The warrants were served in unincorporated Boulder and Adams Counties, and the cities of Denver, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Federal Heights and Johnstown. However, the grand jury case originated out of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
“Judicially approved warrants are being carried out as part of a Grand Jury investigation conducted by the District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement,” the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. “That criminal case will be prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office. Once the indictments are unsealed and the appropriate individuals are in custody, the District Attorney’s Office will issue a press release and release the grand jury indictment.”
Law enforcement conducts 9 search warrants Wednesday AM across Front Range
Patrol, tactical, investigators and support personnel from more than two dozen law enforcement agencies began executing search warrants at 7 a.m. Wednesday at seven residences and two storage lockers.
The SWAT operation in Commerce City closed E. 104th Ave. in both directions between Idalia Street and Landmark Drive, according to the city’s police department. Drivers were commended to find alternative routes until this area reopens.
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DENVER — It’s been more than 40 years since Sid Wells, a 22-year-old student at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), was murdered, but it feels like yesterday for his family.
“The older I get, the harder it is to stay composed,” said his older brother Robert Wells, his eyes growing misty.
Robert Wells described his brother as a gregarious person who treated everyone with dignity and respect.
“His sense of humor was amazing,” Robert Wells said with a smile. “He could be tenacious when he needed to be. He wanted to be an investigative journalist or fly jets for the Navy. What a great combination.”
“When he first called me, he said, ‘I met this beautiful girl, beautiful strawberry blonde hair, and we’ve been out on a couple of dates.’ And he was very excited about this new person in his life, and they’d gone out about three times,” Robert Wells recalled. “He said one of the cadets in the ROTC came up to him and said, ‘What’s it like dating Robert Redford’s daughter?’ He had no idea.”
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Hunt ongoing for killer in student’s ’83 murder
One of the Wells brothers, Sam, found Sid Wells dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head on August 1, 1983. Investigators identified a suspect, Thayne Smika, who was a roommate of the Wells brothers at the time of the murder.
Smika was arrested in October 1983. However, during a grand jury process to determine if and what charges Smika might face, it was discovered in District Attorney Alexander Hunter’s case file that the office had reached an agreement with Smika that the grand jury would not be able to come back with a “true bill” charging Smika with any criminal conduct, meaning he wouldn’t face any charges no matter what the grand jury determined.
Smika was eventually let out of custody and stayed in the area for a couple of years. A warrant for his arrest on forgery charges was issued out of Denver in early 1986, but he was never arrested, and the warrant was eventually dropped.
Smika’s family said the last time they heard from him was in 1986, when he said he was leaving town. According to court documents, he told his family members to get passports in order to visit him, implying that he would be leaving the country, but his family claims they haven’t heard from him since.
An abandoned car registered to his father, who said he gave the car to Smika before he left town, was found in Beverly Hills, California, in 1986, but there was no sign of Smika.
A different Boulder County district attorney, Stan Garnett, put together a new arrest warrant for Smika, which was approved on Dec. 2, 2010. It carries first-degree murder charges, a $5 million bond, and the conditions that Smika have no contact with the Wells family should he ever be caught.
“In this case, we have answers. We know who did it,” Robert Wells said. “The day he’s found and brought to justice is the day we’ll find out the rest of the story. Until then, that story is cold.”
Wells family
Shauna Redford and Sid Wells before his death.
Sid Wells’ mother became one of the founding members of the nonprofit Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons (FOHVAMP), which has advocated for those impacted by such cases since 2001. Eventually, Robert Wells became the executive director of the organization, a position he held for more than two decades.
“We’re here to make sure that these families’ cases are never forgotten,” said Robert Wells. “That murderer living amongst us doesn’t make for a safe society, and they need to be held accountable, and they need to be brought to justice. And as long as we’re around, we’re going to do what we can to ensure that happens.”
On Wednesday, Robert Wells introduced the new executive director of the organization: Kirby Lewis, who previously worked as an assistant director of investigations at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“I couldn’t have found a better person for this. His heart is in it,” Robert Wells told Denver7. “I’ll be falling back to a senior advisor position and probably handle a little bit of media. And Kirby Lewis will be up to his elbows in cold cases and working directly with the families.”
Lewis said he is both excited and intimidated to take on this new role.
“Recently, with COVID-19 especially, some grant money dried up or went away, so the organization is limited financially,” Lewis explained. “We’re going to make a big push for fundraising so that we can, maybe, FOHVAMP can finance some forensic investigative genealogy. We can maybe do some age progression on photographs, work with the media partners and get some case information out there and try and generate leads or tips for law enforcement to follow up on.”
FOHVAMP connects the families of cold case victims with law enforcement, providing an outlet for dialogue between the two.
“I cannot speak for their law enforcement agency, but kind of tell the family what’s going on behind the scenes that they may not understand or may not see,” Lewis said.
For Robert Wells, this change within FOHVAMP is a new chapter, and one that warms his heart.
“Sid, much like my father, would probably say, ‘God, you’ve done a great job, Rob. What are you going to do tomorrow? What’s next?’” Robert Wells said. “I’m not going away. I will be quietly in the background, doing the best I can, given health concerns and challenges, until they throw dirt on me.”
The Boulder Police Department sent Denver7 a statement that said Sid Wells’ case is still open and active, adding that “the search for the suspect has never ceased.”
The statement continued to say that “no matter how much time goes by, Boulder Police are deeply committed to finding justice for this family and that will never stop.”
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BOULDER, Colo. — The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) issued an Amber Alert for a 16-year-old girl who was last seen Monday forced into a two-door grey, Chevy Silverado.
The CBI said Juan Bretado, 19, is a suspect in the disappearance of Jasmin Zapata, 16. Bretado and another unidentified man are accused of taking Zapata around 8:57 p.m. Monday, the CBI said. They were in a truck with the Colorado license plate AXW-L52 and a lime green “Timpano” sticker in the bottom left of the rear windshield The vehicle was last seen around Thornton Parkway and Gale Boulevard.
Bretado is believed to be the driver of the truck, the CBI said. He’s 5 feet, 8 inches tall with brown eyes and black hair.
Zapata also has brown eyes and black hair. She’s 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds, according to the CBI. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants.
CBI issues Amber Alert for teen last seen forced into 2-door Chevy Silverado
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333.
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BOULDER, Colo. — The Boulder Police Department is warning of scammers who have added an “unusual twist” to an old scam.
By pretending to be with banking institutions, the scammers have stolen more than $100,000 from multiple victims’ bank accounts using victims’ logins and passwords.
In addition, Boulder PD said the scammers are telling people to put their debit and credit cards into their mailboxes. The scammers then went to the victims’ houses and collected the cards.
Boulder police said the suspects and vehicles varied in each instance, even including rental cars. The department is asking for information about the people pictured below:
Boulder Police Department
Similar crimes have been reported in Denver, Douglas County, Lone Tree and Parker, the sheriff’s office said.
Boulder PD the following safety tips to keep yourself safe from scammers:
Do not place your debit/credit cards or any personally identifiable information in your mailbox
Hang up on suspicious phone calls from people claiming to be with your banking or financial institution. If you have concerns, call the bank or credit union directly using the number on the back of your cards.
Do not forward your phone number if requested to do so by someone claiming to be with your financial institution (this is one of the ways they can bypass security setups)
Go to your local bank branch in person if possible if you receive suspicious calls about your debit/credit cards or account
Report suspicious calls/possible scams to both the police and your banking institution
The department said there could be additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Ramos at RamosS@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3323 or Investigation Specialist Graber at GraberA@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-4420 and reference case 24-01310.
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