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Goes by the name of “Charlie,” with a strong South African accent, police say.

The man is suspected of robbing the U.S. Bank on Powderhorn Lane at about 12:30 p.m. today.

Police say the man is roughly 6-foot-2 and 350 pounds, muscular but not obese, with big ears that stick out. He is wearing a long, black suit jacket and tan slacks to go with the pictured cap, and has a big silver watch on his left wrist.

Cops are advising citizens not to approach him but to call 307-733-2331.

New Year’s Eve seems to bring more and more outrageous revelers to Jackson Hole, but this is getting out of hand.

Update 1/24: Authorities have arrested Corey Donaldson, 39, an Australian living in Sandy, Utah, as the alleged robber.

Posted under Crime

Tags: cops

Early Monday night, residents in the vicinity of Kelly and Willow heard a crash. One woman said it sounded like a truck had run into the side of her house.

A driver had smashed a parked car on Kelly and flipped his Subaru. The man and his dog were unhurt, according to witnesses who came outside to investigate. The man told them he didn’t know what happened because he had been texting.

Authorities arrived, and the man appeared to fail field sobriety tests. He likely ran the stop sign at Willow to be driving fast enough to flip his car. A tow truck had to turn the car back over to remove it, which was quite a production.

This looks like the second bizarre incident of driving while intoxicated on this block of Kelly Avenue this year. Back in April, a woman zonked on prescription medication went on a crazy rampage, sideswiping cars, taking out a stop sign and driving on lawns before finally coming to rest in May Park.

Thanks to the newshounds at the Triple Deuce for being on the scene.

The old adage seems to apply here: Never break more than one law at a time.

Posted under Crime

Tags: cops, skids

What if you traveled 1,000 miles to stage a gruesome abortion protest and no one could see it?

Props to the ranchers and moving truck owners for heading downtown on business this morning.

(Via Jackson Hole United)

Posted under Politics, Religion, Wyoming

Tags: cops, cowboys, sex

Now that Jackson has become a destination resort for anti-abortion protesters, residents are responding in creative ways.

First Brad Watsabaugh started a Facebook campaign called Protecting ElkFest with Love. Then an even bigger group formed, Jackson Hole United, that sought to deflect and defuse the first round of protests earlier this week.

The town’s decision to restrict free speech last summer backfired horribly, giving the zealots what they seek most: conflict. Having raised considerable publicity and cash following their organizers’ arrest, the crazies announced their intention to return to the Boy Scout antler auction and ElkFest on May 19. And even crazier crazies joined the fray this week.

Before Brad and Jackson Hole United took action, several of us had discussed exercising our right to free speech in concert with the protests. Send a message using the contact tab above if you want in. It ought to be amusing.

“Rather than feeding the hatred and ugliness that the abortion protestors thrive on, we will surround and drown them in love and compassion!” reads the purpose of Protecting Elkfest with Love. Add humor to the mix.

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Posted under Politics, Religion, Republican Party, Town Government

Tags: cops, sex

As many commenters have pointed out, yesterday’s helicopter crash that killed Teton County Search and Rescue volunteer Ray Shriver serves as a painful reminder that rescuers risk their lives every time they go into the backcountry.

The Teton County Sheriff’s Office has released a few more details about the crash (see release after jump). Notably, the chopper never reached the scene of the snowmobile accident on Togwotee Pass. The helicopter was hovering, looking for a landing spot, when it suddenly lost altitude and crashed, authorities said.

This is the first fatality on the team since it formed in 1993; before that, it had operated for years as a loose-knit group of volunteers. Only once had a team member been seriously injured, the result of a fall in the Darby Canyon caves.

We’ve read about so many daring, and successful, rescues in the Tetons over the years — whether featuring GTNP rangers or TCSAR volunteers — that perhaps we had come to take helicopter missions for granted. Not anymore.

Read More…

Posted under County Government, Deaths, Environment, Sports

Tags: backcountry, climbing, cops, grand teton national park, national forest, skiing