SHERIDAN (WNE) — The Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police reports 68% of arrests in Sheridan County involved alcohol in 2021. While data for 2022 is not yet available, Sheridan Police Department Capt. Tom Ringley said this number is historically consistent for the county.

As reported by WASCOP, 344 of 503 total offenses in Sheridan County involved alcohol. Seventeen of 20 vehicle crashes in Sheridan County were reported to involve alcohol. Compared across counties, Sheridan was listed third, behind Teton County and Fremont County, as a county with significantly higher rates of alcohol-involved offenses than the state average of 57%.

In 2021, nine of 11 assaults and 23 of 42 domestic violence offenses involved alcohol. Sheridan County Sheriff Levi Dominguez said the lowered inhibition that comes with alcohol consumption can compound with underlying issues, potentially resulting in violent offenses.

“While last year we didn’t have any reports of assault on a peace officer, at least listed in the [WASCOP] report, historically 100% of all interference and resisting arrest have involved alcohol,” Ringley said.

As stated in the WASCOP report, the number of alcohol-involved arrests has declined statewide in recent years but alcohol remains the drug with the biggest impact on crime statewide. 

WASCOP reports incidents of assault, disturbance, child abuse and domestic violence are all heavily influenced by alcohol and, in the past 10 years, statistics show the two crimes that account for the greatest number of arrests in Wyoming are driving under the influence and public intoxication. Together, these two crimes have accounted for an average of 45% of all custodial arrests over the past decade.

Dominguez said the key to lowering the number of alcohol-involved crimes could lie in addressing the roots of the problem, one being the lack of adequate mental health resources locally and statewide.