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Post by Sher on Jun 2, 2005 7:59:39 GMT -5
The body of a man who disappeared while snowshoeing in January has finally been found.
Dan Walker went missing after going for help in heavy snow on the Grand Mesa.
On Tuesday, while searching for a missing woman, Mesa County sheriff's deputies used the helicopter to go over the Grand Mesa area where Daniel Walker was last seen on Jan. 9.
Walker, 54, was snowshoeing with his family in the backcountry when they became lost. Walker left his wife and daughter with the family dog and searched for help.
Rescuers found his wife, Deborah, and the couple's 18-year-old daughter, Camille, two days later, after the pair had spent one night taking shelter near a tree and the next night in a snow cave that they dug out. Walker had not been found until now.
The search for him was called after several days. Overnight temperatures had fallen below zero with wind chills as low as minus 19 on the 10,500-foot-high Grand Mesa.
His family presumed he was dead and held a memorial service for him in February.
The Plateau Valley Fire Department helped remove Walker's body from the Bull Basin area Wednesday. The Mesas County Coroner's Office positively identified him Wednesday afternoon and was conducting a post-mortem examination to confirm his cause of death.
The woman who Mesa County sheriff's deputies had originally been searching for was also found Tuesday evening. She was alive but suffering from dehydration and exposure. She had been missing for three days.
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Post by Sher on Jun 17, 2005 9:26:27 GMT -5
GREELEY, Colo. -- A 16-year-old Berthoud, Colo., youth faced multiple charges Thursday in connection with an accident that claimed the lives of two friends.
The Weld County District Attorney's Office reviewed the May 25 accident, south of Berthoud, and issued a summons charging Benjamin Moden with two misdemeanor counts of careless driving causing death, two misdemeanor counts of careless driving causing injury, and several traffic infractions.
Shawtae Taylor, 15 and Kurtis Soeby, 18 were killed in the crash. Two other teenagers riding in the same car were injured in the crash.
They were in a 1991 Lexus that was traveling east on Larimer County Road 4 near Berthoud when the Lexus failed to yield the right-of-way at a stop sign, the CSP said. A 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling north on Weld County Road 1 slammed directly into the Lexus' passenger side. (See Images From Crash Scene.)
The pickup truck was driven by Leslie Mechem, 68, of Berthoud. He was treated at the accident scene and released.
The district attorney's office said that Moden was driving the Lexus. CSP investigators said none of the teens were wearing seat belts.
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Post by Sher on Jun 22, 2005 14:46:11 GMT -5
AURORA, Colo. -- The Aurora Mall plans to resume normal operations Wednesday after gunfire erupted Tuesday night and left one woman dead and two others injured. Police say the young woman who was killed was trying to break up a fight when she was shot in the right temple. Her boyfriend was also shot and taken to the hospital. A third victim, an older woman who was not involved in the argument, was hit in the arm with a stray bullet. She is expected to fully recover. The male victim remains at Aurora Medical Center. His condition is unknown. The victims' identities have not been released. Police say the woman who was killed and the man who was shot were between 25 and 30 years old. The innocent bystander was in her late 50s or early 60s. Police arrested two males suspects, possibly juveniles, minutes after the 7:30 p.m. shooting. According to witnesses, the gunfire erupted after a verbal argument between three men. The young woman and her boyfriend were leaving the Champs Sports store on the mall's lower-level when her boyfriend and two men got into an argument. The confrontation continued until the suspects reach the top of a stairway between Champs and Tilt Arcade. "I heard, 'Let's take it outside.' (And the young woman saying), 'No. No. Let's not do this.' She knew it was a bad idea," said witness Shea Lantz. The woman tried to restrain her angry boyfriend as he tried to climb the stairs. That's when the shooting began, witnesses said. Witness Corey Rice said he heard several gunshots when he turned around to see the young woman struck. "As soon as I heard the gunshots off, I looked up and I see the girl fall face forward. So I ran over there to her and about the time I ran to her, they were still shooting," Rice said. "So I see a dude running next to me and I grabbed him and tried to get him to come down and he caught (a bullet) in the head." Rice took off his T-shirt and wrapped it around the man's head to staunch the blood. He said that he didn't know the victims but his first reaction was to help. "That's what we should do as people anyway. When something like that happens, it ain't got nothing to do with fear," Rice said. Rice said the young woman died in his arms at the bottom of the stairway. "I'm rubbing her head and her back and she looked up and closed her eyes and then a nurse came ... She was out of here," Rice said. "I'm just blessed to still be here ... because the last thing that girl seen was me." Witnesses said that they heard between four and nine gunshots and that the mall was chaotic afterwards as shoppers ducked for cover. "I heard two, three, four -- five at the most -- gunshots. I thought it was the dudes doing construction cause they use nail guns and everything," said witness Walter Tabarez. "Then I saw the dude running and everybody scrambling. And then ... like, six girls ran into the back of the store. That's when I noticed something happened." "It was, like, one second you're just walking in the mall and the next second you're getting shot at," he said. The two male suspects were taken into custody after an off-duty police officer working security at the mall radioed for help and other police units surrounded the mall to keep the suspects from escaping. The suspects were chased through the J.C. Penney store and caught just outside the mall. Two guns were also recovered, said police spokesman Rudy Herrera. "People are saying that there were several shots fired so I couldn't tell you whether there was one (suspect) firing all the shots or if both of them took part in the shooting," Herrera said. The Aurora Mall, located at 14200 E. Alameda Ave., was closed immediately following the shooting. Stores inside the mall plan to have normal hours Wednesday. www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4637890/detail.html?subid=22100484&qs=1;bp=t
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Post by Sher on Jun 24, 2005 13:17:18 GMT -5
AURORA, Colo. -- The mothers of two college students who were gunned down Monday night are determined to find the couple's killers and they want the public's help. Video Parents Of Murdered Sweethearts Want Justice Recent Colorado State University graduates Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe were engaged to be married. Marshall-Fields was supposed to testify at a criminal trial next week but he and his fiancée were ambushed and executed as they drove onto Dayton Street in Aurora. "He gave her a ring about three weeks ago, and we as a family have decided to lay them to rest together, so they're going to be buried together, so they don't have to be alone," said Rhonda Fields, Javad's mother, struggling with her tears. The couple died in a hail of gunfire. At least 12 bullets hit the victims' car. On Thursday, the mothers of both victims issued a public plea for witnesses to come forward. "This happened at eight in the evening," Fields continued. "Someone has heard something. Someone has seen something. ... Someone knows the truth (and) someone needs to tell it. These monsters took the lives of two very innocent young people." She choked back tears as she talked about the couple's bright future. "If you look at his smile, you can tell he lit up the world with that smile," Fields said. "He was tall, handsome and bright. He was a natural leader and he loved life." The 22-year-old student leaders meant a great deal to CSU, said school President Larry Penley. "They will be remembered with warmth, tenderness and sincere respect for what they gave to this institution and to the people with whom they lived, worked and studied," Penley wrote in an address to the campus. They were truly determined "to make a difference," he said. Marshall-Fields had just returned from a job interview in Maryland and the couple was planning to settle in Virginia. Police haven't ruled out the possiblity that Marshall-Fields was killed because he was about to testify in a murder trial. That trial has been delayed and now other witnesses in the case are asking for protection, 7NEWS reported. "It's a war against the criminals that committed this crime," said Maisha Pollard-Fields, Javad's sister. "I want every criminal who has any connection to this crime to know that we are going to hunt you down. ... We're looking for you in every nook and cranny. We are going to be on the streets. We are going to be in churches. We are going to be everywhere that you think we are not, looking for you." "Somebody knows somewhere out there," said Christine Wolfe, Vivian's mother. "Don't be scared. If you don't stop crime, violence and guns ... next time, very soon ... it's going to be your kids, your boys, your daughters." The district attorney's office said it will offer witness protection to anyone who comes forward with information about the shooting. Last Fourth of July, Marshall-Fields was injured during a shooting at Lowry Park. His friend, Gregory Vann, was shot and killed. Marshall-Fields identified Robert Keith Ray as the person who drove the getaway car. Ray is charged with being an accessory to murder and his trial was supposed to begin next Monday. Aurora police said that they have not had a chance to interview Ray about the recent shooting. Marshall-Fields told his family that he had been threatened and was nervous about testifying, but police said that they were not aware of the threats. The family's pastor is helping to raise more money for the Crimestoppers reward fund, which now stands at $10,000. Anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the killers will be eligible for the reward. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call Aurora Police Department at (303) 739-6013 or CrimeStoppers at (720) 913-STOP (7867). www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4646148/detail.html?subid=22100484&qs=1;bp=t
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Post by Sher on Jul 18, 2005 20:20:13 GMT -5
Birthday-Celebrating Campers Held In Campground Slaying Suspects In Campground Slaying Identified POSTED: 11:03 am MDT July 18, 2005 UPDATED: 12:36 pm MDT July 18, 2005 CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Douglas County authorities have identified the two men arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing and assault at a popular campground over the weekend. Adrian Enrique Sanchez, 22, was held Monday on investigation of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, theft, and first-degree trespassing. Cristobal Alfredo Rios, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, was being held for investigation of being an accessory to a crime, motor vehicle theft, first-degree trespassing, and theft. The two suspects were arrested in connection with the stabbing death of 18-year-old Seth Hunter Payne. He died of a stab wound in the neck. Two of Payne's friends were also stabbed during the fight between two camping groups at Rainbow Falls Park early Saturday. The campground is just inside the Douglas-Teller County line, along Highway 67 between Deckers and Woodland Park. Payne and his friends, identified as William Russell Mills, 20, and Darius Leon Carey, 18, had gotten into a fight with the two suspects early Saturday morning, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Mills was stabbed in the chest and Carey was stabbed in the back. Rios and Sanchez were staying in a nearby tent at the same campground. The three victims were all from Englewood, Colo. The two suspects are from Arvada, Colo., and Greenwood Village, Colo. Rios had just turned 18 on Friday. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office was notified of the stabbings at 4:21 a.m. Saturday. They found Payne dead when they arrived. The two stabbing suspects were linked to a stolen BMW found abandoned near the campsite, according to investigators. Rios is suspected of stealing the car and then driving it to the campsite. Rios and Sanchez were advised of the charges against them Monday morning. A 1993 murder at the same campground remains unsolved. In that case, the decomposed body of a woman was found in a tent. She remains unidentified. www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4737150/detail.html?subid=22100484&qs=1;bp=t
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Post by Sher on Sept 20, 2005 19:25:52 GMT -5
DENVER -- A Strasburg man who said he was in grade school when a former Roman Catholic priest allegedly gave him alcohol then sexually assaulted him was among three more men filing sexual abuse lawsuits Tuesday against the Archdiocese of Denver.
The lawsuit by Roger Colburn, 46, was believed to be the first naming the late Rev. Leonard A. Abercrombie, said the plaintiffs' attorney, Jeff Herman. All the lawsuits allege the archdiocese was aware of abuse allegations but concealed that information.
"Bringing out this dark secret really does start the healing process," Colburn said.
The three new lawsuits each seek at least $10 million in compensatory damages, but Colburn said his main goal was encouraging other victims to come forward.
"How do you put a number on something so terrible and that has affected your life," he said. "It's not something you get over."
In all, nine lawsuits have been filed by people alleging they were assaulted by Harold Robert White, a former priest whom the archdiocese removed from public ministry in 1993. One suit names Abercrombie. Two other men have filed claims in Pueblo accusing former Catholic high school teacher William Mueller of drugging them with ether and then sexually assaulting them.
Fran Maier, the archdiocese's chancellor, declined to comment. "We're not going to pursue this in the public media," he said.
Maier said the archdiocese offers mediation and counseling to those reporting allegations. "We have concern for the welfare of each of the individual plaintiffs that goes beyond the legal process," he said.
In 1991, the Denver archdiocese became one of the first in the nation to develop an abuse policy requiring all allegations be reported immediately to law enforcement officials. It has paid $997,730 in counseling and settlement costs to alleged victims since 1950.
Herman said he is working on 10 to 15 more potential lawsuits in Colorado, including ones naming other priests.
Colburn alleges Abercrombie, a friend of the family, sexually assaulted him on a camping trip when Colburn was age 10 or 11. Colburn alleged he was passed out on alcohol that Abercrombie gave him and awoke to find the former priest grinding against him.
Colburn is among three men who told The Denver Post that Abercrombie sexually abused them, beginning in the 1950s.
Abercrombie died in 1994 at the age of 73. The Los Angeles Archdiocese has said Abercrombie was accused twice of abusing minors in California, where Colburn said Abercrombie was sent in 1976.
The new lawsuits against White were filed on behalf of Pat Hergenreter and a 52-year-old man identified as John Doe.
Hergenreter, of Greeley, alleged White abused him when White was assigned to a church in Sterling from 1965-68, beginning when Hergenreter was about 11. White allegedly abused him before and after Mass, in a room where White donned his vestments, the lawsuit said. Abuse allegedly also occured during trips to Denver.
White was removed from public ministry in 1993. He left the priesthood last year. The archdiocese has declined to publicly discuss the reasons.
"John Doe" alleged White assaulted him over a four-month period in 1974, when he was 21. White rented a room to him in the rectory while White was assigned to a church in Minturn.
In August, White told reporters in Denver the allegations against him contain "half-truths" and that money-hungry lawyers may be behind the lawsuits. He has an unlisted phone number.
Herman said he would argue that the statute of limitations for filing the lawsuits does not apply and said the archdiocese concealed information to protect itself from civil liability.
Dioceses across the country have been rocked over the past several years by allegations that they merely shuffled priests accused of sexual abuse among parishes to hide problems.
The Denver archdiocese has said it takes sexual abuse allegations seriously but has declined to discuss White or Abercrombie in detail.
"The story of Rev. White grows uglier by the day," Herman said, adding that the lawsuits were the "tip of the iceberg."
More Accusations Thrown At Teacher Who Worked For Archdiocese Of Pueblo
Meanwhile, a former Catholic high school teacher already accused of sexually assaulting Colorado students in the 1960s is now accused of abusing a student in Missouri.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests will announce a lawsuit Tuesday accusing William Mueller of using both a knife, and threats of violence, to silence the alleged victim in 1985.
SNAP officials say the abuse occurred at Vianney High School near St. Louis.
Two men accused Mueller last week of drugging them with ether, then sexually assaulting them, when they were students at the former Roncalli High School in Pueblo.
The all-boys school was owned by the Diocese of Pueblo and staffed by the Society of Mary Religious Order.
The school no longer exists.
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