A Craig man has been convicted in federal court of the kidnapping of a woman from his former employer’s ranch in 2022. According to a news release from the Department of Justice, 51-year-old Joseph Beecher was terminated by his employer in 2022. This led to Beecher breaking into his former employer’s residence and stealing two firearms. He then drove to Michael Bloomberg’s ranch in Rio Blanco County to kill him. Bloomberg was not present at the time, leading to Beecher kidnapping a female employee. Beecher took the female across state lines into Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he was taken into custody by a SWAT team after a standoff; the SWAT team also rescued the female employee, who was physically unharmed. Beecher’s sentencing is scheduled for November 18th but he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years and up to life in prison.
