Federal charges filed in fatal crash

LANDER (WNE) — A Fort Washakie man is facing nearly 20 years in prison after federal prosecutors allege he killed Precious Gould, 22, in November 2024 in a head-on crash while he was drinking.

Damion Ryan Loneman Jr. was charged in federal court last week with felony involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, charges that carry a maximum penalty of 18 years in prison.

The charging documents don’t contain a narrative describing the accusations but do indicate that a federal grand jury was convened and handed down the charges.

The indictment states that Loneman killed Gould “without malice, but with wanton and reckless disregard for human life, while engaging in the commission of unlawful acts not amounting to a felony, that is, driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, contrary to Wyo. Stat. Ann. 31-5-233.” 

The crash happened on Blue Sky Highway at milepost 5.9 outside Lander, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol report. The WHP indicates there was no inclement weather and roads were dry at the time of the crash, and that Gould was killed and three others were injured. 

“The Pontiac was southbound on [Blue Sky Highway] and attempted to pass another southbound vehicle,” the WHP fatality report states. “The Dodge was northbound, and both vehicles collided. The Dodge [driver] attempted to steer towards the southbound lane to avoid a collision with the Pontiac. The Pontiac steered back toward the southbound lane and impacted the Dodge head-on in the southbound lane.” 

The WHP report does not state which vehicle was driven by Loneman, nor which vehicle Gould was in, simply listing her as a passenger and noting three others were injured in the crash. 

The report indicates that a possible contributing factor was “driver inattention.” 

This story was published on July 19, 2025.