Court upholds road rage penalty

CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a Lander man who fired a gun at another vehicle during a 2002 road rage incident on Interstate 80.

Norbert Robert Schultz of Lander was convicted two years ago of unlawful possession of a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault stemming from the incident. He was sentenced to three to six years in prison.

Prosecutors said that on Nov. 1, 2002, Schultz was driving his white Mitsubishi on I-80 and pulled up behind a Ford F-350 pickup truck driven by Brandon Peterson. Peterson's wife, Zoey, was in the passenger seat.

According to trial testimony, Schultz had his brights on and was driving aggressively. Peterson turned on his bright lights after Schultz passed him, prompting Schultz to slam on his brakes. When the Petersons' truck drew up next to his car, Schultz opened fire, shooting the truck four times.

Peterson sped up to get away and called 911. Neither he nor his wife was hurt.

The incident began in Albany County but ended in Laramie County. That led to a change in jurisdiction. While the case was being transferred, Schultz disappeared.

Schultz had fled to Belize while awaiting trial. His whereabouts were unknown until he applied for citizenship in Belize. The Belize government contacted the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service extradited Schultz back to Wyoming to stand trial.

Crews clean up spill on I-80

CHEYENNE - A chemical spill west of Elk Mountain closed westbound Interstate 80 for more than six hours Wednesday morning and sent a truck driver to the hospital, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

A 2006 Volvo semitrailer driven by Adrian Rafalo, 23, of LaGrange Highlands, Ill., rolled over and spilled an unknown amount of Texapon N56 - a strong oxidizing agent used in household and industrial cleaners - into the westbound lanes and median.

Rafalo was extricated from the wreckage and taken to the hospital in Rawlins before being flown to the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper.

Crews from the Wyoming Department of Transportation used water and sand to clean up the Texapon, which is not a regulated hazardous material. Westbound I-80 traffic, which had been diverted onto U.S. Highway 30 after the spill, was allowed back onto the interstate at about 6:30 a.m.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

College begins president search

POWELL - A committee searching for the next president of Northwest College has set a Jan. 15 deadline for candidates to apply.

The college plans to begin advertising for the job in mid-November. The advertising will include a Web page with links to more information about the college and local communities.

The committee plans to invite candidates for interviews in Billings, Mont., in early March. The next president will be chosen as soon as April 1.

Miles LaRowe announced in June that he planned to retire at the end of this school year after serving as president for four years.