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A FORMER CASPER POLICE DETECTIVE SAID FRIDAY THAT THE FORMER POLICE CHIEF HINDERED HIM IN HIS INVESTIGATION OF THE APPARENT SUICIDE OF CASPER BUSINESSMAN MICK MCMURRY IN MARCH 2015.

GARY KASSAY SAID DURING A HEARING IN NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT THAT FORMER CHIEF JIM WETZEL CONSTRAINED HIM FROM DOING BASIC RESEARCH, SUCH AS NOT BEING ALLOWED TO INTERVIEW MCMURRY'S WIDOW UNTIL 19 DAYS AFTER HIS DEATH.

AFTER THE HEARING, WETZEL, WHO DID NOT TESTIFY, VEHEMENTLY DISAGREED, SAYING HE IN NO WAY IMPEDED GARY KASSAY’S ABILITY TO CONDUCT HIS INVESTIGATION.

KASSAY WAS AMONG SEVERAL PEOPLE CALLED TO TESTIFY IN A HEARING IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAWSUIT FILED BY LOVCOM AGAINST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT A YEAR AGO SO THE PUBLIC CAN KNOW HOW IT HANDLED THE MCMURRY CASE AND THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BUSINESSWOMAN KRISTI RICHARDSON IN OCTOBER 2014.

AFTER THE CITY DISMISSED WETZEL IN MAY 2017, INTERIM POLICE CHIEF STEVE SCHULZ TURNED OVER THE CASES TO THE WYOMING DIVISION OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.

LOVCOM'S ATTORNEY BRUCE MOATS SAID IT IS ONLY WANTS THE INFORMATION FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND DOES NOT WANT TO INTERFERE WITH THE DCI'S INVESTIGATIONS.

THE HEARING FRIDAY WAS FOR DCI TO SHOW WHY IT SHOULD NOT RELEASE THE RECORDS.

DCI DIRECTOR STEVE WOODSON SAID DISCLOSING INFORMATION WOULD BE CONTRARY TO THE PUBLIC INTEREST BECAUSE IT MAY IMPAIR THE INVESTIGATION OR COMPROMISE THE PROSECUTION OF THE CASE.

DISTRICT COURT JUDGE THOMAS SULLINS SAID HE WOULD RULE ON WHETHER THE DCI SHOULD MAKE THE RECORDS PUBLIC AFTER HE REVIEWS THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS FROM BOTH SIDES NEXT WEEK.

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A CASPER MAN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING ANOTHER MAN EARLIER THIS YEAR ENTERED A GUILTY PLEA TO A SINGLE FELONY CHARGE FRIDAY MORNING.

20-YEAR-OLD GARY DANIEL CLEMENT PLEADED GUILTY BEFORE DISTRICT JUDGE DANIEL FORGEY TO ONE COUNT OF SECOND-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT. CLEMENT COULD FACE TWO TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON.

ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY DAN ITZEN FILED AN AMENDED INFORMATION, WHICH CONTAINED THE SINGLE SECOND-DEGREE CHARGE. CLEMENT HAD INITIALLY BEEN CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE SEXUAL ASSAULT AS WELL AS A CHARGE OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.

ALTHOUGH CLEMENT PLEADED GUILTY TO A REDUCED CHARGE, THE PLEA AGREEMENT DOES NOT INCLUDE A FAVORABLE SENTENCING RECOMMENDATION FROM PROSECUTORS. AS SUCH, THE PROSECUTION AND DEFENSE ARE FREE TO RECOMMEND WHATEVER SENTENCES THEY FEEL APPROPRIATE.

CLEMENT WAS ARRESTED IN EARLY FEBRUARY AFTER THE VICTIM REPORTED A SEXUAL ASSAULT THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE VICTIM SAID HE HAD AGREED TO GO BACK TO CLEMENT'S RESIDENCE FOR A DRINK. AFTER AWHILE, CLEMENT TOLD THE VICTIM HE WOULD KILL HIM UNLESS THE VICTIM PERFORMED ORAL SEX ON CLEMENT.

THE VICTIM DID SO. CLEMENT ALLEGEDLY PUNCHED HIM IN THE HEAD AND THREATENED HIM WITH A KNIFE. AFTER BEING HIT IN THE HEAD, THE VICTIM BRIEFLY LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. CLEMENT PULLED HIS PANTS DOWN, BENT HIM OVER THE BED AND RAPED HIM.

CLEMENT REMAINED IN CUSTODY AT THE TIME OF FRIDAY'S COURT HEARING.
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THE LEADER OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK SAYS HE PLANS TO RETIRE EARLY NEXT YEAR BUT IS DISMISSING SPECULATION THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUSHED HIM OUT FOR POLITICAL REASONS.

SUPERINTENDENT DAN WENK SAID FRIDAY THAT HE DECIDED MONTHS AGO HE WOULD RETIRE IN EARLY 2019. HE SAID HE WENT PUBLIC WITH THE DECISION FOLLOWING RECENT NEWS REPORTS THAT HE WAS FACING A POSSIBLE TRANSFER TO A JOB IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

WENK DID NOT DENY THE REPORTS. BUT HE SAYS HE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A MEMBER OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE, HE COULD BE MOVED TO ANOTHER JOB.

WENK SPENT MORE THAN FOUR DECADES WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND SAYS HIS SEVEN YEARS IN YELLOWSTONE MARKED THE PINNACLE OF HIS CAREER.
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A NEW THEORY IS BEING EXPLORED ON HOW NONNATIVE LAKE TROUT GOT INTO YELLOWSTONE LAKE IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
THE CONVENTIONAL THEORY HAS BEEN THAT SOMEONE SCOOPED LAKE TROUT OUT OF NEARBY LEWIS LAKE AND DUMPED THEM INTO YELLOWSTONE LAKE.

BUT YELLOWSTONE'S CHIEF FISHERIES BIOLOGIST, TODD KOEL, HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING A THEORY THAT THE LAKE TROUT THEMSELVES MADE THEIR WAY INTO YELLOWSTONE LAKE VIA CREEKS IN THE AREA.

KOEL EMPHASIZES THAT HE'S MERELY SUGGESTING AN ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS TO EXPLAIN THE 1994 APPEARANCE OF LAKE TROUT AND THAT MORE TESTING IS NEEDED.

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IS SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TRYING TO ERADICATE THE LAKE TROUT FROM YELLOWSTONE LAKE BECAUSE THEY ARE ENDANGERING THE NATIVE CUTTHROAT TROUT THAT INHABIT THE LAKE.

 

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