Jury trial ends in split decision

A jury in Big Horn County last week found a Greybull man guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges for using a shotgun to injure two bulls that wandered onto his property in the summer of 2022.
James A. Lafollette also faced two felony counts of property destruction in connection with the incident, but the jury returned not guilty findings on both.
The trial in Fifth Judicial District Court in Basin featured two full days of testimony which set the stage for closing arguments shortly before lunchtime Wednesday. Jurors deliberated for approximately four hours after that before emerging with their verdict.