Sheriff's SUV purchases cause stir

POWELL -- Park County commissioners are criticizing Park County Sheriff Scott Steward for buying six SUVs from New Jersey without first taking local bids.

Commissioners say they should have been consulted and that local auto dealers were harmed.

But Steward said the purchase saved money for taxpayers and the vehicles are needed for public safety.

Steward said he was able to buy six Dodge Durangos for $23,098 each from Warnock Motors in East Hanover, N.J.

He said that in 2006 the sheriff's department paid about $27,000 per SUV after bidding locally.

Commissioners cited Park County's vehicle policy that vehicles should be purchased from dealers in Park County when possible.

Cheyenne refinery releases toxins

CHEYENNE -- Another incident at the Sinclair Refinery in Sinclair has released sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gas into the atmosphere.

The National Response Center says a coker compressor shutdown Thursday released 53,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 570 pounds of hydrogen sulfide.

It's the sixth such incident reported at the refinery this year. The other five incidents released a combined 179,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 5,900 pounds of hydrogen sulfide.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says the effects of hydrogen sulfide exposure range from eye irritation to death depending on concentration. Sulfur dioxide exposure can cause similar effects.

Sinclair Oil officials and state regulators couldn't be reached for comment Friday.

Vandals knock out windows

POWELL -- Vandals in Powell knocked the windows out of 19 vehicles and left graffiti around the town over the Halloween weekend.

Vandals knocked out 51 windows on 19 vehicles at an auto shop in Powell. Bob Langdon of Bob's Auto is offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the conviction of the person responsible.

The Powell Police Department reports that it received 26 reports of graffiti that occurred between midnight and 5 a.m. Sunday.

Powell Police Chief Tim Feathers said the department is investigating but has made no arrests.

Man guilty in hit-and-run

GILLETTE -- A Gillette jury says a 27-year-old man is guilty of aggravated assault for running over a woman in a hit-and-run crash.

The jury deliberated more than seven hours before handing down the verdict Wednesday. Jason Puzio faces up to 10 years in prison for the crime. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Prosecutors said Puzio ran over Marina Soroncean, crushing her pelvis and breaking her spine, in November 2008.

During the trial, Soroncean told jurors she was hospitalized for more than a month after the crash and still has lingering pain.