When an abandoned SUV was spotted halfway down a gully in Park County’s rugged Oregon Basin, the speculation started to fly. What could’ve caused the crash? Is everyone OK? Who left it there? Could it have been dumped by fleeing criminals?
When pictures of the vehicle started circulating on social media, several theories emerged to explain the odd sight. Everything from off-roading gone wrong, willful destruction of public lands, ditched evidence of a crime and the possibility it was left by a missing person.
Then there’s the story the allegedly drunk driver of the SUV told deputies — that she’d been hit over the head and her car hijacked, then driven into the gully by her assailants.
Turns out, the story of the GMC Yukon spotted just off U.S. Highway 14-16-20 between Cody and Greybull, Wyoming, that had come to rest among several large rocks with a back door left hanging open, wasn’t anything that exciting.
Already Reported And Arrested
Monte McClain, a spokesman with the Park County Sheriff's Office, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that there are no mysteries with the abandoned vehicle. Deputies were on the scene Saturday shortly after the Yukon ended up in its current predicament.
"The vehicle owner called and reported it," he said, adding that, "She was arrested for a probation violation for consuming alcohol and was taken to jail."
Seems the local social media buzz had nothing on the female driver, who told deputies a “far-fetched story," McClain said. Her story, which turned out to be as bogus as all the other speculation, was that the SUV had been hijacked by some people she had picked up, he said.
"She said she was helping some people, had been hit over the head, and her car was driven off a cliff by them," he said. "When the deputy arrived and investigated it, he found out that there was only one occupant in the vehicle, and that was her. She was fully aware of what happened even if she didn't want to admit it to the deputy."
Suzanne Marie Cole, 59, is incarcerated at the Park County Detention Center on two misdemeanor charges of probation violation related to her intoxicated state. Her bail has been set at $10,000.
The reality was that Cole lost control of her vehicle and drove it off the highway herself, McClain said. Since consuming alcohol violated the conditions of her probation, she was arrested.
This GMC Yukon that sits crashed and abandoned in rugged terrain off Highway 14-16-20 in northwest Wyoming sparked a lot of speculation. Truth is, a suspected drunk driver left it there. (Pere Davison via Facebook) 
This GMC Yukon that sits crashed and abandoned in rugged terrain off Highway 14-16-20 in northwest Wyoming sparked a lot of speculation. Truth is, a suspected drunk driver left it there. (Pere Davison via Facebook) 
This GMC Yukon that sits crashed and abandoned in rugged terrain off Highway 14-16-20 in northwest Wyoming sparked a lot of speculation. Truth is, a suspected drunk driver left it there. (Pere Davison via Facebook)
Getting It Out
The main questions most people how have about the vehicle was when and how it would be removed. McClain said it will be a challenging task.
"At that location and the terrain, it's going to be difficult to remove," he said.
As for who will remove it, that's a jurisdictional question. Since the SUV drove off Highway 14-16-20, McClain said the responsibility of removing it belongs to the Bureau of Land Management.
"The vehicle is out there because this is on BLM land," he said. "BLM has jurisdiction, and they will have to make the arrangements to remove the vehicle."
The key difference is that the vehicle wasn't abandoned. The Park County Sheriff's Office can deal with abandoned vehicles on federal land but can't authorize any action when it's crashed.
"We can enforce Wyoming State Statute, but we cannot enforce anything that's a federal law violation," he said. "Under state statute, the sheriff's department handles abandoned vehicles. But since this was a motor vehicle crash, it wasn't abandoned. So, it's not the owner's responsibility as much as BLM is right now."
Zac Beardall of Zac's Towing and Recovery in Cody, a company that specializes in removing vehicles stuck in difficult areas, said he's been in contact with the BLM and will remove the vehicle later this week.
Beardall told Cowboy State Daily that he's no stranger to rescuing stranded vehicles in the Oregon Basin, especially at this time of year.
"This time of year, sometimes we're getting calls to go out every day and help a stuck tourist," he said. "They might go out looking for wild horses in the McCullough Peaks. They might get sent down the wrong road, drive out into the oil patch, and get stuck. We're always going and rescuing people."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
