Police report: Woman threatens to ‘shoot up’ the police department

The Lovell Police Department received the following calls for the week of June 22-28:

June 22: 3:26 p.m. – A caller complained that a neighbor has morning glory in their yard, and she doesn’t want it to spread to her yard. She was referred to Big Horn County Weed and Pest and informed that the issue is a civil matter.

June 23: 8:22 a.m. – After failing a portable breathalyzer test at the police station, Courtney Marie Smith, 31, was arrested for a bond violation for ingesting alcohol.

12:15 p.m. – An officer checked on what was thought to be an abandoned vehicle across from the Conoco Country Store on East Main near a fireworks stand. The vehicle broke down about two weeks ago, and there were signs of an attempt to tow the vehicle in the form of tow straps at the site. Since the vehicle is on private property, it is up to the property owner to tow the vehicle if necessary.

4:38 p.m. – Lovell Police were notified by the sheriff’s office of a REDDI report regarding a vehicle driving erratically west of Lovell. The grey SUV did not come into Lovell. A similar call regarding a white Ford Maverick came in at 6:34 p.m., but that vehicle, too, did not come into Lovell.

9:27 p.m. – An officer invested a call on Kansas Avenue regarding “animals crying like they are in pain.” A dog had jumped up on a fence and got its paw stuck. The owner was able to free the dog.

June 24: 9:03 a.m. – A caller reported a missing brown 1999 Chevrolet last seen the day before and apparently stolen. An officer found the vehicle at the Maverik Country Store where it had been parked the night before when the owner got a ride home after drinking at a bar. He forgot he had parked the vehicle at the Maverik.

2:11 p.m. – Police arrested Christopher Steven Keele, 50, for property destruction with a value of more than $1,000 after he exited First Bank by the east door after getting upset and used the palm of his hand to hit the glass on the door, which shattered. Keele did stay on scene after the incident while police investigated.

June 25: 12:25 a.m. – A citizen emailed the LPD to report that a dog entered a neighbor’s yard and attacked their cat. The case is under investigation.

1:37 p.m. – A call regarding a malfunctioning railroad crossing bar on Highway 37 near American Colloid/CETCO was referred to the sheriff’s office.

4 p.m. and later – Police searched for a woman who first called the PD, then came to the station asking to speak to an officer. Officers were busy with Lovell’s Days events, and the woman left angry. She later told an agency in Powell that she was going to “shoot up the (Lovell) police department, then kill herself.”
Police shut down the police station lobby and stationed extra officers on Main Street where the Dollies of the Follies and Mustang Band were performing. The woman was reported as being at the Super 8 Motel in Powell, but Powell police were unable to make contact. She called the Lovell PD and reportedly threatened “suicide by cop.” Powell Police found her around 10:30 p.m. and detained her for pickup by Lovell police. Destiny Ann Devyak, 39, was arrested and taken to the Big Horn County Detention Center.

June 26: 2:13 p.m. – A partial Monster energy drink can was found clogging a toilet at Armory Park and may have been used for substance abuse, with attempts made to flush the evidence – unsuccessfully.

12:29 p.m. – A caller reported a Facebook Marketplace scam in which she paid $50 for a used couch, but the purported owner never responded. An officer visited with the supposed seller, who said they were not selling a couch.

5:11 p.m. – Police assisted at the scene of a trailer home fire on West Third Street in Lovell. Fire burned the southeast portion of the home after starting near a hot water heater. Occupant Rosa Montanez was safe and out of the home.

8:26 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. – Police investigated fireworks complaints on the 800 block of Montana and East Main Street.

10:44 p.m. – A report of shots fired east of Lovell turned out to be fireworks.

June 27: 10:25 a.m. – A driver self-reported a fender bender at Shoshone and Park, having backed into another vehicle. Police were busy working the parade.

11:44 a.m. – A caller from Powell reported that their car had been hit while parked near Big Horn Federal while they were watching the parade in an apparent case of hit and run. Police identified the driver of the car that left the scene and obtained insurance information to relay to the reporting party.

11:38 p.m. – Officers checked on a white Ford in the Red Apple Supermarket parking lot with lights reportedly left on “for a while” and discovered a teenage couple making out.

June 28: 12:02 a.m. – An officer checked a pickup marked on West Main with its door left open. A man at the location said it was his son’s friend who drove the vehicle, and they secured the truck.

12:07 a.m. – A caller on Great Western Avenue complained that a neighbor’s dog had been “barking forever.” An officer made contact with the family, who took the dog inside.