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Archive for the ‘COLORADO’ Category
Innocent Man Attacked By Glenwood Springs Colorado Police Officer For Standing, Beaten While Handcuffed
July 17th, 2008
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO - A police officer was keeping an eye on the Club Roxie closing around 2 a.m. Saturday, but the problem turned out to be somewhere else.
Shane Dustin Cooper, 32, of Silt, was arrested on suspicion of five misdemeanors including assault, obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest after a report of a fight that night at the Loyal Brothers bar downtown.
An officer was in a patrol vehicle watching the Roxie close when someone told him there was a fight on Grand Avenue. The officer saw four or five men pushing each other and yelling in front of Loyal Brothers, according to an arrest affidavit.
He approached Cooper, who was yelling, and asked him to walk away from the front door of the bar. Cooper asked what the officer’s problem was and said he hadn’t done anything wrong, the affidavit says. The officer asked again and Cooper allegedly said no and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
Read MoreTerrorist Armed With A Machine Gun At Aurora Colorado Home Depot Was Man With Nail Gun Looking For Parts
July 17th, 2008
AURORA, COLORADO - The report sounded ominous when Aurora police responded Tuesday morning, July 15, after hearing a man with a AK47 and a banana clip was seen in a Home Depot Store.
Police surrounded the store at 3475 N. Salida St., just before 9 a.m. Employees and customers were brought out of the store as officers with rifles searched the interior for the reported gunman.
K-9 units were also called in the search the store.
Then, an employee came forward and told police that a man matching the description of the gunman had been inside the store earlier.
The employee said the man was carrying a nail gun and was looking for parts. He had left before police arrived.
El Paso County Colorado Sheriff’s Department Cancels Their Search For A African Lion Big Dog
July 14th, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - The reports of an African lion at large that spurred a helicopter search, a reverse-911 call to the neighborhood and a nearly eight-hour hunt by local, state and federal wildlife trackers may be false.
The “African lion” pictured in grainy photos may have just been a large dog, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said Monday afternoon.
However, that too has not been confirmed since no large dog — and no lion — has been captured. A search in eastern El Paso County, focusing on a field about a mile-and-a-half square, was called off Monday afternoon.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office suspended the search at about 3 p.m., saying there isn’t enough evidence to corroborate reports of an African lion roaming the area.
Three different people reported seeing a lion Monday morning. Search dogs haven’t been able to pick up a scent for a lion and none of the searchers ever spotted it.
Read MoreArrest Warrant Finally Issued For Colorado Negress After Her Long Distance Prank Phone Call Duped Dumb-As-Dirt Texas Police And State Agents To Illegally Remove 460+ Children From Their Homes - Cost Of Bogus Raid And Aftermath, Before Lawsuits, Already In The Millions
July 14th, 2008
DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO - An arrest warrant has been issued for a woman considered a person of interest in phone calls that may have sparked a raid on a polygamist group in Texas after she didn’t show up in court on the charges of violating probation.
Rozita Swinton of Colorado Springs failed to show up for a hearing in Douglas County District Court on Monday afternoon for one of two false-reporting cases against her in Colorado.
Court administrator Lori McKager says an arrest warrant has been issued for Swinton.
Read MoreFormer Logan County Deputy Sheriff Lori Strohmeyer Pleads Guilty After Sex With An Inmate
July 13th, 2008
STERLING, COLORADO - A former sheriff’s deputy faces up to 60 days in jail after she plead guilty to having sexual contact with an inmate.
Detention deputy Lori Strohmeyer entered the plea in Logan County this week. The 28-year-old was fired in January after taped phone conversations with the inmate surfaced. Their relationship is alleged to have happened in the fall of 2007.
Strohmeyer will have to register as a sex offender. She will be sentenced Sept. 9.
The inmate, now serving his sentence in a community corrections program, asked a judge Tuesday to lift a restraining order and allow him to see the former deputy.
Crazed Lafayette Colorado Police Chief Paul Schultz Wants 1st Amendment Speach Directed At Police Officers To Be A Criminal Offense - Wimp Cops
July 13th, 2008
LAFAYETTE, COLORADO — Taunting or hurling profanities at police officers could soon land you in jail on obstruction charges — if the city’s police chief has his way.
Chief Paul Schultz recently asked the City Council to strengthen Lafayette’s ordinance on obstructing a police officer, a move that has drawn concern from some council members and the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Officers have been subjected to very abusive language,” Schultz said. “This gives them a tool. Otherwise, they would just have to stand there and take that verbal abuse.”
Though the City Council recently approved the ordinance change on first reading, two council members voted no because of concerns about regulating speech.
“I don’t think we need to be in the business of regulating speech in Lafayette,” Council man Alex Schatz said. “Make no mistake about it, that’s what this ordinance does.”
Read MoreDNA Clears JonBenet Ramsey’s Parents - Boulder Colorado Police And County Attorney Return To “Dunno” Theory
July 9th, 2008
BOULDER, COLORADO - JonBenet Ramsey’s parents have been officially cleared in their 6-year-old daughter’s death by the Boulder County, Colo., District Attorney’s Office .
New DNA evidence tested in the case does not match the Ramsey family, including the girl’s parents, John and Patsy, and their immediate family, the prosecutor’s office said in a letter released Wednesday.
District Attorney Mary Lacy said Wednesday the tests point to an “unexplained third party.”
The girl’s father found her body strangled in the basement of their home in Boulder on Dec. 26, 1996.
Lacy apologized to the family on Wednesday, saying, “To the extent that this office has added to the distress suffered by the Ramsey family at any time or to any degree, I offer my deepest apology.”
John Ramsey, a software entrepreneur, has said in interviews he believes the case will be solved.
Read MoreDenver Colorado Judge Sentences Man To 10 Years In Prison For Stealing Library Books
July 9th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - A man accused of checking out hundreds of books and DVDs from libraries around the Denver area and then trying to sell them will be doing all his library borrowing from now on behind bars.
Denver prosecutors say 34-year-old Thomas Pilaar was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered Tuesday to pay $53,549 in restitution. He pleaded guilty in May.
Of an estimated 1,400 books and DVDs that were taken, about 500 have been recovered.
Denver Public Library estimated it had lost $35,000, while Douglas County said it had $11,000 worth of overdue items.
Authorities were tipped off by a woman who recently bought books on Craigslist and noticed the library identification stamps.
Two Innocent Women Jailed After Sloppy Detective Work By Denver Colorado Police Officers
July 7th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - Christina FourHorn and Valerie Rodriguez were not guilty of anything more serious than having names similar to two wanted women.
But that was enough to land each in jail.
Both women were put behind bars by Denver police based on arrest warrants meant for someone else. Their legal teams at the American Civil Liberties Union allege their incarcerations were a result of sloppy detective work by the Denver Police Department. In each case, a simple check of the physical descriptions and other identifying information would have told police they had the wrong women, they said.
So they fought back.
‘This has to be a mistake’
Rodriguez, 32, turned to a Denver television station to bring attention to her plight when her own detective work couldn’t clear her name.
The Aurora woman was stunned that her application for a seasonal job at the post office revealed a supposed criminal past.
Read MoreUpdate: Lakewood Colorado Police Officer William O’Shell Does The Right Thing And Kills Himself After Attacks On His 3 Month Old Daughter - Took His Former Cop Wife With Him
July 3rd, 2008
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO - Lakewood police agent William O’Shell and his wife, Tiffany Cuin-O’Shell, died of blunt-force trauma as a result of gunshot wounds, Adams County Coroner Jim Hibbard said Wednesday.
The findings were consistent with investigators’ theory in the double shooting.
Commerce City police said the couple, found in their Henderson home on Monday evening, died in an apparent murder-suicide.
William O’Shell was supposed to talk to Commerce City police on Monday about allegations that he abused his 3-month-old daughter.
Social services officials recently had taken the daughter from the home, and she is living in foster care.
The final autopsy reports on the couple likely won’t be complete for several weeks, Hibbard said.
Police have said nothing about whether the husband or wife was the likely shooter.
Neighbors say the O’Shells moved into the neighborhood, in the 11500 block of River Run Parkway, about six months ago.
Read MoreLakewood Colorado Police Officer William O’Shell’s 3 Month Old Dauther Was Put In Social Services Custody Before He Killed His Wife And Then Himself - Questioned About Abuse
July 2nd, 2008
LAKEWOOD, COLORADO - A Lakewood police officer who was questioned in an abuse investigation involving his 3-month-old daughter was found dead in his home along with his wife following an apparent murder-suicide.
Police are investigating the shooting deaths of William O’Shell, 36, a Lakewood police officer, and Tiffany Cuin-O’Shell, 25, a former Lakewood police officer, as a possible murder-suicide, said Sgt. Joseph Sandoval, a spokesman for the Commerce City Police Department.
The couple’s daughter was taken from the home on June 17. Authorities began questioning William O’Shell in the abuse of the child — who had suffered serious injuries, including fractures — within the last few days, Sandoval said.
“We do have an open, active child-abuse case,” he said.
Lakewood police had been notified by O’Shell that he and other family members had been questioned in the abuse case but not that he was a suspect, said Steve Davis, Lakewood police spokesman. He had not been placed on administrative leave, Davis said.
Read MoreSex Offender Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison After Showing Up Drunk At Eagle County Colorado Court
July 2nd, 2008
EAGLE, COLORADO — A sex offender who showed up to court drunk after he violated terms of his probation was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison, Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said.
Zachariah T. Frease, 28, was ordered not to drink alcohol after he was sentenced in connection with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in September in Eagle County, authorities said. Frease had consensual sex with the girl, authorities have said.
Frease had pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a person 15 years of age, a felony, and unlawful sexual contact, a misdemeanor, as a part of a plea agreement, Hurlbert said. Frease was sentenced to four years of sex offender probation and was required to register as a sex offender after that, Hurlbert said.
But when authorities complained that Frease was violating his probation by drinking, Frease was ordered to appear in court June 4. He showed up drunk and was convicted on the felony and misdemeanor charges, Hurlbert.
Read MoreColorado Springs Police Officer Loses Control, Crashes Motorcycle While Escorting Obama Motorcade
July 2nd, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - Authorities say a Colorado Springs police officer in presidential candidate Barack Obama’s motorcade suffered minor injuries when his motorcycle crashed.
Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren said from Washington that the officer lost control of his motorcycle near the onramp of Interstate 25. He said no other vehicles were involved in the accident Wednesday night.
Zahren said Secret Service personnel in the motorcade provided first aid to the officer.
Lakewood Colorado Police Officer William O’Shell Does The Right Thing And Kills Himself After Attacks On His 3 Month Old Daughter - Took His Former Cop Wife With Him
July 1st, 2008
COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO - A Lakewood cop who was found dead in a murder-suicide was about to be arrested for allegedly abusing his three-month old daughter, according to Commerce City police. William O’Shell and his wife, Tiffany O’Shell, who was a former Lakewood police officer, were found shot to death inside their home Monday night on the 11500 block of River Run Parkway in Commerce City.
[BCN: Submitter is from Lakewood, knows cops, and states that "..Bill was the shooter..."]
Police say it was 6:15 p.m. on Monday when they first got the call about two people dead inside the home. The call came from Tiffany’s mother.
Tiffany O’Shell was hired by the Lakewod Police in 2006, but resigned a year later. O’Shell was a Lakewood police officer hired in 2005 and assigned to the patrol division.
Read MoreColorado Prosecutors Pull Another Estimate Out Of Their Butts, Tell Woman Released From Prison She Must Pay $44.5 Million For Starting Fire
June 27th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - Colorado prosecutors are asking for $44.5 million in restitution from a former forestry worker who admitted starting the state’s worst wildfire, a 60 percent increase over earlier estimates.
Prosecutors are seeking the money from Terry Lynn Barton, 44, who pleaded guilty to arson for the 2002 fire. She was released from prison June 2 after a six-year term.
The state originally estimated the damages and firefighting costs at $27.5 million. Prosecutors said Friday they raised the estimate after consulting with insurance companies and victims.
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The Hayman Fire burned 138,000 acres, destroyed 133 homes, and forced the evacuation of 8,000 people. Five firefighters were killed as they traveled to Colorado from Oregon to fight the blaze.
The judge hasn’t ruled on the state’s request.
Barton is serving a lengthy probation in Colorado, but has no listed phone number and couldn’t immediately be reached.
Read MoreDenver Colorado Police Investigate After Man Tried To Pay For Gas With Pennies
June 21st, 2008
This may be a sign that the gas crunch is breaking the piggy bank.
A man trying to pay for gas with a sackful of pennies at a Denver gas station Thursday got so pushy that clerks called police.
DENVER, COLORADO - The 7:30 a.m. call was on what was termed an “unwanted person” at the Diamond Shamrock station at Broadway and 10th Avenue.
Employees said the man, driving a satellite TV truck, became offensive as he insisted on paying with about $10 worth of pennies while the station’s mini-mart was busy with a line of customers and vendors delivering goods.
The penny-pusher took off just before police arrived. Store officials declined to comment.
Denver Colorado Stocks Up On Weapons To Use Against U.S. Citizens
June 17th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - Denver police are stocking up on guns that fire a pepper spray-like substance instead of bullets - a less-lethal weapon used to disperse crowds - in advance of the Democratic National Convention.
The department recently ordered 88 Mark IV launchers and projectiles at a cost “in the low six figures,” the company that makes the weapons stated in a news release Monday.
The request was for delivery in advance of the DNC, according to Louisville- based Security With Advanced Technology Inc.
The convention, scheduled for Aug. 25 to 28 at the Pepsi Center, is expected to draw thousands of protesters to sites throughout Denver.
The city received a $50 million federal grant for security. A senior adviser to Mayor John Hickenlooper has said the city plans to spend up to half that amount on equipment, with the rest going to pay officers.
Read MoreBlack Helicopters: Denver Colorado Police And Department Of Justice Training Over City Has Residents Concerned - Details Are Of Course Being Hidden From Taxpayers Under “Global War On Terror” Guise
June 17th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - Black Hawk helicopters buzzed downtown Denver and other neighborhoods Monday evening in a training exercise to prepare for a possible terrorist attack.
The flights had people all over town calling authorities to find out what was going on.
“It’s nothing more than Special Operations Command training with local authorities,” said Lt. Nathan Potter, with Special Operations Command, which has authority over special forces from all branches of the military.
Potter would not say which branch of the military was flying the choppers over Denver.
The training has nothing to do with preparations for the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver in August, Potter said.
“It’s routine preparation for the global war on terrorism,” he said.
Read MoreDenver Colorado Police Officer Joseph P. Bini, Jr. Arrested, Offered $20 To Watch 2 Runaway Girls Have Sex - Previously Suspended After Sending SWAT Team To Wrong House Where They Killed A Man
June 15th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO – Police allege former Denver Police officer Joseph P. Bini, Jr., arrested on sex assault charges, wanted to watch two juvenile girls have sex with each other at a GNC store on the 16th Street Mall.
[Submitter: "This is the same fool that tried to steal a rug a little over a year ago and nothing was done. He is also the co that sent a swat team to the wrong house and they killed the wrong man. This is got to be the dumbest police officer ever."]
The affidavit says the two girls told Bini they had run away from their homes.
Police allege, on the evening of May 21, Bini offered the girls $20 to perform the sex acts.
“The victim [sic] stated [sic] and [sic] talked about (sex) and agreed to do it. The victim [sic] stated Joe took them in the back room and went out front and locked the front door,” according to an affidavit obtained by 9Wants to Know.
Read MoreArapahoe County Colorado Investigates Sex Toy
June 10th, 2008
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, COLORADO - There’s an internal investigation in Arapahoe County right now trying to determine who put a sex toy into an employee’s personal belongings.
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Two departments are being investigated.
Employees from the Arapahoe Road and Bridge Department and from the Facilities and Fleet Department are being questioned.
Arapahoe County Attorney Kathryn Schroeder says she cannot comment fully because the investigation is on-going and is internal, but she says they will be “interviewing all people who might have been involved.”
Newly-hired Arapahoe County Human Resources Director Valorie Waldon says the investigation is being taken “very seriously.”
Last December, 9Wants to Know exposed the story about a noose being left at the Arapahoe County Weatherization Department near where an African American employee worked.
At first, Arapahoe County Human Resources called it a “workplace prank.”
Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson’s office investigated and weatherization employee Peter Massaglia was arrested.
Read MoreFormer Palisade Colorado Police Officer Patrick Casey Arrested, Jailed, Charged With Molesting 2 Foster Children For 10+ Years - Palisade Police Wouldn’t Investigate, Citing Statute Of Limitations
June 5th, 2008
MESA COUNTY, ARIZONA - A former Palisade police officer faces 34 felony charges for sex assault on a child and sex assault by a person in a position of trust in the alleged assaults on two girls formerly entrusted in foster care to the officer and his wife for more than a decade, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department.
Patrick Casey, 51, of Clifton, was arrested May 29 and remained in custody Wednesday on a $250,000 bond.
The assaults occurred between January 1997 and April 2008, according to an arrest affidavit.
Casey was employed with the Palisade Police Department during this time, the affidavit said, but his specific dates of employment were unclear Wednesday. A phone message to Palisade’s human resource director, Amy Palmer, was not returned Wednesday, and Police Chief Carroll Quarles is out of town.
Read MoreDumbass Littleton Colorado Police Officer Shoots Himself During Firearms Training
May 15th, 2008
The officer was involved in a live-fire exercise at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility in unincorporated Douglas County when he shot himself in the leg reholstering his handgun.
Several other officers were also on the firing line at the time of the accident but no one else was hurt.
The officer was given emergency first-aid treatment by the Littleton Police Department range staff. His wound was not life-threatening, police said.
Littleton Police Department will conduct an internal investigation and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an independent investigation of the incident.
The officer’s name is not being released.
Denver Colorado Police Officer Charges Porter Arrested, Suspended, Charged After Brutally Beating Child - Victim Left With Lacerated Liver, Kidney Injuries, And Broken Ribs
May 11th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - A Denver police officer has been arrested on a second-degree assault charge after being accused of using excessive force against a 16-year-old boy.
Officer Charles Porter was arrested Thursday. He’s accused of using excessive force against Juan Vasquez, who suffered a lacerated liver, kidney injuries and broken ribs in an April 18 incident.
Porter, 40, a member of the department’s gang bureau, was suspended without pay. He has declined comment. He’s a 12-year veteran.
Officials said officers saw Vasquez drinking alcohol and when they tried to contact him, he ran through an intersection towards the alley. Chris Baca said he witnessed the alleged assault.
“(I) looked in the alley and I saw a bunch of cops and a bunch of commotion,” he said.
According to the court papers, the boy claimed an “officer stood on his back, as he laid on the ground, and jumped up and down three to five times causing him pain.”
Read MoreEl Paso County Colorado District Attorney John Newsome Denies Being Drunk After Drinking In Two Bars And Driving County-Owned Vehicle
May 11th, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - A Colorado Springs TV station reported that El Paso County District Attorney John Newsome drank eight beers in a little over five hours and then drove home in a county-owned vehicle.
KOAA-TV reported Tuesday it videotaped Newsome drinking at two bars between 4:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on a “recent” day. It didn’t give the date.
The station said Assistant District Attorney Amy Mullaney drank six beers with Newsome in that period and also drove afterward, but it wasn’t clear if she was in a county vehicle or her own.
Both denied driving drunk.
Newsome told The Gazette newspaper: “I don’t drink to impairment and drive.” Mullaney said neither she nor Newsome has ever been cited for DUI.
Newsome later apologized for his behavior.
“I sincerely apologize for ever allowing myself to be placed in that situation where there’s even a perception of wrongdoing,” Newsome said.
Read MoreCrazed Veteran Denver Colorado Police Officer Charles Porter Charged After His Brutal Attack Left Child With Lacerated Liver, Injured Kidneys, And Broken Ribs
May 9th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - A police officer facing a second-degree assault charge in connection with an allegation of excessive force jumped up to four times on the back of a 16-year-old, causing internal organ injuries, according to a police report.
Officer Charles Porter, 40, is on suspension without pay from the gang bureau following his Thursday arrest.
The family of Juan “Willie” Vasquez, 16, has said the incident left him with a lacerated liver, injuries to his kidneys and broken ribs and that he required at least two surgeries.
“The family doesn’t understand this,” said Andrew O’Connor, who is working as a law clerk for Douglas Romero, a lawyer retained to consider civil litigation. “The Denver police are supposed to serve and protect, and that didn’t happen in this case. It’s egregious.”
Read MoreGarfield County Colorado Deputy Sheriff Charged Hero With “Harassing” A Convicted Child Molester Who Drives Around Town With A Puppy In His Lap, And Hangs Out At Schools, Parks, And Soccer Games Watching Little Boys
May 9th, 2008
GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO - A registered sex offender who drives around town with a puppy in his lap and hangs out at schools, parks and soccer games has one man so unnerved he made a public spectacle of himself Wednesday morning outside the Battlement Mesa Activity Center.
[BCN: Child molesters must be executed or permanently segregated from society. Until then every child in America is at risk.]
Travis Metcalf made such a display that he was issued a citation by police for disorderly conduct after allegedly threatening a registered sex offender. He has a court appearance set for June 25.
Other witnesses to the outburst told attendants inside the activity center, 398 Arroyo Drive, to call the Garfield County Sheriff’s Department because a fight between two men was imminent, Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Tanny McGinnis said.
Metcalf said he was telling everyone that Timothy Alan Larsen, 62, of Battlement Mesa, is a registered sex offender.
Read MoreDenver Colorado Police Officer Charles Porter Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Attacking A Child - Beating Left Kid With A Lacerated Liver And Broken Ribs - Our Tax Dollars At Work
May 8th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - A 12-year veteran of the Denver Police Department faces a felony charge of second-degree assault after accusations that he used excessive force against a 16 year old.
Officer Charles Porter, 40, has been suspended without pay from the police force. He had been assigned to the gang bureau prior to the charges.
Porter was booked by the Denver Sheriff’s Department and posted bond today.
Lt. Ronald Saunier said an investigation into the case is ongoing and that a decision on formal charges is not expected from the Denver district attorney’s office until later this week.
The charges resulted from an investigation into an incident that occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on April 18 in the area of West 37th Avenue and Pecos Street.
Saunier said the investigation is ongoing.
Kenneth Padilla, a lawyer who had visited the 16-year-old in the hospital, said the incident left the youth with a lacerated liver and broken ribs.
Read MoreTSA Hides Details From Taxpayers After Denver Colorado Employee Alvin Crabtree Brings Gun To Work, Returns To Work After The Incident
April 28th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO - A Transportation Security Administration worker who brought a gun through an X-ray machine at Denver International Airport is back on the job.
A FOX 31 investigation reveals that Alvin Crabtree got to keep his job as a screener at DIA, despite the incident.
Airport and Denver Police documents show the incident happened on the morning of November 23, 2007.
Another screener saw an “unloaded firearm” in Crabtree’s bag as he reported for his shift at the “A-Bridge” checkpoint.
Airport documents show that the security office suspended Crabtree’s badge for 30 days as a result of the incident, but a TSA spokeswoman cited privacy rules when asked if Crabtree received any formal punishment.
The TSA issued a statement which read:
Read MoreFourth Durango Colorado Police Officer Christopher Mimmack Loses Job After MySpace Postings
April 24th, 2008
DURANGO, COLORADO - A fourth police officer with the Durango Police Department has lost his job because of a posting on his or her personal MySpace page, according to local reports.
MySpace is a popular social networking site where people post photos, blogs and other personal information to share with friends and family.
Christopher Mimmack, 40, was fired on Friday, the Durango Herald newspaper reported. A friend of Mimmack’s and a former officer told the newspaper that in addition to posting material on MySpace, Mimmack hosted a Christmas party last year that police administrators found problematic because it appeared that he was letting fellow officers drive home intoxicated.
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Last month two female officers and a male officer were forced to resign over content posted on MySpace. Some of the officers posted pictures of themselves in police uniforms and photos of themselves partying and having a good time with friends. They also wrote blogs and posted comments about work.
Read More10th Circuit Federal Appeals Court Puts Stamp Of Approval On Federal Agents Efforts In Utah To Violate The Rights Of American Citizens
April 24th, 2008
DENVER, COLORADO — A suspect who spoke to a federal agent while sitting in an unmarked car could have her statements used against her because Miranda warnings do not apply to those technically not in custody.
Tamara Yvonne Jones’ federal public defenders had asked a judge to throw out her statements made to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who questioned her at a Salt Lake City gas station parking lot on April 7, 2005.
Two agents sat in the front seats of the car and another stood guard outside while an agent sitting on the back seat with Jones asked questions about the alleged purchase of a methamphetamine ingredient.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said Jones was not in custody because, among other things, she was able to freely leave afterward. She was later charged with knowingly possessing a methamphetamine ingredient, which could also be used for explosives.
Read MoreTexas Still Holding 416 Children After Bogus Abuse Call From Colorado And Resulting Armed Raid
April 23rd, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO — A court document says a phone number used to report alleged abuse at a polygamist retreat in Texas had been used previously by a 33-year-old Colorado woman.
It’s not yet clear whether authorities suspect Rozita Swinton of Colorado Springs made any of the calls that triggered this month’s raid of the compound.
An arrest warrant affidavit made public today says a phone number she had used previously was used to call a Texas crisis center before authorities conducted the raid and removed more than 400 children. Swinton’s whereabouts are unknown.
Authorities have said a 16-year-old girl called a crisis center claiming she was abused at the compound. Authorities have not found that girl but say they have found evidence other children were abused.
Swinton was arrested April 16 on a misdemeanor charge of false reporting in a February incident in Colorado Springs with no known ties to the Texas case. She was later released.
Read MoreFederal Corrections Officers Use All Ammo Available, Shoot And Kill Two Unarmed Inmates In Florence Colorado Federal Prison
April 21st, 2008
FLORENCE, COLORADO - Authorities are now saying that two inmates were shot to death by guards during a riot at a federal prison in Florence on Sunday. Guards in towers reportedly fired more than 100 rounds into the exercise yard during the riot. In addition to the two fatalities, five more prisoners were shot. Their injuries were not detailed. Another 25-30 inmates were inured in the riot itself. The prison is high security, but is not SuperMax.
The fighting broke out about 12:30 Sunday afternoon, reportedly started by white supremacists marking Adolph Hitler’s birthday. Fremont County Coroner Dorothy Twellman said Brian Scott Kubik, 40 and Phillip Lee Hooker, 41 each died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. State Rep. Buffie McFadyen, whose district includes the prison, said she was told the shots were fired by guards. McFadyen has been outspoken in her criticism of the prison complex, saying it was understaffed and dangerous.
Read MoreChildren Detained By Texas Authorities After Hoax Phone Call And Military-Style Armed Raid Held Under Guise Of “Genetic Testing” - Welcome To America
April 18th, 2008
SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - The more than 400 children taken from a ranch run by a polygamous sect will stay in state custody and be subject to genetic testing to sort out family relationships that have confounded welfare authorities, a judge ruled Friday.
State District Judge Barbara Walther heard 21 hours of testimony over two days before ruling that the children would be kept in custody while the state continues to investigate allegations of abuse stemming from the teachings of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
“This is but the beginning,” Walther said. Individual hearings will be set for the children over the next several weeks.
Walther ordered that all 416 children and parents be given genetic tests. Child welfare officials have said they’ve had difficulty determining how the children and adults are related because of evasive or changing answers.
Read MoreColorado Black Woman Arrested, Probably Connected With Hoax Phone Call That Prompted Texas Authority’s Military-Style Armed Raid And Snatching Of 416 White Children From Their Homes
April 18th, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS- Texas Rangers participated in the arrest of a Colorado woman who allegedly pretended to be a girl locked in a basement. The Rangers were in the state as part of their investigation into the Texas polygamy custody battle, local police told ABC News.
It was unclear if the arrest was related to the phone call from a woman who claimed to be a 16-year-old girl, a phone call that sparked what has become one of the largest child custody cases in U.S. history.
Officials in Texas raided a polygamist compound and took 416 children into custody after an abuse hotline received a series of phone calls from the purported teen who said she was being held at the compound. The girl, who called herself Sarah, said she was being physically and sexually abused by her adult husband, court documents say.
Read MoreCrazed Arapahoe County Colorado Deputy Sheriff Daniel Montana Jr. Cleared After Hassling, Shooting And Killing Motorist Who Smoked
April 11th, 2008
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO - A sheriff’s deputy involved in a roadside shooting death is back on the job in Arapahoe County.
Daniel Montana Jr. was cleared in an internal affairs investigation and no discipline was imposed, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.
“He was returned to duty two days ago,” Robinson said.
A grand jury declined to return an indictment in December.
Montana, 49, said he shot 25-year-old David Rossiter, of Sheridan, Mont., in self-defense.
The shooting happened during an altercation Nov. 2 on the West Sixth Avenue off-ramp at Indiana Street.
Montana, who was off duty, got out of his car and confronted Rossiter, a passenger in a truck, after the pickup’s driver, Michael Hunter, flicked his cigarette onto Montana’s car as the two vehicles slowed at a traffic light.
The deputy’s attorney now is trying to seal records of the incident.
Read MoreWhoops - Colorado State Police Lose Evidence In Another Homicide Case
April 9th, 2008
MESA COUNTY, CO - A two–year–old vehicular homicide case is on hold while the Colorado State Patrol tries to search for evidence that was lost.
Mesa County prosecutors and defense attorneys told a Mesa County judge Thursday morning that troopers botched some key evidence they needed for DNA testing.
Both attorneys say justice is at stake. They say how evidence is handled could mean the difference between a conviction or a defendant walking free.
26–year–old Jade Huskey is out on bond but he still doesn’t know if he’ll go to jail.
Huskey is facing several charges for a February 2006 crash. Investigators say Huskey and Molly Gomez were driving drunk, crashed and both were ejected. It’s unclear who was driving and Gomez died. The district attorney’s office filed seven charges against Huskey including two counts of vehicular homicide and the case is still pending.
Read MoreLittleton Colorado Police Storm Day Care Center After Blankie Argument
April 5th, 2008
LITTLETON, CO - Six police cruisers responded to an emergency alarm at Willows Child Learning Center only to find a teacher and a parent fighting over a child’s favorite “BaBa.”
Littleton Police spokesperson Lt. Mike Broadhead says officers scrambled to the center, at 5301 South Lowell Boulevard, between 7 and 8 a.m. Thursday.
“This came in as a holdup or a panic alarm,” Broadhead said.
Broadhead says a teacher was arguing with the father of a kindergarten-age student over whether the student’s favorite blanket, “BaBa”, could be brought to the day care.
Willows Child provides blankets to kids and discourages them from bringing their own, which could contain germs.
Broadhead says police called the day care before responding to make sure the alarm signified a genuine emergency.
“She said, ‘Yeah, I need help right now,’” Broadhead recalled.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Former Park County Colorado Deputy Sheriff Jeff Wood With Assault
April 5th, 2008
PARK COUNTY, CO - The recent departure of former deputy Jeff Wood from the Park County Sheriff’s Office will not affect the progress of a lawsuit filed against him on Sept. 5, 2007, by former Bailey resident John Wischmeyer, according to Wood’s attorney.
Attorneys for both parties are now arguing if the lawsuit can move forward because Park County and Wood were both served with a summons after Jan. 3, the cutoff date for when the summons could be served.
The lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 5, 2005, Wood assaulted Wischmeyer, something Wood’s attorney, Denver-based Robert Liechty, said didn’t happen.
Liechty said Wood moved out of state and Liechty had no way to contact him.
Wischmeyer’s attorney, Brian DeBauche, did not respond to inquiries from The Flume.
Park County Undersheriff Monte Gore said he wasn’t sure as to the reason for Wood’s departure and believed he took a position with another law enforcement agency.
Read MoreFormer Denver Colorado Police Officer David Holt Gets A Very Special Deal And Receives Less Than A Slap On The Wrist After $667,000+ Disability Fraud
April 5th, 2008
DENVER, CO - A former Denver police officer indicted last year on charges of fraudulently collecting more than $667,000 of disability payments while building an international reputation as a bowhunter has cut a deal that will clear his record if he stays out of trouble for four years.
David Holt, 61, faced 54 years in prison and a fine of up to $2.5 million on the 12-count indictment for forgery, theft and making a false statement. The indictment charged that he lied about a disability for 18 years, convincing doctors that he suffered from serious physical, psychological and cognitive problems from a brain injury.
Meanwhile, Holt took African hunting trips, formed several companies, wrote books and starred in instructional videos, prosecutors said.
Holt pleaded guilty last week to a single count of making a false statement on a workers compensation claim. He received a four-year deferred sentence.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Crazed Colorado Springs Police Officer Gregory Reeder After Dragging Woman Motorist From Her Car By The Hair
April 5th, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - A Colorado Springs woman has sued city police, alleging an officer dragged her out of her car by her hair because he was on edge just days after a fellow officer was gunned down during a traffic stop.
Connie Youngblood, 45, named officer Gregory Reeder as well as Chief Richard Myers in a lawsuit that alleges assault, battery, negligence and excessive use of force.
Myers wasn’t chief when Youngblood was pulled over Dec. 15, 2006, near Murray Boulevard and Bijou Street. He started in January 2007.
In the lawsuit, Youngblood references the Dec. 4, 2006, shooting death of police officer Kenneth Jordan, who was killed during a DUI traffic stop near Fountain and Murray boulevards.
“This tragic incident created an atmosphere of heightened concern among the patrol officers in the CSPD regarding traffic stops with respect to their personal safety,” according to the lawsuit, filed by attorney Timothy McCaffrey.
Read MoreSuspended Weld County Colorado Deputy Sheriff Landon Greatheart To Face Trial After Sex With Foster Child
April 5th, 2008
WELD COUNTY, CO - Despite discrepancies about when a sheriff’s deputy and a 17-year-old girl first had sex and who her guardian was at the time, a Weld District Court judge ruled Friday there is sufficient evidence to take the matter to trial.
Suspended without pay, Weld County Sheriff’s deputy Landon Greatheart, 32, of Evans is charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and 16 counts of obscenity.
Sheriff investigators believe Greatheart developed a five-month consensual sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl who lived as a foster child with him and two other women for about a month.
Meeker Colorado Police Officer Glenn Wilson, Suspended For Shooting Motel Owner, Attacked Man While A Mesa County Deputy Sheriff And County Paid A Settlement To His Victim
April 3rd, 2008
MEEKER, CO - An officer who was placed on administrative leave from the Meeker Police Department after he shot and killed a Meeker motel owner last week was a defendant in an excessive force lawsuit against the Mesa