Regional
Champs!
Rocky Mountain Head Coach Carol McMillin (center) celebrates with the varsity Shoshoni to win the 2A Northwest Regional Championship Saturday in Lander. The
volleyball team, cheerleaders and fans following their four-game victory over Grizz travel to Casper today to compete as the top seed from the West. BRAD DEWPJaVX
Lovell, Wyoming 82431
Price 75¢
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Volume 105, Number 20
Commission
denies petition
for removal
BY KARLA POMEROY
The Big Horn County com-
missioners have denied the peti-
tion to remove Big Horn County
Attorney Georgia Antley Hunt
from office.
At a special meeting Tuesday
morning, the commissioners de-
liberated about an hour and then
met via teleconference with their
attorney and hearing officer Tom
Jubin for about 30 minutes, ac-
cording to Commissioner Jerry
Ewen.
They then came out of ex-
ecutive session and made two
motions, both approved unani-
mously.
The first motion was to deny
the petition .that had been filed
Aug. 2 by Letitia Abromats of
Greybull. The second motion
See 'HUNT,' page 7
Legal high
could be
dangerous
BY BRAD DEVEREAUX
When researchers at Clem-
son University in South Caro-
lina developed a formula more
than a decade ago to mimic the
active chemicals in marijuana,
they hoped to study the relation-
ship between chemical struc-
ture and biological activity. The
group was attempting to create
a substance that recreates the
herb's therapeutic effects like
appetite stimulation and pain
relief while eliminating its psy-
chotropic properties. However,
once completed, the team's work
was not fit for medical trials be-
cause they created chemicals
with stronger psychotropic ef-
fects than marijuana.
However, the research find-
ings were published in 1998 and
the synthetic compounds that
were developed are available
for purchase today. While some
are using the substance to fur-
ther research, it is also being
sprayed on the leaves of the da-
miana plant, labeled as an in-
cense and placed on the shelves
of gas stations, convenience
stores and smoke shops around
the country.
It's clearly marked "not
for human consumption," but
it's also being used to get high.
Since it exploded in the U.S. in
recent years, more than a dozen
states have passed legislation or
are considering actions to make
it illegal. It's been sold in the lo-
cal area and several people have
been admitted to the hospital in
recent weeks, complaining about
the effects after smoking it.
It may sound like pages from
a sci-fi thriller, but this is the re-
See 'SPICE HIGH,' page 7
Iley guilty on
seven counts
BY BRENDA TENBOER
Twelve jurors -- five men
and seven women -- found Mar-
vin Tilley, 58, of Deaver guilty
of seven felony counts including
six sexual assault crimes and one
burglary with intent to commit
sexual assault Monday afternoon
in Basin.
In a district court trial that
spanned six days, four women
who were children when Tilley
sexually assaulted them testified
about events that happened in
the 1970s and 1980s.
Witnesses for the prosecution
included an expert in sexual as-
sault trauma, Dr. Veronique Val-
liere (doctorate in psychology).
A former babysitter, who was
about 11 years old at the time,
also testified for the prosecution
stating Tilley grabbed her leg in a
sexual advance while driving her
home. Tilley, according to her tes-
timony, told her not to tell her fa-
ther what happened, but she did.
Charges were not pressed in that
instance.
Tilley was convicted of forc-
ing another babysitter to perform
oral sex on him while parked in
the hills near Deaver. He left his
wife, Linda, at home with the
couple's children to give the girl
a ride home, according to her tes-
timony.
Details such as the month
and day the crime happened, or
the make, model and color of the
pickup truck Marvin Tilley was
driving, were often times not re-
called by the four victims in the
crimes.
"A child may not remember
the exact date it happened, but
she certainly remembers the de-
tails of the night he grabbed the
back of her head and forced her
to perform oral sex," said Depu-
ty Big Horn County Prosecuting
Attorney James Hallman during
closing arguments Monday.
Linda Tilley also testified
that Marvin never gave babysit-
ters a ride home, that she was al-
ways the one to do it.
She testified she was aware of
an "affair" her husband had with
the girl when she was older.
"He admitted having sexual
intercourse with her. I'm sorry,
being a wife, I did not want a lot
of details," Linda Tilley said when
questioned by Hallman.
Linda Tilley said her hus-
band was excommunicated from
the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints for committing
adultery.
"It was an affair," she said.
Linda Tilley said that despite
being unfaithful, her husband is a
good man and she has stuck with
him through thick and thin.
One of the victims in the case
was just 7 years old when she was
molested by Marvin Tilley, ac-
cording to testimony.
She was asleep in her bed
when she awoke to the feeling of
someone standing over her, a part
of his body touching her, accord-
ing to court documents.
• lley testifies in own defense
BY KARLA POMEROY
Marvin Tilley, 59, of Deaver,
took the stand last Friday in his
own defense.
He testified that he had af-
fairs with three of the alleged vic-
tims when they were at least 17
years of age.
Tilley denied ever picking
up or taking his babysitter, one
of the victims, home. He said, "I
didn't do the babysitting; that
was Linda."
Despite the victim testifying
that she was 10 or 11 when she
began babysitting, Tilley said she
had to be at least 12 or 13 in or-
der to be old enough to take care
of his four children. He said he
did not have much contact with
the victim until she was about 17
when she had moved back to the
area after a few years away.
He said they had consensual
sex three or four times and then
she began seeing another older
guy.
Tilley was found guilty of sex-
ual assault in the first degree and
immoral acts with a child regard-
ing this victim.
He also testified he had a two-
year affair with another victim
including about a year when the
victim was married. He said the
affair ended when her husband
caught them together.
Under cross-examination, Big
Horn County Deputy Attorney
Jim Hallman asked, "She testified
that you picked her up at school.
Are you saying you didn't?"
Tilley testified, "No, I never
did. I didn't seek her out." He said
that while he has been married
for 39 years he is human.
"And attracted to teenage
girls?" Hallman asked.
"Not necessarily," Tilley said.
Tilley denied furnishing alco-
hol to the victim and said that she
initiated contact.
He was found guilty of sexual
assault in the first degree regard-
ing the incident with this victim.
Another victim, he said, was
the first time he was "ever un-
faithful," and they had a three-
year affair prior to the time he be-
gan seeing the second victim.
Tilley was found guilty of sex-
ual assault in the first degree and
See 'TILLEY TESTIFIES,' page 7
Defense attorney James Cast-
berg argued that a victim of such a
crime would surely tell her moth-
er or someone right away, and it
isn't a case of four women getting
together who have some kind of a
score to settle with Marvin Tilley,
Hallman said.
"These women do not know
each other, they did not get to-
gether and concoct these state-
ments," Hallman said.
The trial lasted from Oct. 18-
Oct. 25 with jurors beginning de-
liberations on th seven charges
shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.
See rrlLLEY GUILTY,' page 7
General Election
Tuesday
Numerous
contested races
in north Big
Horn County
BY DAVID PECK
Voters around the nation
will go to the polls Tuesday to
participate in the 2010 General
Election and like many places,
there are many interesting races
in north Big Horn County.
The polls open Tuesday at 7
a.m. and will remain open until
7 p.m. at the following polling
places: the National Guard Ar-
mory in Love]], the Log Gym in
Cowley, the Town Complex in
Byron, the Community Hall in
Deaver and the Town Hall (old
school building) in Frannie.
Party nominations were
completed at the Primary Elec-
tion in August, and finalists will
square off on Tuesday, along
with non-partisan finalists for
town offices and candidates for
district boards including the hos-
pital board and school boards for
Districts One and Two.
There are also three revenue
questions on the ballot.
In the lone federal contest,
U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis won
the Republican nomination in
August and is being challenged
by Democrat David Wendt of
Jackson and Libertarian John
Love, the chief of police in Green
River. Lummis is seeki.'ng her
second two-year term. Neither
Sen. Mike Enzi nor Sen. John
Barrasso are up for election this
year.
Wyoming will elect a new
governor on Tuesday, with Gov.
Dave Freudenthal declining to
seek re-election. Former Demo-
cratic Party Chairman Leslie Pe-
tersen of Wilson will battle GOP
nominee Matt Mead of Chey-
enne, a former U.S. Attorney for
Wyoming, and Libertarian Mike
Wheeler of Casper. Independent
Conservative Taylor Haynes of
Cheyenne has also run a spirited
write-in campaign for Wyoming's
highest office.
Secretary of State Max Max-
field is seeking his second term
in office and is being challenged
by Democratic nominee Andrew
Simons of Laramie and Libertar-
ian Candice De Laat of Gillette.
Perhaps the tightest battle at
the state level is the contest for
State Supt. of Public Instruction
between former junior high prin-
cipal Cindy Hill of Cheyenne, the
Republican nominee, and State
Sen. Mike Massie of Laramie,
the Democratic nominee.
GOP nominee Cynthia Cloud
is unopposed and will succeed
Rita Meyer as state auditor, and
Joe Meyer is unopposed in his re-
election bid for state treasurer.
State Sen. Ray Peterson is un-
opposed for re-election to his Dis-
i
See ELECTION, page 8
, IIIUllI!,IIIII!I!LILILIIIll.
The Lovell Chronicle, 234 E. Main, Lovell, WY 82431. Contact us at: 548-2217. www.lovellchronicle.com
