Sheriff’s report: Cows, sheep and horses loose on local highways

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of March 10-16:

March 10: 9:27 a.m. – A REDDI call reported a vehicle failing to maintain a lane of travel on U.S. 14A just west of Byron. A deputy caught up to the vehicle and followed it into Lovell, but there were no observable offenses.

4:11 p.m. – A citizen flagged down a deputy to report goats out on the highway on U.S. 14A/310 near Lovell. The deputy responded and discovered that the animals were actually sheep, then contacted the landowner, who put the sheep back where they belonged.

March 11: 4:43 p.m. – A black cow was reported loose on U.S. 310 south of Lovell near Lovell Lakes. A deputy put the cow back into a pasture and contacted the owner.

March 12: 12 noon – Deputies assisted at the location of a controlled burn near the American Colloid plant on Highway 37 that had jumped a ditch.

2:52 p.m. – A deputy noticed a dead cow along Road 5 south of Byron. Deceased livestock must be removed within 48 hours of death, according to state law, and the animal was removed.

Cesar Betancourt of Powell was arrested on a warrant out of Big Horn County, and Joseph Preston Thompson of Lovell was arrested on a failure to pay a warrant issued by the county.

March 13: 2 a.m. – A deputy assisted the Lovell Police Dept. with a K-9 search on a vehicle at the Maverik Country Store. No hit was made by the dog.

4:59 p.m. – A large log or railroad tie was in the lane of traffic at Highway 310 and Road 9 near Lovell. The debris was pushed to the side by a deputy.

March 14: 5:25 a.m. – Horses out along the highway at Highway 310 and Road 6½ near Cowley were put back in the pasture by a deputy and highway patrol trooper.

7:05 a.m. and 8:04 a.m. – Wet, slushy snow led to two slide-offs on U.S. 310 south of Lovell near Lovell Lakes. No one was in the vehicle in the first slide-off, and in the second the driver informed dispatch that he planned to leave the vehicle in place until the weather improved.

8:53 a.m. – A deputy stopped at the site of a broken-down vehicle just outside of Byron to the northeast on U.S. 14A. The owner said the clutch had failed and that arrangements had been made to have the vehicle towed.

March 15: 4:12 p.m. – A caller reported neighbors having a domestic dispute in Frannie. A deputy responded and found that the dispute was completely verbal and not physical. The couple was separated for the night.

7:25 p.m. – A black steer out on the highway just east of Lovell on U.S. 14A was returned to its pasture, and the owner was contacted.

March 16: 7:35 a.m. – Cows were reported out on West Main in Byron. The owner was contacted and said he had people responding to deal with the situation.

2:20 p.m. – The Frannie couple from the day before engaged in another verbal dispute and were separated for the night.

11:50 p.m. – A woman in Frannie reported that she thinks someone was in her house. Deputies responded and went through the house. There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing was disturbed or missing except for perhaps a missing rug. Extra patrol was performed in the neighborhood.

Note: The above calls were received by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office. Persons arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and charges made upon initial arrest may be amended or dismissed as determined by the County Attorney.