Author: Kirk Mitchell
-
Denver jail responds to Bruce’s complaints
Jailers defended their new “state of the art” jail in the wake of criticism from former Colorado legislator Douglas Bruce. Bruce stood in judgment of jail conditions this morning following his release on a tax evasion conviction. He lambasted the jail for bad food, unnecessary and humiliating strip searches, low room temperatures, isolation and brutality.…
-
Victims of Colorado wildlands fire say warning never came
JEFFERSON COUNTY — Families driven from their homes by a fast-moving wall of fire Monday evening said they stayed longer than was safe because authorities told them that the smoke they were smelling was from a controlled burn that was being monitored. “I thought we weren’t going to make it,” said Kim Olson, who barely…
-
Skier dies at Copper Mountain
A 51-year-old skier died late last night after falling head-first on a snow-covered stump at Copper Mountain Resort, authorities say.Donald Hinckley of Austin, Texas, was pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m. at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, said Joanne Richardson, Summit County coroner.Hinckley was skiing slowly down the Far East Run at 10:30 a.m. when he…
-
Suspect in kidnapping of Denver girl is identified
The hunt for the kidnapper of an 8-year-old Denver girl continued to intensify Saturday as the search expanded nationally, with 50 FBI agents and more than 100 members of the Denver Police Department involved. The suspect has been identified as 27-year-old Bret Lee Luckett Thompson. He is considered dangerous. “It’s very possible he could still…
-
Sen. Suzanne Williams cited for 3 misdemeanors in fatal wreck
Texas troopers have cited Colorado Sen. Suzanne Williams for three misdemeanor traffic violations in a fatal accident that happened on Dec. 26 in Hartley County, Texas. Williams was cited for driving on the wrong side of the road while not passing and two seat belt violations involving her two grandchildren. Her son, Todd Williams, has…
-
Mom talks about son, accused of killing great-grandparents
Moments after she learned on March 30 that her 16-year-old son was unable to feel his legs and possibly had a spinal injury after a truck crash, Teresa Rose was pulled aside by an investigator who whispered some devastating news. A deputy had gone to the Eastern Plains farm house where the teen was staying…
-
Sister was intended target in double murder, charges show
Tamara Rafferty, the sister of a man accused of orchestrating a double murder in Douglas County, was an intended target of the plot. Christopher B. Wells, 49, Micah Woody, 29, and Josiah Sher, 26, all are charged with criminal intent to commit the first-degree murder of Wells’ sister, Tamara Rafferty, charging documents released today show.…
-
Four suspects in Castle Rock double murder formally charged
Four men being held in a Douglas County double murder made separate court appearances Thursday afternoon as they were formally charged in the case, but each chose not to have the charges read for them. The charges remain sealed, but a database that maintains court records for the state shows that Christopher B. Wells, 49,…
-
Pregnant woman’s death a ‘crushing blow’ to town of Ouray
The death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman in a highway collision in Texas was a “crushing blow” to residents of Ouray, the tiny mountain community where she was raised, her former neighbors said. Brianna Michelle Gomez, who was buried Wednesday, grew up in the southwestern Colorado town and recently opened a counseling office for autistic…
-
Sen. Williams foggy on fatal crash, Texas troopers say
Colorado Sen. Suzanne Williams told troopers investigating a fatal crash north of Amarillo, Texas, that she has no memory of the circumstances leading to the wreck that occurred when she was behind the wheel Sunday evening. But Monday night, she told one of her closest friends in the legislature that her son was in the…