NEW MEXICO SLAYING

Suspect in New Mexico slaying arrested in Wyoming

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A man wanted in a fatal shooting in New Mexico has been arrested on charges of stabbing a woman in Wyoming.

The Gillette News-Record reports 36-year-old Charles J. Robinson was arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder after a woman identified as his girlfriend was stabbed in Gillette Saturday.

The Albuquerque Journal reports Robinson is wanted in the shooting death of 25-year-old Thomas Manuel last month.

Robinson was being held on $2.5 million bail in Wyoming. Campbell County jail officials didn’t know whether he had an attorney.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol says a trooper arrested Robinson shortly after the stabbing. The patrol says Robinson was asleep in a vehicle about 70 miles west of Gillette. The patrol says Robinson’s 1-year-old son was in the vehicle.

CASPER POLICE CHASE

Man arrested after police chase in Casper

(Information in the following story is from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com)

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities say a driver fleeing from a drug investigation in Casper rammed a police car and two other vehicles before he was apprehended.

Investigators say 41-year-old Jason Paul Prudhomme was arrested Tuesday on drug and traffic charges.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports officers tried to pull Prudhomme over as part of the drug investigation. Authorities say Prudhomme rammed a police car and another vehicle before colliding with a sport-utility vehicle in south Casper, where he was arrested.

Authorities say Prudhomme suffered minor injuries. No one else was hurt.

Prudhomme was being held in the Natrona County jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine, intent to deliver, conspiracy, eluding law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while under suspension.

Jail records didn’t indicate whether he has an attorney.

SHERIFF-RECORDS FEE

Laramie County sheriff drops public records fee

(Information in the following story is from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Laramie County Sheriff’s Department has stopped charging fees to view public documents.

The department tells the Wyoming Tribune Eagle the department dropped the practice on May 20.

Many Wyoming government agencies charge for copies of records, but the state open records law doesn’t authorize charging for the time and effort required to make them available to the public.

Sheriff Danny Glick says the department won’t usually charge for photocopies, either, but fees could be imposed for large-scale requests.

Cheyenne attorney Bruce Moats, an expert on the public records law, praised the change. He has been critical of the sheriff’s policy in the past.

Moats says the costs of compiling and copying records can be prohibitive for citizens and can be a detriment to open government.

VETERANS-COLLEGES

UW seeks to collect student veterans data

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The University of Wyoming has about 600 students who served or are serving in the military, but it doesn’t know much about them.

Unlike other classes of students, UW hasn’t tracked basic information on its student veterans, such as graduation rates, retention rates or average GPA.

But that is changing thanks to an initiative started by the relatively new UW Veterans Services Center.

Marty Martinez is senior project coordinator with the center.

Martinez is working with other UW departments to collect data specific to student veterans, many of whom attend college on the GI Bill. He says the data could be used to help better serve the veterans.

Martinez is hoping the state’s community colleges will follow suit. He made a presentation on the topic during a conference this week.