Sheriff report: Sheriff’s Office warns of consequences of not calling in controlled burns

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of March 24-29:

March 24: 9:14 a.m. – A silver Pontiac was reported as being parked in front of the old school in Byron for more than a week. A deputy tagged the vehicle for towing, and it was gone by the next day.

2:21 p.m. – A deputy made contact with a driver in a portion of the Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area that was closed due to the recent Kane Fire and informed the driver that he was not allowed to be in that part of the habitat.

4:04 p.m. – In response to a call forwarded by the Wyoming Highway Patrol, a white Chevy sedan was reportedly “driving on both sides of the road” while traveling west toward Byron on U.S. 14A. The car turned north on County Road 5 toward Cowley, so the Cowley police officer was notified.

March 25: 7:11 a.m. – A deputy removed trash from the highway near Frannie.

9:15 a.m. – A deputy warned a resident at Lane 13 and Highway 32 southwest of Lovell for burning when a county fire ban was in effect. A deputy noted that the situation could be easily avoided if the person had simply called to report the controlled burn as required.
A strongly worded message on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page Monday warned of the countywide burn ban in effect and urged people to call before they burn. The notice warns that people who do not call in a planned fire can be cited.

March 26: 8:13 a.m. – A deputy returned wayward cows to their pasture near Cowley and notified the owner.

5:51 p.m. – A deputy responded to a report of an elderly couple in a broken-down vehicle at the bottom of Blue Hill south of Lovell on U.S. 310, but when the deputy arrived there was no vehicle to be found.

March 27: 11:01 a.m. – A deputy responded with DFS to the home of an elderly gentleman in Frannie to check on him as a possible vulnerable adult who may have been caught up in a scam.

6:27 p.m. – A caller was concerned that a party was in progress at his Air B&B property. Contact was made, and all of the partygoers were relatives of the owner who were staying at the property.

11:14 p.m. – A deputy performed extra patrol in the Cowley area after the junior prom to check on possible after-prom under-age drinking parties.

March 28: 11:42 a.m. – A deputy assisted the Lovell Police Department in responding to a report of a large bonfire in a backyard on East Sixth Street in Lovell.

March 29: 8:34 p.m. – A caller reported a cow on the roadway just northeast of Byron on U.S. 14A, but when a deputy responded, no cow could be found.

There were two arrests this week. Tuffy Lee Towner Brost, 29, of Lovell was arrested March 27 on a warrant for possession of marijuana when he came to the county annex for a check-in on a different violation. Michael Lee Harvey of Deaver was arrested on March 25 for interference with a peace officer.

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.