Man claiming to be ‘King Harry Windsor’ causes Casper internet service outage

CASPER (WNE) — A Casper man accused of causing an internet service outage allegedly claimed to be “King Harry Windsor” in an interview with police after the fact.

A representative of Mountain West Technologies told investigators the outage affected more than 30,000 customers and the cost of damages to the building were in excess of $1,000.

Matthew Gerhard, 46, is charged with property destruction and criminal entry and could face more than 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines if he’s found guilty. 

After he waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Tuesday morning, his case was bound over to district court where he will face felony charges.

On June 23, Casper Police Capt. Jeremy Tremel responded to reports of a service interruption at a Mountain West Technologies site on 1st Street, according to an affidavit filed with the charges.

When he arrived at the scene, Tremel reported seeing multiple manual water valves that had been opened and were “spewing” water across the room.

Authorities said they also discovered a backup generator’s transfer switch had been tampered with, as well as the main power, a sump pump, elevator control panels, electrical switches and breakers.

After a short investigation, officers found Gerhard “in a crawl space type area” under a stairway in the basement of the building, where he was arrested.

In an interview with Casper Police Det. Megan Dovala — who signed the affidavit — Gerhard initially claimed to be “King Harry Windsor” before admitting his “adopted name” was Matthew Gerhard. 

Investigators determined Gerhard got into the building by getting onto the roof of a loading dock by the business center and making his way in through a nearby hallway that led to the suite leased by Mountain West Technologies.

Gerhard’s bond was set at $15,000 cash or surety.

This story was published on July 3, 2025.