Wyoming Trooper Out On Bond, Officials Mum On Charges
A Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper who was recently arrested following a multi-month investigation recently bonded out of jail.
But officials, as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, continue to refuse to divulge Testerman's exact charges or release any details on the case, citing Wyoming Statute 619(a). The statute applies to cases of sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor, and sexual battery.
The law prohibits the release of information before a case reaches district court. However, on Wednesday morning, a spokesman for Laramie County Circuit Court told Townsquare Media that Testerman had waived his right to a preliminary hearing. That would mean the case would go to the district court, at which time more information could be released.
A district court spokeswoman, around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, told Townsquare Media that they had not yet received the paperwork on the case.
Gabriel Testerman was arrested recently after a multi-month investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department. Testerman was arrested on Aug. 30. A Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman said at that time that Testerman had been suspended from his patrol duties on May 2 after the agency received when the Cheyenne Police Department notified the agency that Testerman was under investigation.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe on Wednesday confirmed that Erramouspe had been appointed as a special prosecutor in the Testerman case but declined to answer further questions.
A phone call to Erramouspe by KGAB was not immediately returned. Testerman was released from jail on Thursday after placing the required 10 percent of the $100,000 bond set in his case.
We will update further details on this story as the information becomes available,