Casper Man Admits Injuring Two Women in DUI Crash

A man arrested in October after injuring two women in a DUI crash could avoid prison time under a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Lyle James Hartmann pleaded guilty Tuesday in Natrona County District Court to two felony counts of driving under the influence and causing serious bodily injury. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

However, in exchange for his guilty pleas, the state will recommend Hartmann spend no time in prison.

Charging papers say on Oct. 22 at roughly 1 a.m., a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper was called in to investigate a crash on Bruce Lane, near the Natrona County Detention Center.

A Toyota pickup driven by Hartmann had crashed into a parked pickup truck which belonged to a detention deputy. The trooper was asked to investigate because the pickup that was hit belonged to a county employee.

Hartmann reportedly told the trooper he was going 60 mph at the time of the crash. The trooper asked if Hartmann was "horsing around, hitting the dip," to which Hartmann reportedly responded, "yeah."

"We were going fast, trying to catch air," Hartmann told the court Tuesday. His blood-alcohol content was .10 according to a test administered at about 2:15 a.m.

An employee at the Juvenile Detention Center told deputies he saw Hartmann's pickup travel from Salt Creek Parkway through the stop sign onto Bruce Lane twice, crashing the second time. He estimated Hartmann's speed at 75-80 mph.

Cameras outside the detention center reportedly recorded the crash.

The trooper's affidavit says deputies found an unusual weapon in Hartmann's pickup -- an AK-47 pistol. When the investigating trooper asked Hartmann about the gun, he was reportedly evasive in his replies and did not want to answer any questions.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation was contacted about the gun and reportedly told the trooper that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would have to run the serial numbers to determine whether the weapon was legal.

According to court documents, one of Hartmann's passengers suffered a broken nose, broken ribs and a fractured hip or leg. The surgeon would not know whether surgery would be able to repair the hip or leg until the next day.

Another passenger suffered a fractured cheek and broken arm. Surgery was set for the following day.

A third passenger was not taken to the hospital, but complained of head, neck and hip pain at the scene.

Hartmann's driver's license history as presented in the trooper's affidavit shows 17 violations from May 2007 through May 2016, including charges of reckless driving, speeding, careless driving, exhibition driving, expired registration, a commercial disqualification and a withdrawal of privilege in North Dakota.