Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson stepped into the SVI Radio studio on Tuesday, October 14 for his monthly report. Sheriff Johnson discussed the upcoming relocation of the Etna School Crossing and school bus safety and provided an update on an investigation tied to a single vehicle accident up Greys River this past July.

(0:00) Joining me live in studio today is Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson with the monthly report (0:05) from the sheriff’s office. As always, good morning, Sheriff. How are you today? Good, (0:09) how are you? Hey, doing great.

Appreciate the time and the update. A couple of things that we (0:13) can chat about today. It’s been a process in the works for a while with the school district and (0:20) the Highway Patrol and WIDOT and those state agencies involved with the crosswalk being (0:24) moved in Aetna.

And I know that your department has probably been looking forward to that change. (0:30) Yeah, yeah, with the school district, you know, the bus barn, the school board been working on (0:41) this. Sheriff’s office was involved in some meetings and also the meeting up there at the (0:46) site and finally got the right people and got the attention.

The principal up there has done a great (0:53) job of bringing attention to the safety issue up there. So we feel pretty good that we were able to (1:05) convince WIDOT that a change needed to be made for the safety of the kids. And after all, (1:09) that’s kind of the main thing there.

So it was pretty clear once we got the group together and (1:17) got eyes on it that there needed to be a change. And so to their credit that they’re making that (1:21) change and unless there’s something happened since my last meeting that they’re working on (1:28) this fall in hopes of getting that change. So that’s a good thing.

Now, one thing that the (1:34) transportation department of the school district mentions, a good point, I’m sure you and the (1:38) Highway Patrol will be watching this, is it does move that light or that crossing zone a lot closer (1:44) to the south side of it. So if you’re driving north into Aetna, that’s going to creep up on you a lot (1:48) quicker than it had been. Yep.

And WIDOT mentioned that they had done some studies and that people (1:55) were going through too fast through there, which is, you and I have talked about it several times (2:01) here. It’s a common theme. People are just driving too fast and we got to get them slowed down.

So (2:07) they talk about the three E’s of, it applies across the board, but the three E’s of traffic, (2:15) which is environment, education, and then enforcement. And so we want to be involved (2:21) in all three of those parts, but you can expect enforcement and there’s going to be some (2:26) extra enforcement up there and getting people slowed down because that’s also (2:31) clearly a factor in the safety for kids in the area. Well, we’re on this topic.

Let’s talk more (2:36) about school bus safety and maybe some reminders on the stop signs and when you do have to stop for (2:44) the bus and when you don’t. Yeah. So you have to, if they have to sign out, you got to stop, (2:50) unless it’s a divided highway.

But basically that means anywhere here in Star Valley, (2:56) you got to stop. So if, when those lights come on, you better start slowing down and be prepared (3:02) to stop. I think, I don’t think I’m letting any secret out that all those buses have cameras now.

(3:08) So there’s follow-up that can be done if we’re not right there, which obviously we’re not going (3:14) to be everywhere. We share information with the bus garage and so we get notification when there’s (3:23) a violation and we follow up on that. And I’m of the opinion, and I understand not everybody would (3:31) agree there, you know, when it comes to traffic enforcement, the deputies have a lot of discretion (3:37) on how to handle it.

Verbal warning, a written warning, or a citation. And I really believe that (3:44) violations of school bus violations and violation of the school zone is a no warning area. That’s (3:50) just, it’s not the same as getting, you know, getting a little fast out in an open area.

We got (3:57) to pay attention to those school buses to protect those kids. So I kind of view that as a citation (4:03) area and hold people accountable and get the attention. So again, it’s, you know, the vast (4:11) majority of people are conscious of it and pay attention.

But at the end of the day, (4:18) we got to get everybody. It only takes one person not paying attention and get somebody hurt. So (4:22) we’re going to continue on the enforcement side and even bump up those efforts, especially in that (4:30) area as they change that in Aetna.

Thank you, County Sheriff Shane Johnson in studio this (4:34) morning. Sheriff, just to follow up on a story from earlier this summer, remind our listeners (4:38) that we had that single vehicle rollover in Grays River in July. And it was multiple occupants in (4:44) the vehicle.

And one person was there when you when you guys arrived on scene, and the other (4:48) person had taken off. Any update? I know you were looking for that individual for some time. (4:52) Yeah.

So if it’s the one I’m thinking of, we had we had one transported with pretty significant (4:58) injuries and the driver had fled the area. And we still have that vehicle. We’ve tried to follow (5:05) up.

What we have found is the registered owner and likely the driver is undocumented and probably (5:13) use that as an opportunity to maybe leave the area as in the country. So we haven’t had much (5:20) luck holding that person accountable, makes it difficult when they leave. And, you know, (5:26) without getting into the bigger discussion, that’s why people need to be licensed and, (5:30) and we need to have an idea who’s driving.

So the other difficult thing in that accident (5:36) is the occupant that was injured also undocumented is totally uncooperative, (5:41) won’t give us any information to obviously to protect the driver. So that makes it a little (5:46) difficult when the victim doesn’t want to be a part of it. So the case will remain open and active (5:53) at the sheriff’s office.

But that’s where we’re at on it. Sheriff Shane Johnson this morning on (5:57) the weekday wake up anything else happening in the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office you’d like (6:01) to mention today? Oh, I guess, you know, we’ve had a couple plane crashes lately. I don’t know (6:07) if I mean, they’ve hit the radar radar here.

It’s kind of unique. It doesn’t happen all the time. (6:13) It seems to have been happening in more often than usual lately.

So just those are obviously (6:22) investigated by the FF FAA, not the FFA. That’s a whole different thing. Yeah, a little different.

(6:28) Yeah. NTSB comes in and does those. But yeah, it’s kind of a curious thing.

A couple, (6:36) couple plane crashes here in the valley. And the last actually, if you go back six months, (6:41) there’s been three or four is in a multiple multiple ones in Alpine, right. And then there (6:47) was one around the Afton Smoot area, correct.

All right. We just the most recent was up there (6:52) towards Alpine area. So yeah.

Sheriff, I appreciate your time as always. Anything else? (6:58) No, appreciate the opportunity, dude. You bet.

It’s the weekday wake up this (7:02) morning on the SBI radio network.