A 31-year-old man who allegedly tried to abduct a student walking near Mountain Range High School was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping, according to the Westminster Police Department.
Police began investigating after a girl walking to school near West 125th Avenue and Delaware Street on the morning of Oct. 25 reported that a man in a silver vehicle had approached her, threatened her with a gun and told her to get in.
The girl refused, and the man grabbed her backpack and took off, according to police officials.
He pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated robbery in the case and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to court records. Information on when he was released from prison was not immediately available Friday.
Westbound Interstate 70 ropened Monday morning near Frisco after a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The westbound interstate was closed between Exit 203 for Colorado 9 and East Frisco and Exit 201 for Frisco, about 3 miles west of Silverthorne, CDOT officials said in an 11:18 a.m. post on X.
More than 10 people are trapped underground in a Colorado gold mine on Pikes Peak after an equipment malfunction, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office and Denver7.
The sheriff’s office was responding to an equipment malfunction at the Mollie Kathleen Mine, a tourist destination near Cripple Creek, as of 2 p.m., agency officials said in a post on Facebook.
Gov. Jared Polis is “closely monitoring” the situation and state emergency personnel are on scene responding with more on the way, the governor’s office said in a news release.
“The state is assisting Teller County and sending resources to rescue those inside the mine. We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation,” Polis said in a statement.
The now-defunct mine offers hourlong tours by taking visitors 1,000 feet down the shaft into the southwest side of Pikes Peak, according to the tour company’s website.
The mine has offered tours in some format since it opened in the 1890s, with mine tours becoming the main focus after production ceased in 1961.
A pedestrian was killed in a crash near South Parker Road near Interstate 225 on Sunday morning, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Southbound lanes of South Parker Road are closed at South Peoria Street because of the crash investigation, Aurora police said in a post on X. There is no estimated time of reopening and drivers should seek alternate routes.
The crash occurred around 6 a.m., according to police officials. Additional information about the crash was not immediately available.
City officials did not say when or where the beetles were found or how many trees were impacted and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ash trees infested by the beetles can be identified through “D-shaped” exit holes, splitting bark and “S-shaped” tunnels under the bark, city Forestry Supervisor Luke Killoran said in a statement.
Other signs include thinning tree canopy, abnormal shoots of growth, smaller leaves and lots of woodpecker activity.
In Colorado, the bugs were first found in Boulder County in 2013 and have since been confirmed in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield and Larimer counties. Arvada’s first beetle was discovered in 2020.
Residents may be able to protect healthy trees through preventative insecticide treatments but should make sure to use a certified arborist licensed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as a commercial pesticide applicator.
Investigators determined the woman died “under suspicious circumstances” from an assault on Sept. 7 and identified Jasmane Taylor as a suspect through witness interviews and surveillance video.
Taylor was arrested Friday during an unrelated investigation and is currently in custody at the Downtown Detention Center on a $1,000,000 cash bond, according to jail records.
A mama bear was fatally shot by a San Juan County sheriff’s deputy in Silverton this week after a beanbag round used to haze wildlife penetrated her stomach.
Several people called 911 just after 9 p.m. Tuesday to report someone harassing bear cubs near the 1300 block of Greene Street, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.
A deputy arrived to find a crowd of people in a narrow alley with a mama bear and her two cubs and directed the bystanders to leave the area before using a beanbag round to get the sow off the roof.
As the bear headed down the block with her cubs, the officer used a second beanbag round to keep her moving out of downtown. The second shot penetrated the bear’s lower abdomen and killed her, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s officials contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers, who removed the bear and captured, tagged and relocated the two cubs.
“The officer involved was acting accordingly, using commonly practiced methods, and attempting to save this bear’s life, not cause any serious harm. This is a most unfortunate incident, and our entire office is saddened by the outcome,” agency officials said in a statement.
While orphaned bear cubs can be taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Del Norte, wildlife officers determined the two cubs could be released immediately, said CPW spokesperson John Livingston.
“These cubs were in good body condition, at a great weight for this time of year and released to a place with ample natural forage to continue to pack on weight ahead of denning this winter,” Livingston said.
While bear sightings are not uncommon in town, Silverton Mayor Dayna Kranker issued a statement calling for community members to form a coalition to reduce harm from human-wildlife interactions.
Three people were killed after the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee hit two Colorado Department of Transportation employees working outside their vehicle on U.S. 6 near Palisade.
Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to a fatal crash on westbound U.S. 6 between Palisade and Clifton in Mesa County around 10:42 a.m. Wednesday, agency officials said in a news release.
Investigators determined the driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee struck two CDOT workers who were working outside of their vehicle and then hit a parked CDOT vehicle, causing the Jeep to roll.
The CDOT vehicle was parked off the right side of the road, CSP officials said.
One person in the Jeep was taken to the hospital and a second person in the Jeep died at the scene. Both CDOT workers died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating the cause of the crash, according to the agency.
A 42-year-old man fatally shot by Fort Collins police during an armed confrontation at Grandview Cemetery in July was a suspect in a 2019 cold-case homicide, police officials said Friday.
Pierce was involved in a single-vehicle rollover crash and left the scene armed with two “ghost guns,” or guns without serial numbers, which are illegal to own, sell or create.
Pierce was also carrying a bottle of bourbon with the words “His last day” written on it, according to the district attorney’s letter.
He pointed the rifle at responding police officers and shot one officer in the arm, according to the agency. He then walked into Grandview Cemetery, where he was fatally shot by police.
Pierce had twice the legal driving limit of alcohol as well as methamphetamine, THC and gabapentin in his system at the time of his death, according to the letter.
District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin found Fort Collins Police Services Sgt. Brian Mallory and Officers Peter Nolan, August Barber and Cole Giandomenico were legally justified in using deadly force “to defend themselves, other officers and the public at large” from the threat posed by Pierce.
At the time of Pierce’s death, Fort Collins police were “in the process of formalizing charges” against him in connection to a 2019 cold-case homicide, the police agency said Friday.
Detectives determined there was “sufficient evidence” to arrest Pierce on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Joseph “Sonny” Brigman.
Brigman, 62, died from a gunshot wound after he was found unresponsive in his apartment in the 4100 block of Verbena Way the night of April 29, 2019, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
Lumumba Sayers, 46, is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of felony menacing in the Saturday shooting death of Malcolm Watson near Paradice Island Pool at Pioneer Park.
He appeared in Adams County District Court on Thursday, where a judge increased his bail from $1 million to $5 million.
According to an arrest affidavit and witness statements made in court Thursday, Watson was carrying party supplies for his son’s birthday at the pool at 5951 Monaco St. when Sayers walked up to him and shot him multiple times, including once in the head.
After shooting Watson, Sayers went to talk with a man and a woman in a black Cadillac Escalade parked nearby before returning to Watson’s body, taking his keys and trying to place a handgun under his body, according to the affidavit.
Commerce City police officers arrived on scene to find Sayers crouching over Watson before he started to walk toward the Escalade, according to the affidavit.
Officers arrested him after witnesses began yelling that he was the shooter. Watson was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told detectives they believed the shooting was retaliation or revenge for the death of Sayers’ son, 23-year-old Lumumba Sayers Jr., who was killed almost a year ago in a shooting involving one of Watson’s friends, according to the affidavit.
In response to an inquiry about Braxton’s case, the Denver District Attorney’s Office stated “no such records exist,” which is the only response prosecutors can provide under Colorado law when a case has been sealed.
Braxton is on trial in federal court in Denver this week for a weapons charge related to the August 2023 shooting, according to court records.
He was indicted by a grand jury in January on one count of possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, court records show.
The trial is scheduled to wrap up this week, court officials said Thursday.
The center, which described the elder Sayers as a founder in social media posts, is “a safe place where youth and adults are provided with basic needs, educational and career support, health resources, recreational and outreach services to assist with creating jobs and a building a sustainable life,” according to a description on its Facebook page.
Defense attorneys argued Sayers was an “exceptional” man and defended his character and position in the community during Thursday’s hearing, while prosecutors argued he was a danger to the community and Watson’s family as well as a flight risk.
Adams County District Court Judge Jeffrey Ruff ordered a $5 million cash-only bail, calling it the “only bond acceptable” in the case.
Sayers’ next court date was not available Thursday.
A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K-9 bit a child and the child’s father after escaping from his handler’s backyard in Castle Rock on Sunday.
Around 4 p.m. Sunday, the dog escaped its outdoor enclosure at his handler’s home in Castle Rock and jumped over a 5-foot fence separating the backyard from a neighboring yard.
The dog bit a child and the child’s father who tried to intervene, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday. The handler “gained control” of the dog after realizing he had escaped.
Both the child and his father were treated at a hospital and are recovering at home, according to the sheriff’s office.
The agency is cooperating with an investigation by the Castle Rock Police Department as well as conducting an internal investigation.
The handler, who was not named in the news release, is on paid administrative leave. The dog is in a 10-day quarantine and barred from contact with humans other than the handler and all animals.
Sheriff’s officials are reviewing the dog’s future as a member of the K-9 unit, agency officials said Wednesday.
“We are devastated by this incident and are fully committed to supporting the family during their recovery,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Denver Police Department responded to a call about a water rescue at the park at 3500 Rockmont Drive at 12:11 a.m., said spokesperson Katherine McCandless. The South Platte River runs through the park.
Police were investigating the woman’s death as a homicide as of Thursday afternoon, but further details about the woman’s death were not immediately available.
Anyone with information about the incident may call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies are going door to door to evacuate residents along South Turkey Creek Road for a growing wildfire that closed U.S. 285 in both directions.
U.S. 285 is closed near Indian Hills as crews fight a 3-acre wildfire, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X.
Deputies are evacuating residents along South Turkey Creek Road to U.S. 285.
The highway is closed between Surrey Drive and Summer Road, south of Morrison, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a travel alert.
Wildland fire in #Jeffco along Hwy 285. Fire size is currently 3 acres and growing. Hwy 285 closed in both directions for fire suppression efforts. Two helicopters working the fire along with multiple ground crews. Door to door evacuations along S. Turkey Creek to Hwy 285. pic.twitter.com/omfLKR4EbA
A 60-year-old Aurora man was arrested on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child following a police sting, according to Fort Collins police.
Roger Leon Estergaard was arrested on suspicion of internet sexual exploitation of a child, internet luring of a child and attempted sexual assault of a child, all felonies, Fort Collins police said in a news release Thursday.
Investigators claim Estergaard was identified through “inappropriate engagement with an underaged online persona” and that he traveled to Fort Collins believing he was meeting a juvenile girl for sex.
He was arrested Thursday after arriving at a predetermined meeting place, according to Fort Collins police.
Crews used helicopters and pack mules to remove heavy firefighting and radio equipment from the area this week and are also working to restore areas disturbed by firefighting efforts.
Firefighters gained 100% containment on the Dinosaur fire Saturday night, emergency officials said in a post on X. Fire crews will continue to monitor the area Sunday to make sure it’s fully extinguished.
The fire sparked on the second switchback near the Mallory Cave Trail on Friday morning burned across 4 acres — approximately three football fields — but did not lead to any pre-evacuation or evacuation orders.
Trails in the area are expected to reopen Sunday or Monday.
State officials responded to a report of an abandoned truck and trailer near the reservoir’s west boat ramp around 10 a.m. and found what appeared to be a body floating in the water nearby.
Agency staff recovered the man’s body and searched the area with sonar to make sure there were no other bodies, CPW said in a news release.
The man’s identity and cause of death will be released by the Bent County Coroner’s Office. The man was not wearing a life jacket, according to CPW.
The first batch of new Denver International Airport concourse train cars transported passengers on Monday, with 20 more set to hit the rails through 2025.
The 26 new train cars are expected to increase the number of passengers that can be moved to gates, shorten the time between train arrivals and improve energy efficiency, DIA officials said in a news release.
Six new train cars began operating Monday, with the remaining 20 coming online through next year.
“Today marks an important milestone, as our train to the concourses play a crucial role in the passenger experience at DEN,” airport Chief Executive Officer Phil Washington said in a statement. “With 77.8 million annual passengers and millions more expected year over year, we know we need the most reliable, durable and efficient infrastructure and systems to ensure as seamless an experience as possible.”
The new train cars will replace 16 of the airport’s 31-car fleet that are 29 years old and past their lifespan as well as increase the total number of train cars to 41, according to DIA officials. Airport leaders are also considering adding even more train cars.
DIA is also considering different train configurations to increase capacity, according to the release. The airport can currently run seven trains of four cars each at peak travel times, with the new cars increasing that to eight trains of four cars each.
Terrell Ronin Warrior was arrested Monday on suspicion of second-degree murder in a stabbing in the 12000 block of Melody Drive that killed one man Saturday morning, Westminster police said in a news release.
Officers responded to the area near Willowbrook Park and Wesley Chapel Cemetery in northern Westminster at 9:10 a.m. and found a man with a stab wound to the chest. He died at the scene.
Warrior will be booked into the Adams County Detention Facility, according to Westminster police. His age and bail information was not immediately available.
