DAYTON, Wyo. — The Elk fire in northern Wyoming continues to burn across the Bighorn mountains. Early Saturday morning, residents in Dayton were asked to be ready to evacuate at any moment, as the winds are pushing the fire southwest.
With winds over 60 mph, at about 1 am Saturday morning, the Elk fire reached over 62,00 acres. Residents in Dayton have moved from a “Ready” evacuation status, to a “Set” evacuation status, meaning they need to be ready to evacuate.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524
“This one… It just got big so quick… and the winds are not in our favor, by any means,” says Rhianna Miller, a mother and Dayton resident.
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Mack Carmack, MTN News
Rhianna Miller, Dayton resident
Miller says she used to live in Florida, and would often experience hurricanes, but says this wildfire takes the cake for natural disasters she’s experienced.
“It’s one thing to prepare for a hurricane, ‘cuz you know it’s coming. But, this hands down has to be the most terrifying,” Miller said.
The reason the Elk fire has been so destructive, according to Sheridan County officials, is because of the high winds and timber in the Bighorn mountains. Where most wildfires burn grass, the Elk fire is burning trees.
Mike De Fries
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Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524
“So (grass fires) can be very fast moving, but if… the wind slows down, they’ll slow down, and we can get ahead and really cut that off. Well, when it’s in a different sort of fuel type, like very heavy timber, it’s going to take a lot longer for that fuel type to be consumed,” said Kristie Thompson, the Public Information Officer for the Elk fire.
What may be most unfortunate for residents is the fact that, because of these high winds and timber, Elk could burn for weeks.
Mack Carmack, MTN News
Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524
“So, as long as it’s held at bay, and doesn’t come closer to town, I would like to go home,” said Miller.
Many Wyoming residents are hoping to go home, as many areas have already evacuated, including: South Highway 14, west of Beckon Road, and Eaton Ranch Road. In Montana, some Bighorn County residents are preparing for evacuation, as well.
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Mack Carmack, MTN News
Elk Fire, Dayton Wyo., 100524
“(These fires) are very dynamic, very fluid. We’re constantly looking at that with the Incident Management Team, the operations, and coming up with a plan. That’s our primary goal, to make sure that the public is safe, the firefighters are safe. So when we’re seeing the fire move, and the activity change, we are constantly looking at that, and determining where we need to set evacuation notices,” said Levi Dominguez, the Sheridan County Sheriff.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fire is zero percent contained, many evacuations are in order, and heavy winds continue to spread across the region. Because of that, there is no way of knowing when Elk fire is to end.
“Until the snow comes, we will likely be seeing smoke,” says Thompson.
The Cheyenne Police Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 15-year-old.
According to a department Facebook post, Riot Stockley was last seen in the 1200 block of West Jefferson Road at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2.
Police say he may be on a bicycle.
“Riot’s clothing description is not known,” the post reads.
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Stockley is approximately 5-foot-10, weighs 150 pounds, and has blue eyes and blond hair.
Anyone with information on Stockley’s whereabouts is asked to call police dispatch at 307-637-6525.
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CASPER, Wyo. — In October 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office formed a Project Safe Neighborhoods Leadership Committee in Wyoming. Throughout the last year, the PSN Leadership Committee reviewed and analyzed various factors and statistics to determine how to best use PSN resources, as well as to develop and implement enforcement strategies to prevent and reduce crime and to provide oversight and evaluation of the PSN’s progress.
That’s according to a release from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, which states that the Leadership Committee has decided to concentrate PSN resources on Laramie County.
The release also offered the following areas of concern, which the resources will primarily focus on:
Violent offenders who victimize children
Armed offenders, including individuals federally prohibited from possessing firearms
Violent crime recidivists
Intimate Partner Violence, o IPV, offenders who commit a violent offense stemming from IPV and/or who use firearms during an IPV crime
Violent offenders who possess firearms while distributing controlled substances
Violent offenders involved in human trafficking
According to the release, “Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them by implementing the four PSN design elements: 1) Community Engagement, 2) Prevention and Intervention, 3) Focused and Strategic Enforcement, and 4) Accountability.”
Following these guidelines, in early 2024 the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office and the Cheyenne Police Department were approved to apply for and receive grant funding from Project Safe Neighborhoods in an effort to reduce and prevent violent crimes in Laramie County.
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“The goal of bringing this committee together is to make Wyoming safer by supporting local and state law enforcement and prosecutors, and by prosecuting appropriate violent offenders in federal court where they will receive long prison sentences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann.
In addition to the funding, officers from both law enforcement agencies joined the PSN Leadership Committee in order to “provide important insight regarding the needs and concerns of Laramie County and participate in the development of programs and strategies that emphasize the core elements of PSN.”
Individuals from the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office have joined the leadership committee as well.
According to the release, the following agencies are also participating in the PSN program and are represented on the leadership committee:
Cheyenne Police Department
Laramie County District Attorney’s Office
Laramie County Sheriff’s Office
Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police
Wyoming Department of Corrections
Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Homeland Security Investigations
United States Attorney’s Office
United States Marshals Service
The release states that the Project Safe Neighborhoods program was designed to help combat violent crime problems in different cities and states. It was created with the goal of enhancing both coordination and cooperation among public service and safety partners in order to ensure that tactics, resources and intelligence services are integrated to identify and target violent offenders and criminal organizations.
“Project Safe Neighborhoods is a vital partnership between all levels of law enforcement,” said Cheyenne Police Chief Mark Francisco. “By combining our resources and expertise, we can effectively identify offenders, enhance prevention efforts, and strengthen our communities.”
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Laramie County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Brian Kozak said that he will use the resources offered by PSN to “provide exceptional service to other criminal justice agencies in Laramie County and to help domestic violence victims. The Sheriff will host an advanced homicide investigation course for local detectives, and he plans to purchase state-of-the-art cameras to capture a victim’s bruising following a domestic assault.”
The program is also describes as a collaborative effort designed to protect victims and potential victims.
“The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is honored to be partnered with our state, local, and federal partners on the PSN initiative,” said Ronnie Jones, director of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. “I am thankful for the cooperation, commitment and work the United States Attorney’s office has provided to this program to help make our state a safer place to live and work. We look forward to seeing how all the stakeholders work together to implement new ideas and strategies to address local violent crime.”
For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, visit www.justice.gov/psn.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — After a long and storied career spanning more than two decades, Chief Game Warden Rick King has retired from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
King started with the Game and Fish as an enforcement aid in 1998.
King served as a game warden at many duty stations across the state. He was the Lovell game warden when he was promoted in 2011 to the Laramie regional wildlife supervisor. In 2019, King was promoted to Chief of the Wildlife Division.
Also in 2019, King received the Director’s Award, the highest honor bestowed within Game and Fish. King earned it for a multitude of efforts including work on chronic wasting disease, the ongoing process of developing an elk feedground management plan and his interaction with the Wyoming Legislature.
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During his tenure, King was the recipient of the 2014 Employee of the Year Award for the Wildlife Division and the 2016 Laramie Region Peer Recognition Award.
“Chief King dedicated 26 years across our entire state helping manage Wyoming’s wildlife, our wildlife and sportspeople owe Rick an extreme level of gratitude,” Game and Fish deputy director Eric Wiltanger said. “I wish him well in retirement and thank him for his service to this great state.”
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