by the Cheyenne Police Department in the shooting death of Aaron Briggs, 36, of Cheyenne. Ketcham had a warrant for second-degree murder in connection with this case.

Details of his arrest aren’t available at this time. CPD announced Ketcham was in police custody in an update to its earlier Facebook post.

CPD officers responded to the 500 block of Central Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, May 22, and found Briggs had suffered an apparent gunshot wound. Briggs was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.

Officers determined the shooting occurred at the Lariat Motel, 600 Central Ave.

This case remains under investigation by CPD.

Ketcham had been previously arrested by CPD in July 2018 for fleeing/eluding, not stopping for police, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, not having liability insurance and on a warrant for failure to appear.

He was arrested in April 2019 for misdemeanor possession of a methamphetamine-type drug and misdemeanor possession of a cocaine/heroin-type drug.

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Laramie daycare closed by coronavirus

LARAMIE (WNE) — Three of Albany County’s recent cases have impacted employees at one Laramie business and led to the closure of another.

Bloedorn Lumber has had two employees test positive for COVID-19, manager Willie Caldwell told the Boomerang.

Neither have returned to work and the business is following recommended guidelines, like requiring employees to wear masks. Caldwell was adamant that Bloedorn Lumber will remain open because it fits the requirements of an essential infrastructure operation.

Meanwhile, the Developmental Preschool and Day Care Center has closed after a child under its care tested positive for COVID-19.

Jaime Stine, the day care’s executive director, said she was notified of the positive case this past Saturday and subsequently closed the facility for two weeks. Despite this, Stine feels confident the day care will be able to reopen within a week.

“I’m working with the county public health office to make sure they don’t have any reservations for us being able to do so,” Stine said.

Before the confirmed case, the preschool had been operating at a limited capacity and was only looking after children of essential workers.

Since the daycare was shouldering the responsibility of caring for children of essential workers, Stine is eager to get the facility running again, saying “we want to be able to take care of these kiddos and get them back so that the parents can go take care of the rest of the community, which is so important.”

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Cybersecurity company hopes to move to Cody

CODY (WNE) — Wyoming National Laboratories, a worldwide leading cybersecurity company, would like to move its headquarters from California to Cody by the summer of 2021.

After three years of operations, WNL expects to add 58 jobs in Cody with higher than average wages.

To help make that possible, Forward Cody is seeking a $2.14 million grant from the Wyoming Business Council Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program. Funding is offered to counties, municipalities and joint powers boards through the WBC.

Forward Cody is asking the City of Cody to sponsor the grant application. As sponsor, the city serves as a pass-through agent, accepting grant money, then reimbursing Forward Cody for actual expenses. As building owner, Forward Cody will lease the facility to WNL with an option to buy.

Money will go toward building a $4.28 million, 10,800-square-foot facility on 5 acres of leased land in the Yellowstone Regional Airport Business Park owned by the City of Cody and operated by the YRA Joint Powers Board.

Along with the WBC grant request, Forward Cody intends to seek a $2.14 million federal grant through the Economic Development Administration program.

WNL owners will pay the cost to relocate from their current site plus new office and laboratory set-up expenses, including the cost of new equipment.

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Judge rejects plea deal in voyeurism case

POWELL (WNE) — One after the other on Tuesday, four women urged the District Court Judge Bill Simpson to impose the maximum sentence on the man who secretly videotaped them in a workplace bathroom last year.

Scott G. Abraham had agreed to a plea deal that would involve serving a two- to four-year prison sentence. The women, however, said their former coworker deserved the max four to eight years.

“I just think as strong, independent women, we need to raise our children to recognize that this is wrong,” said the final woman to speak, identified only as Victim 4. “This isn’t something that should be washed under the table or forgot about or been given a minimal sentence.”

The remarks from Abraham’s four victims were enough to persuade Judge Simpson; their testimony, he said, “has certainly had a significant impact on the court.”

In a rare move, Simpson told the Park County prosecutor and Abraham’s defense attorney that he wanted to add four years of supervised probation onto the stipulated two to four years of prison time.

“Supervised probation is critical,” Simpson said. He said cases like Abraham’s stem from some kind of sexual deviation and “frankly, an illness that needs treatment [or] it won’t go away.”

The judge gave Abraham some time to decide whether he’ll accept the revised sentence. If the Lovell area resident rejects it, he’ll be allowed to withdraw the guilty pleas he entered Tuesday and the case will instead be scheduled for a trial — which Simpson acknowledged would be hard on the victims.