McCollum memorial set for Saturday

JACKSON — A memorial service and celebration of life for U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, who was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 26, will take place Saturday afternoon and evening at the Gill family’s Jackson Hole Hereford Ranch.

Seating will begin at 1 p.m. for a 2 p.m. service, which will be open to the public and accessible via an entrance on South Park Loop Road. The afternoon will include a 21-gun salute, a flyover and an official service.

The McCollums anticipate more guests than there will be available chairs, so they recommend members of the public bring chairs with them.

Later in the evening, beginning around 7 p.m., the McCollums will celebrate their loved one’s life with appetizers, drinks, live music and “Rylee-Rated” storytelling.

Jenny Tolman, whose album “There Goes the Neighborhood’’ was singled out by the Nashville Scene as Best Country Debut Album, will play live at the event.

According to Bob Tomb, who helped plan the event, there will be free hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, and a cash bar for mixed drinks.

The Gill Ranch is on South Park Loop Road. Signs will point guests to the ranch.

“Rylee wasted no time answering the call to serve our country, joining the Marines right out of high school,” U.S. Sen. John Barrasso said in a statement. “As Rylee’s dad once said, he was ‘full-blooded red, white and blue.’”

Event organizers seek donations to help fund the event through the Venmo account @honoringourvets.

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Man in custody after 41 iPhones are stolen from Cody Walmart

POWELL — A Colorado man is in custody after he allegedly walked out of the Cody Walmart with a backpack full of stolen iPhones. 

Noah J. Douglass-Wiley, a 24-year-old Colorado Springs resident, has been charged with a felony count of theft. The charging documents do not say how many cellphones Douglass-Wiley is alleged to have stolen, but Walmart managers told police that a total of 41 iPhones — valued at $32,650 — went missing from the store on Oct. 9 and 10. 

In an affidavit filed in support of the charge, Cody Police Officer Scott Burlingame says Walmart’s surveillance cameras captured Douglass-Wiley stealing a number of phones on the night of Oct. 9. 

The suspect reportedly returned to the store on Oct. 10, but Burlingame had not reviewed that footage before the charge was filed last week. 

Walmart managers provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle that ultimately matched up with Douglass-Wiley and the Toyota Camry he was driving. 

Cody police apprehended Douglass-Wiley after he returned to Walmart on the night of Oct. 13 and was recognized by store employees. 

Not long after Douglass-Wiley’s arrest, the owner of the Camry reported the vehicle lost or stolen, saying Wiley had permission to take the car but hadn’t returned it. 

Officers obtained a warrant to search Wiley’s room at the Cody Airbnb where he, the owner of the Camry and two others were staying. While police found clothing that matched those seen in Walmart’s surveillance camera footage, they uncovered no signs of stolen cellphones or the gray backpack Wiley allegedly wore. 

A preliminary hearing in the case will decide whether there’s enough evidence for the case to move toward a trial.