Airman faces trial on charges

CHEYENNE - A state investigator said Airman 1st Class Wesley J. Snellgrove tried to prevent him from seeing evidence when he and another investigator came to serve a search warrant on a child pornography charge.

Snellgrove was bound over for trial Wednesday on federal charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Randall Huff, an agent with the state Division of Criminal Investigation, said he and a fellow agent were asked to come back later when they arrived at Snellgrove's apartment and told him they had a search warrant.

When they entered the apartment, Snellgrove jumped for a laptop computer, Huff said. Snellgrove was then handcuffed, and the computer seized as evidence.

Snellgrove was one of five F.E. Warren Air Force Base personnel charged last week in relation to child porn investigations.

Refuge numbers show little change

JACKSON - About the same number of elk and bison were recently counted on the National Elk Refuge as were counted a year ago.

Refuge biologists did an informal count of elk and bison eating alfalfa pellets Jan. 30. The pellets are put out to supplement the animals' natural diet during the winter.

The biologists counted 6,611 elk and 950 bison. That's compared to 6,730 elk and 887 bison during a formal survey by refuge biologists and Wyoming Game and Fish Department officers last Feb. 21.

Refuge biologist Eric Cole said he expects similar numbers in this year's formal survey, set for Feb. 14 and 16.

A proposal released by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and wildlife Service last week calls for reducing the number of elk that winter on the refuge to around 5,000. The number of bison would be reduced to around 500.

Council ends falcon contract

RIVERTON - The City Council has voted not an extend an $8,000 contract with a falconer to chase away pesky crows.

The original contract with Jim Fustos was for 50 days, expiring on Feb. 2. Renewal would have meant renegotiating the contract or the city paying $1,000 a week to extended it.

The council decided unanimously Tuesday against retaining the falconer's services.

The crow problem was so bad last year that the city resorted to shooting the birds out of trees.

This winter, the city undertook a number of initiatives to combat the crows. Besides hiring Fustos, the city also netted roosting trees and installed electronic devices to keep the birds away.

Tunisian officers visit Wyoming

SHERIDAN - Two Tunisian field artillery officers are visiting Wyoming to share ideas and build relationships through the Wyoming National Guard.

On Wednesday, they visited with Sheridan Mayor Dave Kinskey. They were also to meet with Gov. Dave Freudenthal and visit the National Guard training facility at Camp Guernsey.

They're here through the Guard's State Partnership program, which brings military members from other countries to Wyoming.

Tunisia is a country of about 10 million on the north Africa coast.