Leadville Deputy Charged After Jailing Fire Captain
LEADVILLE -A Leadville sheriff’s deputy was charged with three crimes stemming from his earlier arrest of a Leadville fire captain who had been treating a victim of an emergency call.
On March 27 Fire Capt. Dan Dailey responded to an emergency call at the sheriff’s office in regard to a woman there with a neck injury. Deputies Steven James and Arin Hart ordered him and another firefighter to leave and when Dailey refused, he was handcuffed and thrown in jail.
City officials say there has been a feud for nearly two years between the sheriff and the fire department over who should first be dispatched to emergency calls culminating in the incident at the jail.
The arrest led to protests April 5 in front of the Lake County Courthouse by representatives of 12 firefighter union locals from around the state.
Lake County district attorney, Mark Hurlbert charged James with first-degree official misconduct, obstruction of a medical person and trespassing on public property, each a class II misdemeanor. He will appear in court in 60 to 90 days.
And then there were Five …
GUNNISON – Speaking of jails, a trial has begun in Gunnison involving a wide range of charges against Sheriff’s Captain Michelle Zadra, who was once the highest ranking officer at the Gunnison County Jail.
After a probe by Colorado Bureau of Investigation last year, Zadra was arrested on charges of first-degree perjury and other charges including false testimony about an jail inmate whose telephone calls from the jail were being listened to, according to The Gunnison Country Times.
Former jail Sergeant Melissa Rogers has also been accused of allegedly listening in on inmate Joseph Stromeyer’s telephone calls. Stromeyer, who has a lengthy criminal history, was first incarcerated in Gunnison County in 2008. His wife, Tawnya Sponable-Stromayer is a former jailer who is being detained in Gunnison County after being charged with conspiracy and other crimes. His ex-wife, Rachel Stromayer, pled guilty in February to making threats against a former inmate in the jail and agreed to a deferred sentence.
Terrorism Suspect Enters Silent Plea
PHILADELPHIA – A Leadville woman entered a silent plea of not guilty before a judge in Pennsylvania on a charge of helping terrorists who were plotting to kill a Swedish artist over a cartoon he drew of the prophet Mohammed.
31-year-old Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, shook her head no in an attempt to prevent prosecutors from hearing her voice as her attorney feared samples of it might be used to compare with evidence gathered by the federal government.
Paulin-Ramirez, who was 12 weeks pregnant at the time, moved to Ireland with her six-year-old son last fall to marry an Algerian terrorism suspect and to meet with another American woman, Colleen LaRose, who used the online name “Jihad Jane.”
U.S. federal prosecutors did not object to the silent plea. Charges filed against Paulin-Ramirez carry a maximum 15-year term.
Outfitter Casts Out A Figure
DENVER – A Gunnison County river outfitter facetiously named his price to stay off the disputed Taylor River, where an out-of-state developer is attempting to ban boaters on a two-mile stretch that runs through his subdivision.
Mark Schumacher, owner of Three Rivers Resort on the Taylor River requested $750,000 and some prime real estate in exchange for staying off the river.
Attorneys for the developer, Jackson-Shaw of Dallas, Texas flatly refused the offer which Schumacher claims to have made in jest to make a point. Proponents of the ban tried to point to the figure as an attempt at extortion.
Earlier, Governor Bill Ritter waded into the fray by asking the developer and outfitters to attempt to find some compromise and come to some agreement without the need for a new state law.
The dispute has initiated House Bill 1188, known as the “right to float” which is currently under study.
Sewage Pact Signed
SALIDA- After years of wrangling the Town of Poncha Springs and the City of Salida have come to an agreement on sewer services. Two intergovernmental agreements were signed transferring the Poncha Springs sewer system to Salida, according to The Mountain Mail.
The agreement follows years of disputes and failed negotiations between the two municipalities over the sewer contract. Under the agreement Poncha Springs will pay off its remaining outstanding debt to Salida. After the negotiations are finalized the Poncha Springs sewer system and its customers will be transferred to Salida which, it is reported, will lower rates for Poncha Springs residents significantly.
Landmark Building Faces Uncertain Future
SALIDA – Salida officials issued a notice of expiring compliance with property maintenance code violations to the owner of the former Unique Theater and Salida Opera House on March 31, according to The Mountain Mail.
The building, in the N. 100 block of First Street, is owned by Salcat Properties, LLC who first acquired the structure in 2007 with financial assistance from the City of Salida after the building was temporarily closed and nearby businesses evacuated due to fears of its imminent collapse.
After the 2007 city inspection revealed major structural problems the city sought an injunction to have the back 100 feet of the theater demolished but the new owner retrofit the structure with steel girders hoisted through holes made in the roof of the building to help stabilize it. The holes apparently were never sealed causing more deterioration of the structure.
The notice sent by the city to owner Bobby Hartslief, requested he submit a letter stating his “intentions and time line” to address the issues of the rear roof and combustible materials around the premises.
B.V. Voters Reject Meadows Repeal
BUENA VISTA – Voters in Buena Vista rejected a ballot question which asked for a repeal of the Board of Trustee’s approval of a subdivision, The Villages at Cottonwood Meadow, according to The Chaffee County Times.
In the April 6 balloting voters also approved a 0.5 percent sales tax increase for street improvements.
Yet Another From Leadville …
LEADVILLE – A Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy was suspended after Tasing some 30 students during a career fair at Lake County High School.
Deputy John Ortega brought the Taser gun to the fair and when prompted by the students, provided them a low-dose Tase after they signed releases. No students were reportedly injured. There are also no reports on how many students decided on a career in law enforcement after the demonstration.
Ranch Begins Conservation Easement Process
SALIDA – The Hutchinson Ranch, located between Salida and Poncha Springs has begun the first phase of placing the 143-year-old ranch in a conservation easement.
Chaffee County Commissioners approved a $40,000 loan to begin the first phase of the process with the money for the loan coming from the Colorado Conservation Trust Fund. A conservation easement is an agreement between a landowner and a government agency which limits real estate development and commercial and industrial use on the property for purposes of conservation. The landowner retains ownership of the property.
State Wants to Manage Roadless Lands
DENVER – A request by Gov. Ritter to take ownership of the management of the state’s roadless National Forest lands is being taken into consideration by the Obama administration.
Colorado officials believe that in developing a state plan for the management of about 4.2 million acres a federal land, they would be more accommodating to local needs and current conditions, according to the Denver Post.
While some environmental organizations oppose the proposal in order to maintain consistency in the forest management nationally, others support Ritter’s decision as it adds more than 400,000 acres of recommended wildlife habitat for protection.
The plan would allow the state to have more flexibility for wildfire protection, ski area expansion and coal mining operations.
Dogs Safe After Getting Shafted
CRIPPLE CREEK – Two dogs who fell into a 500-foot gold mine shaft near Cripple Creek, managed to climb out after attempts to coax them out were unsuccessful.
The two canines, a collie and a chihuahua, spent an undetermined amount of time in the Ironclad Mine before surfacing on April 15. The dogs’ owners have been cited for having loose dogs.
New Currency in the Valley
SAGUACHE – Saguache County now has its own currency. Mountain Money is a means of exchange that is only accepted at participating business within Saguache County. Mountain Money is tradable for the US Dollar (USD) at a five percent discount. It is available at the three Saguache County Credit Union branches and is designed to keep cash flowing within the communities. More details can be found at www.scseed.com
Notable Quotes:
“As ranchers, cattle or sheep or wool, that’s just the package that we market grass in.” – Gunnison County rancher Jim Howell speaking at the WSC Center for Environmental Studies Spring Symposium. The Gunnison Country Times, April 1, 2010.
