Two suspects are facing misdemeanor allegations including Child Endangerment in two separate cases, according to documents recently filed in Laramie County Circuit Court.
In one case a male suspect is accused of driving while under the influence with a juvenile in the vehicle on November 2. In another case a female suspect is accused of having methamphetamine paraphernalia in the same vehicle as a juvenile on October 29.
Multiple misdemeanor charges have been filed in both cases.
An affidavit of probable cause filed by the Cheyenne Police Department says that during the October 29 incident, the female suspect was driving a vehicle and was reportedly observed by officers failing to stop at a stop sign near Sheridan Street and Hilltop Avenue.
Officers not that the female suspect’s vehicle had no visible registration, and subsequent checks showed that the vehicle had not been registered since 2017. The suspect was also reportedly unable to provide proof of insurance.
Police go on to say that the female suspect admitted to having an open bottle of alcohol in the car and said that she had been drinking two-to-three hours prior to her contact with police. The suspect also admitted to methamphetamine use and said that paraphernalia was located in the vehicle.
Police note that at the time of contact, a 1 year old juvenile was in the back seat of the suspect vehicle. The child was reportedly not strapped into the car seat, and the car seat was facing forward and was not secured to the vehicle.
The female suspect was charged on November 1 with misdemeanor counts of Driving Under the Influence With a Child Passenger, Child Endangering, Operating a Vehicle With an Open Container, Failure to Maintain Insurance, No Valid Registration, and Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign.
In an unrelated incident police report arresting another driver, whose misdemeanor charges also included Driving While Under the Influence and Child Endangering, on November 2.
In this case officers contacted the male suspect after reporting to the scene of an alleged hit-and-run near Powderhouse Road and Michael Evans Avenue. Witnesses had reporting an erratic driver striking a parked passenger vehicle and leaving the scene.
Cheyenne PD says in an affidavit that the male suspect was contacted near Gabriel Drive and Miracle Parkway.
“[The suspect] was seated in the driver seat of the vehicle which had driven over the curb and sidewalk and was resting on the grass of a residence,” Cheyenne PD investigators write. “The vehicle was running and still in drive when I approached. While speaking with [the suspect] I observed the strong smell of alcohol coming from his person, poor manual dexterity, and extremely slurred speech.”
Officers go on to report that an empty Fireball Whiskey bottle was recovered from the floorboard of the vehicle.
A juvenile, born in 2019, was also reportedly in the backseat of the vehicle at the time of police contact.
It is claimed that the male suspect had to be ordered several times to place the vehicle in park, and refused to remove the keys from the ignition when ordered.
“For the safety of [the juvenile] I attempted to remove the keys from the vehicle so it could not be driven. [The suspect] forcefully grabbed my arm and tried to push me out of the vehicle. I held [him] until backup officers could arrive, during which time he continued to try and place the vehicle in gear…” officers say in the affidavit.
The male suspect was charged on November 6 with Driving While Under the Influence with a Child Passenger. It is noted in the Circuit Court information for the case that the suspect has a previous DUI conviction from 2017 and is being charged with a modified Second DUI charge.
Other charges facing the male suspect include misdemeanor counts of Child Endangering, Interference With a Police Officer, and Hit and Run.
Bond information for either suspect was not immediately available from Laramie County Circuit Court. All of those cited or arrested are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law. Charges are subject to change following official filings from the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office.
