Officials hold man in pot bust

DOUGLAS - A Canadian man is in custody after law enforcement officers found about 369 pounds of high-grade marijuana in a U-haul truck. The drugs have a street value of up to $2.5 million, Converse County Sheriff Clint Becker said.

Christopher Kyle, 33, was being held in jail here Wednesday on a $2 million cash bond - the highest bond imposed in at least the last 10 years, county prosecutor Quentin Richardson said.

A sheriff's deputy stopped Kyle for speeding between the two Douglas exits on Interstate 25 at about 6 p.m. Friday.

The deputy called the Wyoming Highway Patrol for backup, and a drug dog alerted when circling the U-haul, Becker said. That gave officers probable cause for a search, which turned up the pot as well as about $8,000 in cash.

Richardson expected to file charges in 8th Circuit Court here today. The case will likely be bound over to District Court. Meanwhile, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation is working the case with the sheriff�s office to figure out where the man was coming from and going.

Feds release AML funding

CHEYENNE - The federal government announced Wednesday the distribution of more than $51 million to Wyoming as part of the Abandoned Mine Lands program.

Through the program, the federal Office of Surface Mining is distributing a total of $82.7 million to Wyoming this year. The state will get at least that much annually over the next six years as the federal government distributes coal-tax funds that were collected but never appropriated in the past.

"I am pleased Wyoming will get more money from the federal government than ever before," Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said in a prepared statement. "The $51 million was Wyoming's money to begin with and should never have been held captive for this long."

Wyoming lawmakers have already divided up the $51 million for three projects not involving reclamation.

Those are $17.4 million for the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources operating budget, $20 million for a gasification facility and technology center at UW, and $10 million for the construction of a road to a planned coal-to-liquid plant in Carbon County.

The Office of Surface Mining is distributing the money in the form of grants. State officials have argued they should be given to the state as direct payments.

Judge delays man's sentencing

GILLETTE - A federal judge has delayed the sentencing of a former Gillette fire chief who had sex with underage boys.

Judge Clarence Brimmer in Cheyenne pushed back Gary Scott's sentencing from Tuesday until June 6 at the request of deputy U.S. attorney James Anderson.

Anderson said in motions filed with the court that he expects the sentencing hearing to be contested. Anderson said because of that, both sides will need more time to prepare.

Scott pleaded guilty March 5 to 10 counts of interstate travel with intent to engage in illegal sexual acts with a minor. He faces between 17 and 22 years in prison.