K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For February 21st, 2018 – Morning

CASPER BUSINESSMAN TONY CERCY TESTIFIED ON HIS OWN BEHALF ON THE SIXTH DAY OF HIS SEXUAL ASSAULT TRIAL.
CERCY IS CHARGED WITH ONE COUNT OF FIRST-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT OR RAPE, ONE COUNT OF SECOND-DEGREE AND ONE COUNT OF THIRD-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST A THEN-20-YEAR-OLD WOMAN AT HIS HOUSE AT ALCOVA LAKE IN JUNE.

IF CONVICTED ON ALL COUNTS, HE FACES BETWEEN SEVEN AND 85 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT.

DURING QUESTIONING BY LEAD DEFENSE ATTORNEY PAMELA MACKEY, CERCY ADAMANTLY DENIED HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED WOMAN.

CERCY RECOUNTED THE EVENTS OF SATURDAY, JUNE 24TH, WHEN HE AND HIS WIFE, CARYL, DROVE THEIR BOATS TO ALCOVA LAKE AND OPENED THEIR LAKE HOUSE FOR THE SUMMER.

HE CORROBORATED PREVIOUS ACCOUNTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CAME TO THE HOUSE THAT NIGHT, OTHER OLDER COUPLES WHO CAME, THEIR PARTYING AND THEIR OBSERVATION OF THE ALLEGED VICTIM SLEEPING ON A COUCH.

AT ONE POINT, CERCY SAID A DOG BELONGING TO HIS DAUGHTER LICKED THE ALLEGED VICTIM ON THE FACE, SHE SAT UP BRIEFLY, BRUSHED IT AWAY, ROLLED OVER AND WENT BACK TO SLEEP.

YOUNGER CROWD LEFT, FOLLOWED BY THE OLDER GROUP ABOUT 1:30 A.M.

ABOUT 2 A.M., CARYL AND GUEST TAWNI MOORE WENT TO BED IN THE MASTER BEDROOM WITH THEIR DOGS, AND HE WENT TO BED IN A SPARE BEDROOM.

HE WOKE UP AT 8 A.M., THE ALLEGED VICTIM WAS GONE, AND HE LATER WENT OUT ON HIS BOAT.

DURING CROSS-EXAMINATION, NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY MIKE BLONIGEN ASKED CERCY WHAT HE WAS WEARING WHEN HE WENT TO SLEEP, AND IF HE ACCESSED HIS CELL PHONE THAT NIGHT.

CERCY ADDED THE ALLEGED VICTIM WASN'T MOVING WHEN HE WENT TO BED.\
THE CASE PROBABLY WILL GO TO THE JURY TODAY.

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER ON TUESDAY ANNOUNCED PLANS TO DEVELOP FOUR NEW WIND PROJECTS IN WYOMING, IN WHAT THE COMPANY IS CALLING A "MAJOR WIND POWER EXPANSION."

THE FOUR PROJECTS ARE EXPECTED TO CREATE 1,100-1,600 CONSTRUCTION JOBS IN WYOMING, AS WELL AS 200 FULL-TIME POSITIONS, ACCORDING TO A STATEMENT FROM THE COMPANY. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN 2019, ADDING SOME $120 MILLION IN TAX REVENUE.

POST-CONSTRUCTION ANNUAL TAX REVENUES ARE ESTIMATED TO START AT ROUGHLY $11 MILLION IN 2021, GROWING ANNUALLY TO $14 MILLION BY 2024, THE COMPANY SAYS.

WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS, ROCKY MOUNTAIN POWER LOOKS TO EXPAND ITS OWNED AND CONTRACTED WIND POWER BY ABOUT 60 PERCENT, AS WELL AS ADD ENOUGH NEW WIND ENERGY TO POWER ROUGHLY 450,000 AVERAGE HOMES.

THE FOUR PROJECTS WILL BE LOCATED IN COVERSE, CARBON, ALBANY AND UINTA COUNTIES.

THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE PROJECTED TO COST ANOTHER $1.5 BILLION, WHICH THE COMPANY SAYS IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS ON A PER-MEGAWATT BASIS THAN LAST APRIL'S ESTIMATE.
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THE WYOMING HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HELD A MOMENT OF SILENCE MONDAY FOR LONG-TIME LAWMAKER TOM LOCKHART OF CASPER. HOUSE SPEAKER STEVE HARSHMAN HAD THESE COMMENTS ABOUT LOCKHART.

LOCKHART WAS 82. HE SERVED IN THE LEGISLATURE FROM 2001 UNTIL 2016.

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A PASSENGER JET CARRYING 33 PEOPLE SLID OFF THE RUNWAY AT THE GILLETTE-CAMPBELL COUNTY AIRPORT ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.

NO ONE WAS HURT IN THE INCIDENT INVOLVING UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 5117 FROM DENVER, BUT IT CAUSED THE RUNWAY TO BE CLOSED TEMPORARILY.

AIRPORT DIRECTOR JAY LUNDELL SAYS THE PLANE SLID ABOUT 30 YARDS OFF THE RUNWAY BUT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE

THE PASSENGERS WERE EVACUATED FROM THE PLANE AND WERE TAKEN TO THE TERMINAL BUILDING.