The Colorado Springs Gazette

Two more alleged victims come forward in Coronado sex assault case

Two additional alleged victims have been identified in a sex assault case involving a former Coronado High School education assistant who was arrested in February, Colorado Springs police said. Benjamin Wilkerson, 26, was arrested Feb. 18 after allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student, police said. During the course of...
Former Colorado police officer accused of stealing from dead man

ALAMOSA — A former Antonito police officer faces charges of theft and official misconduct in connection with the alleged theft of money from a dead man. Authorities say Don Mendoza of Alamosa was on duty in Antonito Jan. 4 when he responded to assist a coroner. Authorities found about $2,200 in cash, but when family members arrived to...
Colorado woman sues police for false imprisonment

GREELEY — The Tribune reports a woman jailed for 49 days before forgery charges against her were dismissed is suing the city of Greeley, its police department and a police officer for false arrest and imprisonment. The Tribune, in a story Thursday (https://tinyurl.com/kxsyeap ), cited the suit filed last month by 39-year-old Alma Rubi...
Auto break-ins at Colorado Springs park on the rise

Lorraine Elger loved walking her dogs at Palmer Park in northeast Colorado Springs until her car got broken into and her purse was stolen - in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, Elger is only one of many people who have had their vehicle's burglarized since the weather started warming up, with police reporting that at least 14 car break-ins...
4th grader tries to sell marijuana in northern Colorado

GREELEY — School officials in northern Colorado are asking parents to take care with their newly legal recreational marijuana, after fourth graders were caught dealing the drug on an elementary school campus. John Gates, director of safety for Weld County School District 6, said Wednesday that the students involved, three 10-year-old boys...
Police: Colorado Springs man robbed people he knew at gunpoint

Police said a man is on the run after he robbed his companions at gunpoint Tuesday night at an apartment complex in east Colorado Springs. An unidentified man and a group of people he knew went to an apartment on the 1400 block of Alvarado Drive, off East Fountain Boulevard, about 10:30 p.m., according to police reports. Once inside the...
Trial underway for Colorado Springs murder suspect; man accused in death after Fourth of July brawl

Opening statements began Tuesday in the murder trial of 22-year-old Damian Martez Evans, accused of gunning down a man during a brawl at a Fourth of July house party in Colorado Springs last year. Christopher Vazquez, 21, was found dead in the early hours of July 5 outside a home on the 4500 block of Jetwing Circle, off East Fountain...
Gunnison police seek woman in infant's death

MONTROSE — Gunnison police are looking for a 39-year-old woman who has been indicted in the death of her 5-month-old son. The Montrose Daily Press reported Tuesday (http://tinyurl.com/kl5so7p ) Corrina Denham faces charges of criminally negligent homicide and fatal child abuse in the May 2013 death of Jacob Klein. Police say they don't...
Colorado lawmakers trying to restrict solitary confinement

DENVER — A year after a Colorado inmate held in solitary confinement allegedly gunned down the state prisons chief upon being released, lawmakers are moving to restrict use of the punishment for the mentally ill. The bill continues the efforts that Colorado Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements had been working on, and highlights...
Traffic stop in Colorado Springs leads to drug bust

A March traffic stop in Colorado Springs where police say they found cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine led to a larger drug bust in the city on Monday. Four people, including the driver in the traffic stop, were jailed and more than seven pounds of drugs were seized, according to a Colorado Springs police news release. A warrant was...
Georgia offender arrested in Denver-area sex sting

DENVER — Authorities say a convicted child molester from Georgia has been arrested in suburban Denver for trying to lure a teenage girl to have sex with him. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office charged 51-year-old James Lee Pierce on Tuesday with crimes including attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring....
Preliminary hearing held for two men accused in Colorado Springs kidnapping, shooting

Two men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman before allegedly shooting her in the head and leaving her to die had been at an apartment party with her hours before she was found alive on Dec. 28 near Old Colorado City, according to investigators. At a preliminary hearing for Hamilton Lee Sullivan and Jorge Luis Hernandez, the...
Colorado Springs victim: Good deed turned into assault

A man suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting another man on April 14 allegedly forced his victim to take drugs and drink alcohol while they drove around and sat in a car together for more than 12 hours, according to court documents. The victim, a convenience store employee, was leaving work on Garden of the Gods Road when he ran into...
Only 3 seek restitution in tainted Colorado cantaloupe case

Prosecutors say only three people have submitted restitution claims totaling $13,000 from two Colorado cantaloupe farmers linked to a deadly listeria outbreak. KRDO-TV reported Monday (http://tinyurl.com/kham3o2 ) the requests included doctor bills, attorney fees and funeral expenses. Eric and Ryan Jensen were ordered to pay up to $150,000...
8 arrested in Pueblo drive-by shootings

PUEBLO — Pueblo police say they have arrested eight people in an investigation into a string of drive-by shootings and an arson fire, but they refused to identify the suspects. The Pueblo Chieftain reported Monday (http://tinyurl.com/lcm2nf3 ) the arrests came over the weekend. Police Chief Luis Velez says identifying the people in...
Arrest warrants issued in southern Colorado llama killing

Arrest warrants were issued Monday for three teenagers after a llama was killed in the Las Animas county community of Trinidad in southern Colorado. According to police, an post-mortem examination of the animal is what led to criminal charges. 18-year-old Cody Kissman is accused of slitting the throat of the animal last week. A 17-year-old...
Colorado Springs man subdued with stun gun after allegedly impersonating police officer

A Colorado Springs man was accused of trying to impersonate a police officer and with driving under the influence, police said. Willie Greene III, 40, was arrested on suspicion of impersonating a police officer, obstructing a peace officer and driving under the influence, then booked into the El Paso County jail, records show. Police got a...
Woman accused in of killing six of her babies and storing their bodies in her garage appears in court

PROVO, Utah — Prosecutors have been granted more time to determine what charges to file against a Utah woman accused of killing six of her babies and storing their bodies in her garage. Megan Huntsman, 39, was in court Monday wearing a baggy prison jumpsuit, her hands and ankles shackled. She mostly stared at the ground as prosecutors asked...
Mugshot Monday: Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted in the Pikes Peak region

Wanted: Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help finding the following people for whom felony arrest warrants have been issued. Christopher Barns, 31, is described as a 200-pound man, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. Barns is being sought on suspicion of attempted distribution, manufacturing and...
Colorado Springs man accused of throwing rocks at cars, kicking officer

Colorado Springs police arrested a man accused of throwing rocks at vehicles and assaulting an officer Monday, according to police reports. Zachary Walter Fay, 23, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault on a police officer and booked into the El Paso County jail, records show. Witnesses told police that a man, later identified as...