Man Wanted in Wyoming Dies in New York

A man arrested in December after the Wyoming Highway Patrol found 19 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle he was allegedly driving was found lying on a New York highway early Friday and later died of his injuries.

According to a news release from the New York State Police, troopers found 25-year-old Zachary Sasz of Clifton Park, N.Y. alive in the westbound lanes of I-90 between exits 6 and 5A in the City of Albany after dispatchers received reports of a man lying in the highway just before 1 a.m.

Police say responding troopers and EMS staff treated Sasz at the scene before taking him to Albany Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.

The cause of death is still under investigation, according to the news release. Investigators could not be reached for comment Friday.

Sasz was arrested Dec. 30 with Barry Connor, also of New York state, after a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper pulled them over for speeding at 9:23 a.m. on I-80 west of Laramie near milepost 288.

According to the affidavit, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity and deployed K-9 Frosty. The dog alerted to the vehicle, and a search reportedly turned up 19.34 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $80,000 according to the the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Court documents say the search also revealed .8 grams of suspected cocaine, $1,374 in cash and five cell phones. The two were reportedly traveling from Las Vegas to New York when they were stopped, according to the affidavit.

Judge Jeffrey Donnell ordered the clerk of court to issue a warrant for Sasz's arrest Feb. 23 after a prosecutor Kurt Britzius asked that Sasz's bond be revoked. According to the motion, a warrant for Sasz's arrest was issued out of Waterford, N.Y., on a charge of domestic violence.

Sasz was free on $50,000 bond at the time, and the person who signed for Sasz's bond filed a letter with the Albany County District Court requesting she be released from responsibility as to Sasz's bond because she was no longer "willing to gurantee his compliance with the terms and conditions of the defendant's release," according to the state's motion.

Connor pleaded guilty April 25 to one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop another possession charge and recommend a sentence of probation.

Connor said at his change of plea hearing that he was the "mastermind," as Donnell put it, and Sasz was simply the driver. Connor also said he bought the marijuana from someone he met at a blackjack table in Las Vegas, and Sasz "didn't really know anything about it."

Interstate 90 westbound was closed for about six hours early Friday as investigators processed the scene where Sasz was found. The roadway reopened at 8:05 a.m.