Driver Arrested After Vehicle Crashed Into Electrical Pole Causing Power Outage in Cody

According to police, man who was driving under the influence of alcohol crashed into an electrical pole Sunday night, July 30, causing many Cody residents to be with no power.

Steven H. Shobert, 48, was arrested in connection with the accident, according to court records. The court documents also indicate that this was not Shobert’s first arrest for drunk driving, as he was arrested the previous Thursday, July 27 in Worland for allegedly driving under the influence, only four days prior to the Cody crash.

The Washakie County prosecutors requested Shobert be released from the Washakie County Detention Center on Friday, July 28 so he could be seen by medical professionals for an alcohol withdrawal. According to court documents, Shobert was required to return to the Worland jail once he was in stable condition, however by Sunday night, he ended up in Cody intoxicated, police say.

The crash happened in the 1600 block of Stampede Ave. shortly after 10 p.m. Shobert was driving the same red F-150 he was driving at the time he was allegedly driving drunk in Worland and was driving westbound on Stampede Ave. when his vehicle left the road, hit a fire hydrant and proceeded to hit a power pole, according to Cody police.

Cody Police Officer John Harris in a statement said, “Damage to the pole was significant enough to cause a large portion of the city to lose power for approximately two hours.”

City electric workers were able to restore power to Cody in a couple hours, but Officer Harris said that the power crew worked throughout the night to replace the damaged pole.

The vehicle was not at the damaged power pole when the Cody police discovered the damage, but there was a trail of fluid leading away from the scene. Around 10:30 p.m., a Park County Sheriff deputy located a truck near Skyline Drive and 8th Street with Shobert inside. Cody police officers discovered that Shobert was intoxicated and placed him under arrest.

According to charging documents from Thursday’s arrest in Worland, Shobert allegedly drove to Worland Police Officer Andrew Cady’s home while he was off duty, wearing a loaded firearm on his waistband.

When he got to Officer Cady’s home, Shobert wanted to talk to the officer about the disappearance of Worland woman Breanna Mitchell and the ongoing missing persons investigation. Officer Cady wrote in an affidavit that Shobert said he was thinking about “taking matters into his own hands” and shooting a man who he suspected was responsible for Mitchell’s disappearance.

At some point, Shobert reportedly said to Officer Cady, “You can probably tell I’ve had a couple drinks,” allegedly adding that Shobert had also claimed he had taken the prescription painkiller Dilaudid and should not be driving.

While at the officer’s home, Shobert allegedly brandished his pistol and pointed it toward Officer Cady’s house where children were inside. It was at that point that the officer summoned for help and seven officers from the Washakie Sheriff’s Office and Worland Police Department arrived and took Shobert into custody.

Steven H. Shobert

According to a Washakie County Sheriff’s affadavit written by Deputy Joe Scheerer, a day prior to the incident in Worland on Thursday, Shobert had allegedly told a neighbor that Mitchell was in his house, prompting authorities to search his home.

Authorities did not find Mitchell inside the residence, and Shobert explained that “he was just messing with the neighbor,” said Deputy Scheerer’s affidavit. The incident with authorities was referred to by the deputy as “a direct waste of time and resources of law enforcement who are currently undergoing an extensive search for Mitchell.”

“Shobert has a significant history of contacts with law enforcement involving alcohol and firearms,” Deputy Scheerer wrote, also sharing about an incident that occurred in early 2021 when Shobert was suicidal and anticipated a “shot-out” with law enforcement.

Deputy Scheerer also added that Shobert “continually exhibits poor decision making by mixing the use of alcohol and firearms.”

Shobert’s blood alcohol content was recorded at 0.15%, which is nearly double the legal limit for driving. His blood alcohol limit was documented five hours after the incident on Thursday, according to charging documents.

Shobert is facing misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence of alcohol and unlawfully wearing or concealing a weapon, in just Washakie County.

In Park County, his charges on record at the jail indicate a felony count of property destruction totaling over $1,000, multiple misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence, careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving with a suspended license. It is up to Park County Attorney’s Office how they would like to proceed with the charges and ones they would like to prosecute.

Shobert is set to make his initial appearance in the Park County Court on Wednesday morning, August 2.