Sheriff report: Inattentive teen rear-ends road grader at highway work site

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of December 29-January 4:

December 29: 1:01 p.m. – Driver inattention by a young driver led to a crash on County Road 5 north of Byron. Road and Bridge was doing some work on the road and diverted the lanes of travel to the side of the paved highway. A 17-year-old male driving a 1990 Ford F250, missed the detour lane, drove down the main road and rear-ended a large grader. Citations were issued for no valid proof of insurance.

4:08 p.m. – A caller reported a Chevy Silverado with Wyoming plates swerving all over the road on West Main in Byron, with youths standing in the cab or in the bed of the pickup. Before a deputy could respond, the pickup crossed into Park County.

4:18 p.m. – A deputy assisted at the scene of a sugar beet haul truck with overheated brakes afire parked alongside U.S. 14A about two miles west of Byron. The deputy attacked the superheated brakes with an extinguisher, and the Lovell Volunteer Fire Department arrived to finish the job.

December 30: 11:02 a.m. – A caller asked for information on how to dispose of vehicles left on property he had just purchased on Road 5 near Cowley.

12:46 p.m. – A caller on Road 1 near Deaver reported two horses out on his property. The owner was contacted and was to come retrieve the pair.

5:32 p.m. – A caller reported a “weird smell” on Road 11½ near Lovell, stating the odor was similar to mosquito spray. Others noticed the same odor, and deputies were unable to locate the source or the cause of the smell, which eventually dissipated.

6:50 p.m. – A woman from Powell called to report three Powell teens overdue after exploring Horse Thief Cave on Little Mountain east of Lovell, saying they hadn’t reported in. The trio soon walked out and called in at a time they believed was just ahead of their deadline, but the mother was reportedly unaware of the call-in time.

11:48 p.m. – A caller from Byron reported receiving unwanted phone calls from a male, saying the calls weren’t harassment but were derogatory in nature. A deputy contacted the male and instructed him to cease the calls, and the female reporting party was advised to block the man’s number.

December 31: 12:51 p.m. – A woman in Byron noticed two handprints on the hood of her car when she left her home to go to work and feared they were from fugitive Anthony Pease. She had just washed the car two days earlier, which allowed her to see the prints.

January 1: 12:33 a.m. – A caller reported fireworks on North First East in Cowley.

3:36 p.m. – A caller complained of neighbors across the street in Byron playing music too loud. A deputy spoke to them, and they agreed to lower the volume.

January 2: 12:55 p.m. – A deputy found a fresh deer carcass in a clear case of poaching near Frog Rock on Road 5 between Byron and Cowley. Information was passed to Wyoming Game and Fish.

2:32 p.m. – A citizen reported a possible scam but was not home when a deputy stopped by. A deputy was able to make contact about an hour later and provided on how to report the scam to a federal agency.

January 3: A caller reported finding needles, cigarette butts, bottled water, alcohol prep pads and tourniquets in front of a gate on her property off U.S. 310 near Frannie. A deputy investigated the scene and collected the syringes for disposal.

5:49 p.m. – In an apparent case of mistaken identity, a Billings man followed a driver to his home in Byron thinking he had stolen a plush animal scooter from Rimrock Mall. The Billings Police Department was contacted and spoke to the Byron man and determined the thief wasn’t him. A deputy advised the Billings reporting party to stop harassing the Byron man.

January 4: 11:09 a.m. – A caller from Deaver advised that the door to a camper trailer parked behind his house was open but hadn’t been opened by him for two years. A deputy found nothing amiss and nothing suspicious about the open door.

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.