JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Commission candidate Melchor Moore issued a statement related to his probation status following a report by the Jackson Hole News&Guide, which covered the criminal background checks on all candidates running for local government.
Moore is the lone Republican candidate and will appear on the November ballot against Democrats Natalia Macker and Len Carlman, and independent candidate Vicky O’Donoghue. Two seats are open on the County Commission.
According to the News&Guide’s Sept. 20 article, Moore was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation after pleading no contest for battery, stemming from an incident on Sept. 15, 2023. Moore reportedly assaulted an individual while driving his car after offering them a ride home. The victim called the police after Moore let them out of the car on the side of the road, south of town, and said Moore threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the incident.
Three months later Moore was charged with a DUI, on Dec. 8, 2023, after Jackson Police were called to Loaf ‘N Jug about a dispute involving Moore. He was arrested later that night at Maverik gas station after denying a field sobriety test. Officers obtained a warrant for a blood sample which concluded his blood alcohol level was above .08%. That was Moore’s second DUI, the first being in 2009, in which he also was sentenced to two years probation.
Four days after the article was published, Moore issued a statement via the Teton County Republican Party, which stated, “This message was sent at the request of Melchor Moore – candidate for County Commissioner.” In the email statement, Moore wrote that he “fully supports our police force” and, “sobriety has allowed me to reach further into the community than I otherwise could have when participating in drinking behavior.”
He wrote, “I do not own a gun…but as the Republican candidate, I do support the second amendment and enjoy hunting and shooting as part of that privilege.”
Read more about the situation here.
