Deputy arrested

Colorado Springs police charged El Paso County sheriff’s Deputy David Smith with driving under the influence after he rear-ended a car while off duty, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Office placed Smith, 41, on paid administrative leave after the Police Department contacted the Sheriff’s Office about the charges.

The crash occurred at 5:23 p.m. Tuesday on Garden of the Gods Road, according to the Police Department.

---

Aggressive driving

A recent national analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fatality crash data placed Colorado in the top five states for the highest shares of fatal crashes involving aggressive or careless driving.

Of the 642 fatal crashes on Colorado roadways last year, 288 involved aggressive or careless driving, according to the analysis. These crashes contained at least one unsafe driving behavior, including aggressive driving, careless driving, inattentive operation, improper driving and/or driving without due care.

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Jersey and Hawaii were the top four states.

---

Pikes Peak Challenge

What started 41 years ago as the “Walk Through the Clouds” when six hikers made it to the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,100 feet has grown into the biggest fundraiser for the Brain Injury Association of Colorado (BIAC), biacolorado.org.

Now known as the Pikes Peak Challenge, it will be held on Saturday, September 12. Registration is open at pikespeakchallenge.com.

Several hundred hikers will make the 13 mile climb with an elevation gain of 7500 feet while others hike halfway up to Barr Camp and back and still more, including many brain injury survivors, walk several miles around Manitou Springs. For those who cannot make it in person, there also is a virtual challenge.

The event helps provide support to brain injury survivors, including stroke victims, in Colorado, the second state in the country to have a brain injury organization.

---

Education accolades

• Tyler Richard of Monument was named to the dean’s honor list for the springs semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Richard is in the school’s college of engineering.

• Stephen Burdette of Monument was named to the spring 2026 dean’s list at Ohio University.

• Walter Oliphant of Monument was named to the College of the Holy Cross spring 2026 dean’s list.