K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For March 1st, 2018 – Morning
A FIRE WEDNESDAY NIGHT CAUSED APPARENT HEAVY SMOKE DAMAGE TO A DOWNTOWN BUSINESS AND THE RESIDENCE ABOVE IT, WHICH RESULTED IN ONE PERSON BEING TREATED FOR SMOKE INHALATION.
"WE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL OF A STRUCTURE FIRE ABOVE ALPENGLOW," SAID CASPER POLICE SGT. ZACK WINTER.
"THEY SAID THEY WOKE UP TO SMOKE, WE EVACUATED THE BUILDING, AND THE FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED RIGHT AFTER," WINTER SAID.
"THEY GOT THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL," HE SAID. "WE HAD ONE PERSON GO TO THE (WYOMING MEDICAL CENTER) FOR SMOKE INHALATION. EVERYBODY ELSE WAS SAFE."
WHEN POLICE ARRIVED, THERE WERE NO FLAMES COMING FROM THE BUILDING, ONLY SMOKE, WINTER SAID.
HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE IN THE BUILDING, OR IF ANY ANIMALS WERE INVOLVED.
"WE DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANY FOUL PLAY OR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AT THIS TIME, AND IT'S AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION," WINTER SAID.
A WITNESS SAID THE FIRE AT THE ALPENGLOW STORE, 109 E. SECOND ST., BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER 9 P.M.
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A MAN WHO HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING AN ELDERLY COUPLE IN BAR NUNN BEFORE AN ARMED STANDOFF WITH AUTHORITIES ENSUED LAST YEAR HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM CUSTODY FOLLOWING A HEARING REGARDING HIS MENTAL COMPETENCY.
44-YEAR-OLD WILLIAM MASON QUILLIN HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH TWO COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND ONE COUNT OF AGGRAVATED BURGLARY. HE COULD HAVE FACED UP TO 45 YEARS IMPRISONMENT, HAD HE BEEN CONVICTED ON ALL COUNTS.
QUILLIN HAD BEEN SET FOR A COMPETENCY HEARING IN NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT AT 1:30 P.M. TUESDAY.
IN AUGUST, QUILLIN'S ALLEGED CO-CONSPIRATOR -- 45-YEAR-OLD SHARON MARIE HINKLE -- PLEADED GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT AGGRAVATED BURGLARY AND ONE COUNT OF CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.
HINKLE HAD AGREED TO TESTIFY AGAINST QUILLIN.
CHARGING DOCUMENTS SAID THE PAIR WERE DATING ON FEB. 8, 2017, WHEN THEY KICKED IN THEIR NEIGHBORS' FRONT DOOR IN THE 4800 BLOCK OF BEL VISTA DRIVE. QUILLIN AND HINKLE DEMANDED THAT THE NEIGHBORS -- A 71-YEAR-OLD MAN AND A 70-YEAR-OLD WOMAN -- PRODUCE A SAFE, BEFORE QUILLIN ALLEGEDLY ATTACKED THEM.
SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES RESPONDED AFTER A NEIGHBOR SAW QUILLIN ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTING THE MAN WITH A SNOW SHOVEL AND HAD SOMEONE CALL 911.
THE SPECIAL RESPONSE TEAM WAS ACTIVATED AND A NINE-HOUR STANDOFF ENSUED. OFFICERS, AFTER LENGTHY EFFORTS TO COMMUNICATE USING A LOUDSPEAKER, ENDED UP USING TEAR GAS AND NON-LETHAL ROUNDS TO SUBDUE THE PAIR.
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IT HAS BEEN A QUIET WEEK AT THE GAS PUMP IN THE WAKE OF OIL PRICES THAT HAVE SETTLED DOWN.
ENERGY ANALYST PATRICK DEHAAN OF GASBUDDY DOT COM SAYS WYOMING PRICES ARE MORE STABLE THAN NATIONALLY...
AND THOSE NATIONAL PRICES RESPONDED TO THE STOCK MARKET AND OIL PRICE DROPS, BUT THEY ARE COMING BACK...
AND OIL HAS REBOUNDED TO THE LOW $60 A BARREL LEVEL.
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A GILLETTE MAN HAS BEEN CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT WITH POSSESSION OF AND TRANSPORTATION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
TYLER MAGNUSON HEARD THE TWO COUNTS DURING HIS INITIAL APPEARANCE BEFORE U.S. DISTRICT COURT MAGISTRATE MICHAEL SHICKICH IN CASPER ON TUESDAY.
IF CONVICTED ON BOTH COUNTS, MAGNUSON FACES BETWEEN FIVE YEARS AND 40 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT ACCORDING TO FEDERAL SENTENCING GUIDELINES.
HE IS IN CUSTODY AND WILL HAVE A FORMAL DETENTION HEARING ON FRIDAY.
MAGNUSON WAS REPRESENTED BY ATTORNEY KEITH GOODY, WHO WAS SKEPTICAL WHETHER HE WAS COMPETENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HEARING BECAUSE HE WAS DIAGNOSED AS AUTISTIC AT AGE 3, HAS A PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENT DISORDER, AND IS INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED.
COURT RECORDS SAY THE CASE STARTED TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN A FEDERAL AGENT RECEIVED A LEAD ABOUT IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DISTRIBUTED ON A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT IN WYOMING.
INVESTIGATORS TRACKED THE INTERNET PROVIDER ADDRESS TO A COMPUTER IN GILLETTE AT MAGNUSON'S PHYSICAL ADDRESS.
LAST WEEK, WYOMING DIVISION OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AGENTS EXECUTED A SEARCH WARRANT AT MAGNUSON'S RESIDENCE IN GILLETTE.
AGENTS FOUND A HARD DRIVE, AND AFTER AN INITIAL EXAMINATION FOUND FILES WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
MAGNUSON ADMITTED HE WAS ADDICTED TO CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND THAT HE HAS BEEN VIEWING AND DISTRIBUTING IT FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
AGENTS THEN ARRESTED HIM.
THE GOVERNMENT REGARDS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AS A CRIME OF VIOLENCE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES SOMETIMES BRUTAL ASSAULTS ON CHILDREN WHO CANNOT GIVE CONSENT TO SEXUAL ACTIVITY.