News briefs from around Wyoming

From Wyoming News Exchange newspapers

Ft. Washakie man charged with embezzling funds for guns, furniture

LANDER (WNE) — A federal grand jury has charged Logan James Savage, Fort Washakie, with five counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement, alleging he used a company credit card to make personal purchases for more than $25,000.

Savage worked as the finance director for Wind River Family and Community Health Care Between July 2022 and May 2023. He was one of several employees who had been granted company credit cards to cover business-related purchases, according to the federal indictment.

The indictment alleges Savage used the credit card to make personal purchases, then concealed those purchases by failing to provide receipts or documentation, and then directing employees to make payments toward his card balance using Wind River Cares funds.

Savage made a purchase of $4,491 in furniture and goods from Denver Mattress Company in Casper, Wyo., on or about February 18, 2023, according to the indictment. Then, two days later, the charging documents allege he charged $3,203 in furniture and goods from Kusel’s Furniture and Appliances in Riverton. Between late November 2022 and late March 2023, Savage also allegedly charged approximately $4,433 in firearms and other goods from Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply in Riverton. The indictment also alleges he charged $6,848 in groceries and other goods from Walmart stores in Riverton, Casper and Lakewood, Colo., between October 2022 and March 2023.

The five wire fraud charges each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines; the embezzlement from an Indian organization charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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Powell Hospital pushes back against proposed fed rule

POWELL (WNE) —- Powell Valley Healthcare’s Care Center leaders are looking for support from the board to fight back against a proposed federal rule they say would cripple care centers across the country, including in Powell.

Nicole Ostermiller, CFO and director of The Heartland assisted living facility, and Michelle Petrich, acting nursing home administrator, said a proposed rule by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid would not be feasible by especially rural nursing homes like those in Powell as far as staffing mandates and an increase in paperwork.

Petrich said the most concerning proposed standard is requiring 24-hour RN coverage on the floor.

She said with the extra cost of RNs over LPNs and the shortage of RNs a national issue, they can’t see how they could comply with that standard.

“You can’t make things just carte blanche work for everybody,” Petrich said, adding, “We don’t make enough in a day from Medicare and Medicaid to cover our costs right now.”

She said Powell is actually generally above the staffing levels the new rule would require — and well above the current staffing minimum from the state of 2.25 resident hours per day, which Petrich said was too low for safety — aside from the RN requirement.

The current requirement is one eight-hour RN shift per 24 hours. Petrich said with 60 residents in long term care under the new rules, some of which would be phased in over three years, it would require hiring more CNAs and RNs — at a time when the two positions are some of the most sought after nationwide by hospitals, many of whom don’t have enough of either.

Petrich said even if they were able to fully staff as per the proposed regulations, staff leaving would leave them scrambling.

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Park County man charged with 18 wildlife violations

CODY (WNE) — A Park County man has been summoned to appear before Park County Circuit Court to answer to 18 different wildlife charges, which allege he took two grizzly bears without the proper license, imported wildlife parts illegally into the state and shipped several game animals illegally out of the state.

Grant Cadwallader is alleged to have committed these offenses between 2002 and 2020, according to charging documents.

Between 2002 and 2004 and between 2017 and 2020, Cadwallader allegedly took two grizzly bears without the proper license.

And between 2014 and 2019, he allegedly illegally imported into Wyoming from another state or country the feathers of a sub-adult golden eagle, the feathers of a bald eagle, the talons of a golden eagle and the claws of a brown bear, according to the charging documents.

Cadwallader has also been accused of shipping out of Wyoming several items without the proper Wyoming interstate game tag between 2013 and 2019, the charging documents said.

The items included 12 bighorn sheep skulls.

If convicted of all charges, Cadwallader could face suspension of his hunting license for a minimum of six years as well as have to serve up to 12 years in prison and pay a maximum $70,000 fine.

Cadwallader is scheduled to appear before Circuit Court on Oct. 12.

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Unruly bar patron jailed for spitting beer in woman’s face

POWELL (WNE) — Spitting beer in a patron’s face at a Cody bar recently landed a Michigander in jail for over two weeks.

Christopher Magyar, of Newberry, Michigan, served 16 days in the Park County Detention Center and received six months of unsupervised probation for a misdemeanor count of unlawful contact.

Charging documents say Magyar caused a disturbance at the Silver Dollar Bar on the evening of Sept. 11.

The bar’s owner told police that Magyar was “very intoxicated” and repeatedly refused to leave. At one point Magyar left, but he returned with a Coors Light he’d purchased elsewhere and became aggressive, Cody Police Officer Brandon Tilman wrote in an affidavit.

When another patron told him to go, “Magyar confronted [the woman] and, without saying anything, spit a mouthful of beer at the direction of [the woman,] striking her in the face,” Tilman wrote of her account.

Magyar — who said he spat after being pushed — was arrested for unlawful contact; Tilman alleged that the defendant spit the beer “in a rude and insolent manner.”

Magyar was unable to post a $2,000 bond, remaining in jail until Sept. 26, when he pleaded no contest in Park County Circuit Court. He was assessed $220 in penalties alongside the probation, with another 14 days of jail time suspended.

While on probation, Magyar is barred from drinking and from bars, among other conditions.