Three men narrowly escape speeding semi near Wyo-Ben

William Eric Vauter, 58, of Houston, Texas was arrested on Road 26 in Greybull July 22 following an episode of road rage in which he nearly ran down a sheriff’s deputy, coworker and tow and repair responder in a semi-truck. 

According to an affidavit filed by Big Horn County Deputy Sheriff Nathan Kreider July 23, Kreider was working traffic control on a semi accident that had occurred on Road 26 July 22. He arrived around 2 p.m. to find Quinton Haley of JR’s Towing and Repair and James Hoffert with the trucking company Marquardt Skyway Transportation working on the immobile semi and trailer Vauter had been driving two nights prior. There was some difficulty getting the semi mobile, as there was damage to the airlines and braking system wiring. 

Hoffert reported that Vauter had been cussing him out as they worked. When Kreider arrived, he observed Vauter sitting in a parked spare semi Hoffert had hauled to the scene for Vauter to drive back to South Dakota. Once Haley and Hoffert were able to move the damaged semi, Haley approached Vauter in the parked semi and told him he could hook up to the flatbed trailer. 

Vauter exited the parked semi and began screaming obscenities and flipping off Hoffert with both hands as Hoffert drove the repaired semi to the recovery wrecker semi. Vauter then hooked up to the trailer and drove off northbound, towards Wyo-Ben.  The remaining crew set up to load the repaired semi, with hazard lights on all operable vehicles and traffic cones placed in the northbound lane. 

About 20 minutes after Vauter left the scene, he was back, southbound this time, at approximately 60 mph. Kreider stood in the middle of the southbound lane, attempting to wave the oncoming semi down and yelling to Haley and Hoffert to get out of the way. The semi reportedly didn’t slow down. Middle finger out the window, Vauter allegedly came within a foot of hitting Kreider; Haley dove from the vehicle’s path. 

“As the semi passed me, I was close enough to feel the heat off the semi and a wall of displaced air sucking me towards the semi,” Kreider wrote. 

All three men reportedly escaped injury. Kreider chased Vauter down in his patrol truck and stopped him about 1.5 miles from the recovery scene. Kreider reported Vauter aggressively exited his vehicle and approached the patrol truck, arguing that he did not see the emergency vehicles and did not speed through the scene, “going the speed limit of 65 mph.” He was advised of the actual speed limit, 50 mph, and denied almost hitting the recovery team. 

Vauter was initially arrested for failure to yield to emergency vehicles, reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Charging documents filed July 24 by Big Horn County Attorney Marcia Bean pursue three felony charges of aggravated assault and battery, one for each of the three men on scene. Each charge holds a maximum sentence of 10 years, fine of up to $10,000, or both. A maximum consecutive sentence would mean 30 years, with fines up to $30,000. Vauter’s case has been bound over to District Court, he remains in Big Horn County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash-only bond.