Fugitive Flees Sentencing Hearing

A former Rock Springs man who failed to appear for sentencing last month has been added to the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office most wanted list.

Matthew Craig Payne, 39, was arrested by county deputies in July of last year and charged with aggravated assault and battery, strangulation of a household member, false imprisonment, and domestic battery.

According to court documents, on July 18, 2014, Payne assaulted his girlfriend Lynae Hall, with whom he had been living in a camper trailer on the Blue Rim Road northwest of Green River. Hall told county officers Payne “had bitten her, punched her with his fist, hit her with a construction level on the right hand, and used his hands to put pressure on her neck causing her difficulty breathing.”

Hall also stated that Payne “held her down on the floor of the camper and repeatedly stabbed the floor with a pair of scissors while stating he was going to kill her.”

Payne, Hall went on to say, “prevented her from leaving the camper and drug her around by her hair. Payne then left the camper taking Hall’s purse and cell phone with him.”

Officials said Hall “was observed to have numerous cuts and bruises on her arms, face, shoulder, and back,” in addition to “marks on the right side of her neck consistent with being strangled.”

Later released on bond, Payne was scheduled to be sentenced in District Court in Green River on March 12, but failed to appear.

Payne is described as a white male, with blonde hair and blue eyes, 5'10" in height, weight about 175 pounds. He lived in Gillette, Wyoming, for a time, and is believed to be originally from Texas.

Anyone with information on Payne’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office or other local law enforcement agency.