Former State Representative Dan Johnson

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KVNU.

4.05 now on this Wednesday afternoon, and with your KVNU local headlines, I'm Bill Thiele.

Authorities have identified a 24-year-old Montpelier man who was killed in a single-vehicle rollover crash last week near Lava Hot Springs.

Now, the Bannock County Coroner's Office identified the victim.

as even Michael Shrum, who died at the scene.

Now, investigators say that he, along with a passenger, were traveling along Highway 30 near Lava Hot Springs shortly before 7 o'clock on October 4th when the vehicle went off the road, then overturned after the driver had overcorrected.

Now, neither Shrum nor the passenger were wearing a seatbelt.

Emergency responders evaluated the passenger at the scene, but he did not have to be transported to a hospital.

Now, Coroner Tori Danner said in a statement that their office extended their deepest sympathies to the Shrum family, friends, and loved ones.

Now, following the crash, community members have launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist his surviving family with funeral costs and living expenses.

Meanwhile, that summer wildfire that burned 72 acres and killed an 87-year-old man was accidentally ignited by railroad maintenance work rather than a passing train.

A report by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands concluded that the July 27th Adams Fire started while Union Pacific crews were clearing vegetation along the rail corridor.

Now, investigators found that a brush-cutting attachment had struck metal hardware, producing sparks that ignited dry grass amid high temperatures and strong winds.

Now, Cecil Burrell, who was evacuated to the hospital, initially appeared to have minor injuries, but he later died that night.

Now, the fast-moving fire also injured a Weber County Sheriff's deputy, and it damaged multiple homes before firefighters were able to contain it.

According to the report, a supervisor had cautioned crews against cutting too deep to avoid spark hazards shortly before an operator hit hidden cables and smoke was spotted.

In a statement, Union Pacific said it had cooperated fully with investigators and is now reviewing the state findings, but it offered no condolences to those who had been affected.

And finally, a volunteer safety team member pleaded not guilty yesterday to manslaughter charges stemming from that fatal shooting that happened of a bystander during a protest in Salt Lake City last summer.

Matthew Scott Alder faces a second-degree felony charge for the June 14, 2025 death of of 39-year-old Arthur Afualu.

Now, Alder had served on an event safety team that was tasked with de-escalation, crowd management, and medical assistance during the No Kings March, according to charging documents.

Now, investigators said that Alder reported believing that another man, Arturo Gamboa, was preparing to fire a gun into the crowd.

Now, Alder fired three rounds at Gamboa, but the third struck Alu as he was walking into the demonstration.

Now, Alu was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

A pretrial conference in the case is scheduled to take place on December 11th.