K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For January 11th, 2018 – Morning

A CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER WHO HAS BEEN DEEMED NON-COMPLIANT IS WANTED BY THE WYOMING BOARD OF PAROLE, AND ANYONE WHO KNOWS HIS LOCATION IS URGED TO CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

THE WHEREABOUTS OF 39-YEAR-OLD DONALD DEAN JONES ARE CURRENTLY UNKNOWN, SGT. JOE TOMICH OF THE SWEETWATER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE TOLD K2 RADIO NEWS ON WEDNESDAY.

JONES WAS LAST KNOWN TO LIVE IN ROCK SPRINGS. HE WAS CONVICTED IN WYOMING IN 2011 OF SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR.

JONES IS DESCRIBED AS A WHITE MALE STANDING 5'8" TALL AND WEIGHING 150 POUNDS. JONES HAS BROWN HAIR AND BLUE EYES.

TOMICH SAYS JONES HAS BEEN NON-COMPLIANT FOR ROUGHLY A WEEK. THE ONLINE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY SHOWS JONES' SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION WAS LAST VERIFIED JAN. 2.

ACCORDING TO THE REGISTRY, JONES MAY BE DRIVING A WHITE 2013 HYUNDAI VELOSTER WITH WYOMING LICENSE PLATE 04598.

AS A NON-COMPLIANT REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER, JONES CAN BE ARRESTED ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, TOMICH SAYS.

ANYONE WHO SEES JONES OR KNOWS HIS WHEREABOUTS IS ASKED TO CALL THE SWEETWATER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.

REPORTING FROM CASPER, I'M NICK LEARNED.
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THE WYOMING LEGISLATURE WILL CONSIDER A PROPOSED BILL THAT WOULD NEARLY DOUBLE THE SIZE OF A STATE PARK NESTLED IN THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS.

THE PROPOSED MEASURE WOULD ALLOW WYOMING TO ASSUME CONTROL OF 52 ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND ADJACENT TO MEDICINE LODGE STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF WORLAND.
STATE PARKS ADMINISTRATOR DOMINIC BRAVO SAID THE PARK HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN RECENT YEARS AND NEEDS MORE CAMPSITES AND TRAILS TO ACCOMMODATE THE HIGHER VOLUME OF VISITORS.

THE PARK SAW MORE THAN 34,000 VISITORS IN 2016, AND A RECENT REPORT NOTED THAT ITS 28 CAMPSITES ARE AT OR NEAR-CAPACITY DURING SUMMER MONTHS.

THE SITE IS A NATIONALLY REGISTERED HISTORIC SITE FEATURING NATIVE AMERICAN ROCK ART FROM 2,000 YEARS AGO.

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A LARAMIE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE HAS DISMISSED THE CASE AGAINST A KIMBALL, NEBRASKA WOMAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN WHOSE BODY WAS FOUND IN A RESERVOIR ON THE WYOMING HEREFORD RANCH.

JUDGE DENISE NAU ON WEDNESDAY THREW OUT A SINGLE CHARGE OF ACCESSORY AFTER THE FACT AGAINST 19-YEAR-OLD RAQUEL RODRIQUEZ, SAYING "THE HANG-UP IS THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER."

ACCORDING TO LARAMIE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DETECTIVE ROBERT MOSBACHER, RODRIQUEZ TOLD KIMBALL COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES THAT HER BOYFRIEND, 21-YEAR-OLD ARMANDO RAMIREZ-SERNA, CALLED HER ON DEC. 1 ASKING HER FOR HELP. RAMIREZ-SERNA WAS WANTED FOR QUESTIONING IN THE NOV. 26 DEATH OF JUSTIN ROBINSON AT THE TIME.

THE STATE ARGUED THAT RODRIQUEZ "KNEW ARMANDO WAS WANTED FOR MURDER" WHEN HE CALLED, AND THAT SHE "HINDERED HIS ARREST" BY PICKING HIM UP IN CHEYENNE AND TAKING HIM BACK TO KIMBALL, WHERE SHE GOT A HOTEL ROOM FOR THEM UNDER HER NAME. THE TWO WERE ARRESTED AT THE HOTEL THE FOLLOWING DAY.

IT'S UNCLEAR, AT THIS POINT, WHETHER THE STATE PLANS TO FILE NEW CHARGES AGAINST RODRIQUEZ.

REPORTING FROM CHEYENNE ... I'M JOY GREENWALD.
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CASPER, WYO. (AP) - STATE FIGURES SHOW THE NUMBER OF ADULT SMOKERS IN WYOMING CONTINUES TO DROP, BUT HEALTH ISSUES AND DEATHS RELATED TO SMOKING PERSIST...