Wyoming State Trooper, Delane Baldwin

Wyoming State Trooper, Delane Baldwin, admittedly, was one of the very last offices to arrive at the scene and placed in charge of the investigation. Wyoming State Trooper Sergeant James Wilson was already at the scene yet trooper Baldwin was placed in charge. Why? Trooper Baldwin was relatively new to the force with approximately 3 years served. In a collision where there are two fatalities, it seems unusual that a seemingly inexperienced officer, last on the scene, be placed in charge.


Wyoming State Trooper, Delane Baldwin's statements made to the Uncle of Conley Lane, Warren Boothe, the day after. For some reason this all changed several days later. Why???


Trooper Baldwin only conducted one interview with witnesses namely Cindy Williams. This was done the following day around 5:00pm over the phone. That's it. The occupants in the Yearsley vehicle were never interviewed officially, nor was a statement ever taken from them. The Erby's, whom also wrecked at the site and were eyewitnesses, never gave a statement. Wayne Williams was interviewed by a private investigator who gave a different rendition from that of his wife.
Curious isn't it.


The father of Conley, Jim Lane, tried for several weeks to schedule an appointment with Trooper Baldwin after the wreck. He flew from Virginia to Jackson and found that Trooper Baldwin was out with a toothache when he arrived. He was out for three days and Jim Lane was never able to speak with him.


An informant came forward and said that Yearsley told him the Bronco was sitting still when they hit it.


Curious coincidences involving significant people as role players in the handling and outcome off the accident. I refer to the subsequent reassignment of Trooper Baldwin, the retirement of Trooper Wilson, shortly after this event. Vacation of the County Prosecutor's office by Tim Day, and Andy Mixel's decision to leave State Farm Mutual Insurance company (and to move out of the state}.


Trooper Baldwin searched Ollie Surtherland's motel room and reported that there was no sign of drinking in the room and certainly no alcohol containers.


Officer Delane Baldwin and another highway patrol officer, told the father of Ollie Sutherland, essentially the same story that coroner Bob Campbell told him. They emphasized black ice, inappropriate equipment, and uncommon bad luck--but they volunteered to him that alcohol did not seem to be a factor. They did not indicate to him that Ollie had been operating his vehicle unsafely, inappropriately, or recklessly and they certainly did not state, or suggest, or speculate that Ollie was rounding that curve, on black ice, at nearly 70 mph as reconstructionist officer John Daily concluded.


Coroner Bob Cambell, deputy sheriff Gene Ferrin, mortician, and highway patrol officers(Delane Baldwin) VOLUNTEERED in the first 48 hours after the collision that there was no alcohol involved in the accident--that Ollie did not appear to have been drinking.


Trooper Delane Baldwin and James Wilson reported that they could not be sure who was driving the Yearsley vehicle! Seemingly, Asst. prosecuting attorney Steve Weichman made that determination.
Based on what evidence?


Who called the highway department to sand and clean the road while two victims were still lying on the side of the road? No one knew the exact circumstances surrounding the incident at the time, or did they? Pertinent evidence was destroyed by this impetuous decision. What was the intention of this decision? It's interesting that Darrell Beck's father worked for the Highway Department.

Why in this unrelated accident was the road closed for over 7 hours when there wasn't even a fatality? Why?


The police also allowed a person, namely Judith Erby, to search the truck for articles, while a police officer stood closely by. Two young men are dead, and the police allowed someone to remove evidence from the vehicle involved in their deaths. Can authorities please explain this method of investigation to us. Does this follow police protocol? EMT Stafford, saw civilians rummaging through the Yearsley vehicle the next day at the pound. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle was taken out of state and never seen again! Why?


Officer Baldwin told Conley's uncle, Jack Boothe, - and he presented a sworn statement - that it looked like the Yearsley vehicle was in the wrong lane, and was traveling at the higher rate of speed? Mr. Baldwin also told him that there was no sign of alcohol on or about the Bronco, or Conley and Ollie.
What happened to cause a complete reversal of the facts in this case.


A phone conversation between State Farm Insurance representative Andy Mixel and Delane Baldwin depicts trooper Baldwin laughing during the interview. The question was but to him, asking if there was anymore damage other than the two vehicles involved. Trooper Baldwin, "There wasn't even a delineator pole that knocked over! LAUGH"
The death of two men is funny Mr. Baldwin?


Trooper Wilson signed official documents, which indicated that he witnessed blood samples being drawn from the victim's and in his subsequent testimony stated that he did not witness these procedures? Would this not invalidate or render inadmissible in court, the blood evidence for these samples? And since the blood evidence seems to be the basis, indeed the pivot point, for the conclusion drawn by the prosecuting attorney's office, and subsequently in court, that Ollie Sutherland was 100% responsible for the wreck. Where are the victim's rights in this case?


What was his point in telling Ollie's father that there had "been five other fatalities on "Brown's curve" in recent years and that the highway patrol routinely lowers the speed limit to forty five miles per hour in that area in winter months?
Can you provide us with definitive evidence concerning the 5 other fatalities at Brown's curve? Professionally speaking, surely local authorities wouldn't mislead these grieving families in such a cruel and vicious manner.... would they?


Father, John Sutherland was told by the Coroner, Bob Cambell and by the Deputy Sheriff Gene Ferrin that the an "older couple" had driven the other vehicle when, in fact, the occupants were four drinking "young" citizens of Jackson.
Put yourself in the shoes of these grieving families and try to imagine how this must have felt when they learned the truth!!!!


Why was father, John Sutherland told "Oh, God! You don't want to do that!" when he mentioned he wanted to visit the older couple who had been injured in the other vehicle and express his regret for the accident and to let them know he was concerned. (From the Deputy Sheriff Gene Ferrin and the Coroner Bob Cambell, separately, at different times)

Father John Sutherland wrote: "Deputy Sheriff Gene Ferrin treated me very kindly and humanely in his Jackson office while seeking information shortly after arriving in town. His demeanor cooled considerably and both his voice and body language took a threatened and anxious quality later in our conversation when I asked how to find the hospital where the surviving victim's were located. He seemed so alarmed by my inquiry that I explained to him my wife and I wanted to visit the "older couple" who had been hospitalized for the purposes of expressing our concern and determining what assistance we might be able to offer in this matter as Ollie's parents. The deputy turned pale and told me, to the effect, that that's the last thing in the world I wanted to do and to drop that idea. I asked for his reasoning and he just said that would be a very inadvisable thing to do. He abruptly changed the subject and began redirecting my attention to other matters. Upon reflection, I found that to be a very curious response and I can think of no logical (or innocent) reason for it. Perhaps he could explain it to me if asked again under more formal conditions."




Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.

Henry A. Kissinger