Sheriff report: Bear encounter and sightings cause a stir in Byron

The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office received the following calls for the week of July 20-26:

July 20: 4:19 a.m. – A caller reported a red Dodge Durango unable to maintain a lane of travel west of Byron, almost causing a head-on collision. The call was referred to the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Lovell Police Dept.

July 21: 8:47 a.m. – A caller reported the theft of gasoline from a farm tank on Lane 13. The case is under investigation.

10:16 a.m. – A woman from out of state reported that she believed she was purchasing goats from a person in Cowley and was to meet the seller in Worland, but no one showed up. She was apparently scammed and lost about $200.

2:09 p.m. – A woman on Road 8½ reported being scammed on her phone earlier that day. She gave out driver’s license information. She said she had taken care of the bank end of the incident but needed a law enforcement report to obtain a new license.

6:08 p.m. – A caller reported a red Tesla driving aggressively and passing vehicles in a no-passing zone near Byron. A deputy followed the car into Lovell but did not observe any violations.

6:39 p.m. – A deputy observed a vehicle pulled over but partially blocking the lane of travel just north of U.S. 14A on Wyoming Highway 37 with the driver looking at his GPS. The deputy advised him to pull fully off the road.

8:02 p.m. – A caller reported a suspicious person with a backpack walking along the highway about two miles south of Cowley. A deputy checked on the man, who said he was fine and was simply a traveling hitchhiker.

July 22: 10:53 p.m. – Deputies assisted at the scene of a transformer fire at the Marathon Oil Company (Merit Energy) facility west of Byron.

July 23: 4:21 p.m. – A deputy removed lawnmower bags from the lane of travel on Wyoming Highway 32 about 10 miles south of Byron.

July 24: 8:31 a.m. – A caller on Road 11½ near Lovell reported that a culvert near his house was backed up. Dispatch called county road and bridge.

4:12 p.m. – A deputy checked on a motorist who had run out of gas in Deaver. The driver said help was on the way.

July 25: 9:59 p.m. – A deputy assisted the Lovell Police Department by transporting an arrested female to the Big Horn County Detention Center.

July 26: 2:25 a.m. – A caller reported that a black bear had entered the kitchen of their home on Riverview Avenue in Byron. The bear was spotted again at 4:21 a.m., 1:02 p.m. and 10:56 p.m. before being caught in a trap by Wyoming Game and Fish.

7:05 p.m. – A driver from Worland called to say he had lost control and taken out a fence and some fence posts two miles west of Cowley but did not need an ambulance. He was found to have non-expeditable warrants out of South Carolina. The call was referred to the Wyoming Highway Patrol for investigation.

9:59 p.m. – A deputy assisted Lovell police with a call on Shoshone Avenue near the elementary school following a report of a juvenile female covered in blood. She was simply wearing a tie-dye shirt with purple dye.

11:53 p.m. – A caller reported someone making noise and using a flashlight in their yard on Riverview Avenue in Byron. It was deputies and the Game and Fish looking for the black bear.

Note: The above calls were received by the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office. Persons arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and charges made upon initial arrest may be amended or dismissed as determined by the County Attorney.