A resident under supervised care at a state facility in Lander stole a vehicle from the center and drove it to Sheridan, where it was later found in flames, police said.
It’s unclear how the resident was able to access a vehicle and leave the Wyoming Life Resource Center. The Wyoming Department of Health is investigating the incident.
“Because this incident was obviously serious and significant, facility and department staff and leadership are reviewing what occurred to help ensure future campus safety,” WDH spokesperson Kim Deti said.
The center, which serves between 40 and 45 residents, is licensed to provide intermediate care to people with intellectual disabilities and as a skilled nursing facility for those with medical needs, according to Deti.
All residents require supervision, but “the amount and intensity of that supervision can vary among residents,” Deti said.
Late Saturday morning, police responded to a report of a state vehicle stolen from the Wyoming Life Resource Center by a resident.
The driver, whose name is not public to protect her medical privacy, took the vehicle from the facility on Saturday, said Lander Police spokesperson Duane Kaiser. She drove to Sheridan, where later that morning Wyoming Highway Patrol and Sheridan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a vehicle fire west of town on Big Goose Road, Sheridan County Undersheriff Devereaux Johnson said.
The driver was taken to Sheridan Memorial Hospital for medical care, according to Devereaux.
“It is suspected that the individual involved set the vehicle on fire,” Wyoming Highway Patrol Cpt. Benjamin Schlosser said.
After receiving treatment, the resident was released back to the Life Resource Center, Kaiser said.
The case was “forwarded to Fremont County Attorney’s Office for review of possible charges,” Kaiser said.
The Fremont County Attorney’s Office said Thursday it has yet to receive information about the incident.
A 2013 investigation by a nonprofit group found an “observed culture of indifference at the center” and noted five instances when staff at the center allegedly lost track of residents in their care, the Casper Star-Tribune reported at the time.
The center completed an $85 million dollar renovation in November 2022 that modernized outdated facilities and expanded the numbers and types of patients it was functionally equipped to serve.
I cannot speak for WLRC, but I can speak to my experience there that I just completed as part of an RN refresher course. I spent 80 hours with nurses, residents, CNAs and others and I came away with a feeling of gratitude that some of the most vulnerable people in our society are so well cared for. Each resident is treated as an individual and their human rights are vigorously maintained. Please do some fact-checking and not depend on a 10 year old study. I generally love reading Wyofiles and come away feeling better informed. This was very disappointing from a subscribers point of view.