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Wyoming House pauses select investigative committee after sheriff announces criminal probe
Summary
The House's select investigative committee announced it will pause public hearings after the Laramie County sheriff said his office is launching a criminal investigation into the same allegations; the House postponed floor discussion until tomorrow after members debated disclosure and jurisdiction.
The chairman of the House’s select investigative committee told members on Feb. 17 that the panel will pause its public work after the Laramie County sheriff publicly announced a criminal investigation covering the same allegations the committee was examining. “With that announcement, the investigative committee has unanimously decided to pause its investigation pending the outcome of the Laramie County Sheriff’s investigation,” the chairman said, citing the need to protect criminal-process rights and preserve evidence.
The chair said committee staff had been directed to gather evidence and prepare to invite witnesses to public hearings. He pointed to joint rules governing legislative investigations, saying those rules permit subcommittees to hold proceedings in abeyance if complaints allege criminal activity.
Representative Bair pressed for details about the sheriff’s public post and asked whether the Facebook announcement amounted to an official investigation. The chairman said Legislative Service Office staff spoke with the sheriff, who confirmed detectives would be assigned and that he anticipated the criminal probe could last about two weeks and would be forwarded to the district attorney in District 1 when complete.
After discussion about the scope of the committee’s pause and the House’s need for transparency, Representative Larson moved to postpone any further floor discussion of the committee’s materials until tomorrow so the House could have a fuller conversation at an appropriate time. The motion was put by the presiding officer and adopted by division, with members standing to signify support.
Representative Provenza registered a formal protest to the journal under House rule 8-5, saying he had earlier voted for a unanimous motion without knowing additional members of the body might be implicated and wished his caveat to be recorded.
The chairman told the House that if the criminal matter remains unresolved at the end of the session, management counsel could reappoint the committee or another panel to review the sheriff’s findings and decide whether any rules or standards of conduct were violated.
The House scheduled further discussion of the committee and directed that the matter be placed on the agenda the following day.
