A man wanted in Idaho was arrested in Sublette County following a pursuit late Friday and early Saturday.
Sublette County Dispatch was contacted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office late on Friday regarding an attempt to locate on a subject out of Idaho. Lincoln County informed dispatch that that Bonneville County Idaho had contacted them about a male subject they were looking for in reference to a warrant.
The suspect, 51-year-old Robert Richey from Idaho Falls, had an active warrant out of Bonneville County for sexual assault involving a minor.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was able to ping the suspect’s cell phone and get GPS coordinates. The cell phone was located near a cell tower in the Bondurant area. Two Sublette County Deputies were notified and responded to Bondurant where the phone was last located. At approximately 10 p.m., a Sublette County Deputy located the described vehicle parked at the Branding Iron Grill in Bondurant. He attempted to contact Richey while other Deputies were responding, but Richey fled at high speeds—initiating a pursuit.
At approximately 10:10 p.m., the suspect crashed his vehicle near the entrance to the Hoback Canyon. He allegedly jumped out of the vehicle and ran on foot holding a handgun.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Troopers arrived on scene along with other Sublette County Deputies and immediately set up a perimeter. Sublette County Sheriff’s Office activated the Reverse 9-1-1 alert system in the Bondurant area for residents to shelter in place while the search to find the suspect commenced.
Members of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office were staging with night vision equipment to aid in locating the fugitive, and trackers were on hand to follow Richey’s footprints in the snow.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., Richey walked out into the pull out at the mouth of the Hoback Canyon and was taken into custody. Richey was reportedly very cold and had been exposed in the snow and elements for approximately three hours. Temperatures in the area at the time were between -12 and -16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sublette County EMS evaluated Richey and transported him to St. Johns Medical Center in Jackson from the scene.
Early Saturday morning, Richey was discharged from St. Johns Medical Center and transported to the Sublette County Jail for booking. Along with the Warrant from Idaho, he has been charged in Sublette County with Fugitive from Justice, Driving under the influence, Reckless Driving, Open Container, Attempting to Elude a Peace Officer, and Speeding.
