Wyoming
Wyoming reports first rabies case of season in Sheridan County
Wyoming saw its first rabies case of the season in Sheridan County, the state’s Department of Health reported Wednesday.
The case was reported in May in Sheridan County. A rabid bat was found in the backyard of a home in a downtown residential neighborhood, according to the health department.
Humans and pets can become infected from bites and scratches of an animal with rabies. Rabies is not spread through the touch of an infected animal or its feces or urine.
Bat bites are not always visible. Anyone who has direct contact with a bat or who wakes up with a bat in their room should immediately contact a doctor or public health provider for assessment.
There were six confirmed cases of rabies in Wyoming animals last year.
Tips for preventing rabies:
- Don’t touch or feed wild or stray animals.
- Treat animal bites with soap and water and contact a medical professional immediately.
- People waking to find a bat in their room or a child’s room should contact a medical professional immediately.
- Vaccinate dogs, cats, ferrets, horses and other selected livestock for rabies and keep vaccinations up to date.
For more information about rabies exposure in Wyoming, please visit:
https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/rabies/ [links-2.govdelivery.com]
Wyoming
Wyoming Supreme Court upholds 125- to 175-year conviction for Steven Marler after child sexual abuse trial in 2025
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Supreme Court has upheld the 2025 conviction of Steven Randall Marler, 52, who was sentenced to 125 to 175 years in prison on eight felony counts of sexually abusing two girls under his foster or adoptive care at his home on Casper Mountain. Marler was also convicted of five misdemeanor batteries and a count of child endangerment. He was found not guilty of sexual abusing another two other minors in the family, including the one who had first brought forward allegations in 2016.
The Supreme Court opinion noted that discrepancies in her testimony from previous statements were revealed at trial.
The appeal claimed that the Natrona County court where the trial was held improperly admitted testimony about physical abuse and Marler’s insistence that the children give him massages, which they said he referred to as a “daddy tax.”
The massages did not result in charges, and Wyoming courts are strict in disallowing evidence of “prior bad acts” for uncharged conduct that might color the opinion of the jury about whether the defendant is guilty of the actual charges.
The opinion released Friday and written by Justice Robert C. Jarosh noted that the Natrona Court, under Judge Kerri Johnson, had multiple hearings before the trial about whether the state should be allowed to introduce that evidence. It can only do so under specific circumstances, such as establishing a course of conduct relevant to “grooming behavior” and illustrating the power Marler held over the children and his ability and motivation in carrying out the abuse.
“The “daddy tax” massage evidence demonstrated a predictable, recurring pattern of behavior that directly illuminated Mr. Marler’s motive and systematic course of conduct,” the opinion reads. “The “daddy tax” massage evidence demonstrated a clear behavioral pattern and provided relevant context about how Mr. Marler targeted and groomed the children by exploiting his parental role and initiating abuse through seemingly innocent touching — all as a means to gratify his sexual desires.”
The opinion also noted that the jury had been properly instructed not to infer guilt based on the testimony about uncharged behavior they might find off-putting.
The appeal attorneys also argued that evidence of punishment in the form of spanking, exercise and withholding food was not relevant to the charged crimes and unfairly prejudicial to Marler.
“However, we agree with the district court this evidence was relevant to show Mr. Marler’s intent and motive to gain submission by the victims,” Friday’s opinion said.
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