Friday, Oct. 1 news briefs

Campbell library accused of criminal activity

GILLETTE (WNE) — The Campbell County Public Library has been accused of criminal activity for having books in the teen and children’s section that some deemed inappropriate for teens and children.

At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Hugh and Susan Bennett went to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office to report criminal activity going on at the library.

They believed the library board and the library director were committing a crime by “offering for dissemination obscene material,” said Sheriff Scott Matheny.

They brought in several books to support their claim. A report was taken and sent to the Campbell County Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges, Matheny said.

County Attorney Mitch Damsky said he has three lawyers in his office working on this right now.

"We want to make sure that with regard to these issues, the best legal minds in the office collaborate, because it’s a very tedious issue, with a lot of emotions involved," Damsky said.

He said he expects a decision on whether to pursue charges will be made in a day or two.

For months, the Bennetts, along with others, have spoken out against the library having inappropriate books readily available for children and teens.

At a library board meeting Monday, Hugh Bennett told the library board there are laws in place against sexual assault and sexual intrusion that make what the library and the library board are doing “felony behavior.”

“Be on notice, you’re fighting a losing battle,” he said.

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One killed in Albany County house fire

LARAMIE (WNE) — An overnight house fire in rural Albany County has left one person dead and four others displaced.

A 12:46 a.m. emergency call scrambled the Laramie Fire Department, Albany County Fire District 1 Volunteer Fire Department and the Albany County Sheriff’s Office to respond to a house on Brubaker Lane about 16 miles southwest of Laramie on Thursday, said Cmdr. Kevin Lam of the Laramie Fire Department.

By the time the Sheriff’s Office arrived at 1:01 a.m. and the first fire engine at 1:12, they found “a fully involved structure fire,” according to a LFD report about the incident.

Firefighters found that four people escaped the burning home but a fifth occupant was unaccounted for, the report says.

“The occupant was located in the structure during suppression efforts and had succumbed to injuries from the fire,” the report says.

The other four were transported to Ivinson Memorial Hospital for evaluation of any possible injuries and smoke inhalation. No firefighters were hurt during their response.

Lam said fire investigators from the LFD and Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s Office were at the scene investigating the origin and cause of the fire.

Lam said the coroner was called and would be the person to release information about the deceased, including identification, gender or whether the person was a child or adult.

That information wasn’t available as of press time Thursday.

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Evanston man killed in rollover

EVANSTON (WNE) — A 60-year-old Evanston was killed in a single-vehicle rollover early Wednesday morning north of town.

According to a press release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Craig A. Adkins died at the scene of the crash, which was reported at 4:29 a.m. Wednesday near milepost 12 on U.S. Hwy 189. Adkins was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the release.

“A 2002 Land Rover Discovery was headed north on US 189 when the vehicle drifted off the left side of the roadway before the driver overcorrected to the right,” the release states. “The vehicle exited the right side of the road and overturned.”

WHP is investigating driver fatigue as a potential contributing factor.

This is the 86th fatality on Wyoming’s roadways in 2021, compared to 100 in 2020, 123 in 2019, and 86 in 2018 to date.