Sheriff report: Report of boat stolen from back of truck turns out to be a prank

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of July 21-27:

July 21: 12:32 p.m. – A deputy moved a loose cow to a fenced area on Wyoming Highway 32 southwest of Lovell.

7:56 p.m. – A caller on East 5^th South in Cowley reported that a neighbor’s dog was being aggressive, that it was an ongoing problem and that the caller was fearful that someone might get hurt. The call was referred to the Cowley police officer, who spoke with the dog owner and the reporting party.

July 22: 2:50 a.m. – Deputies responded to a semi-truck crash on U.S. 14A on the west face of the Big Horn Mountains, a story reported in the July 24 Lovell Chronicle.

10:37 a.m. – A caller in Byron asked for assistance removing a skunk. She was instructed to hire someone to take care of the matter.

12:10 p.m. – A caller from Cowley reported receiving a scam call from an individual with a foreign accent claiming that he would cancel the caller’s Medicare insurance unless the caller provided personal information including a social security number. A deputy was unable to reach the caller to follow up on the report.

12:23 p.m. – A report from Big Horn Lake stated that boaters were stranded on the lake when their battery died. They asked to be pulled to the dock and boat ramp, but occupants of another boat offered to tow them.

4:49 p.m. – A caller from Deaver reported that her dog had been hit by a car and that she feared it was intentional, but soon the driver came to the house and apologized and said it was an accident.

July 23: 8:16 a.m. – A report was called in of a vehicle on the side of the highway with a broken axle on U.S. 14A atop the Big Horns. A Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper responded to the scene.

1:13 p.m. – A deputy assisted Lovell police at the scene of a possible domestic situation on Shoshone Avenue in Lovell.

8:18 p.m. – A woman reported six horses loose near her residence on Road 12½. The owner was contacted and said he would retrieve the horses.

July 24: 5 p.m. – A caller reported that the construction site traffic light near Byron was stuck on red. A WyDOT crew responded to make repairs and handle traffic control.

July 25: 10:25 a.m. – A reported couch on the highway near the Oasis Junction west of Lovell turned out to be parts of a couch with the pieces off the highway.

6:01 p.m. – Deputies assisted at the scene of a fire near Penrose Cemetery southwest of Byron possibly caused by a lightning strike.

8:31 p.m. – A caller reported a stolen 12-foot John boat on Forest Service Road 14 in the Bighorn National Forest, stating that the boat had been removed from the back of a pickup. He called back stating that the boat had been taken by friends as a prank.

July 26: 9:21 a.m. – A caller reported being stuck and needing to be pulled out of a ditch near Frannie. The caller was provided contact information for a tow company, and when a deputy checked the vehicle had been pulled out and the driver was on his way home.

10:34 a.m. – A caller reported six large guard dogs running through their property on Lane 5 south of Frannie. The owner was contacted and agreed to retrieve the dogs.

11:16 a.m. – A tow truck operator was upset after responding to the earlier stuck vehicle near Frannie and finding that the vehicle had been moved, adding that he realized that he had been given a fraudulent credit card number.

2:03 p.m. – A caller reported a Titan horse trailer with Montana plates “crossing both lines” several times east of Lovell near Big Horn Lake. The Highway Patrol was advised.

6:55 p.m. – A caller reported a vehicle swerving in and out of traffic and almost causing a head-on collision. The call was referred to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Arrests

July 25 – Joseph Preston Thompson of Lovell was arrested for failure to appear and failure to pay.

July 25 – Former Byron residents Christopher Patrick Vanvoorhis and Dulcie Kate Vanvoorhis of Worland were arrested for felony theft, conspiracy, forgery (Christopher), possession of writing known to be forged (Dulcie), buying and receiving stolen property (Christopher) and receiving and disposing of stolen property (Dulcie).

July 27 – Alan Arthur Partridge of Cowley was arrested for domestic battery.