The Colorado Springs Gazette

Colorado Springs police searching for Wells Fargo bank robber

Colorado Springs police are looking for a bank robber near America the Beautiful Park downtown. “We’re still just saturating the area trying to come up with this party,” police Lt. Thomas Harris said. About 1:44 p.m., a heavyset man with a goatee robbed Wells Fargo Bank, 1800 S. Nevada Ave. Harris said he hasn’t been able to...
Colorado Springs police hunt for gun-toting robber

Colorado Springs Police are searching for a suspect they said robbed the Smoker Friendly store at gun point Sunday afternoon. The robber pulled a pistol inside the store at 1437 N. Circle Dr. and demanded cash from the clerk, who emptied the register, police said. The robber fled the store on foot, running south through a parking lot and...
Firefighters pull 200-pound bear from Colorado Springs tree

Colorado Springs Fire Department crews and wildlife officials joined forces Sunday to pull a 200-pound black bear from a tree off South Chelton Road and South Claremont Street. Fire spokeswoman Sunny Smaldino said the bear was fully sedated by Parks and Wildlife workers and firefighters removed branches from the tree to bring the animal down...
Coyote hunt ongoing after two children attacked

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials have been hunting for a coyote since two preschoolers were attacked Thursday afternoon at Goose Gossage Park, near Fillmore Street and Mark Dabling Boulevard. Officers have been monitoring the area through the weekend and will continue until the coyote is located, Seraphin said. Thursday evening, Colorado...
Homemade explosive found in Colorado Springs residence

A Colorado Springs police bomb squad disarmed an explosive device found Sunday morning at a house in the 600 block of North 24th Street Sunday. An area around the house was blocked off for three hours as explosive experts worked, said police Sgt. Pamela Castro. The area was reopened at 12:30 p.m. after the device was rendered harmless, police...
Kitchen fire at Briarhurst invites extra wedding guests

Manitou Springs firefighters watched a bride walk down the aisle at Briarhurst Manor Estate Saturday night after they extinguished a fire in the restaurant's kitchen. The range-hood fire in the estate, at 404 Manitou Avenue, forced the evacuation of the diners and staff early Saturday evening, according to the Manitou Springs Fire Department....
Wife, daughter held in February killing of Widefield man

Neighbors of a man found dead from a gunshot wound in his Widefield home in February were stunned when his daughter and wife were arrested Saturday morning. "Wow," said Butch Grusing, who knew the victim and lives across the street. "I bought an ATV from him," Grusing said. "We had the same interests. I'd trust him with anything I had." The...
Mother of allegedly neglected boy is on leave from church nursery job

The mother of a 13-year-old boy who police say was living in a home littered with human feces has been placed on administrative leave from her part-time job at a church nursery. Sharon Starkey, who was cited Thursday for child neglect along with her husband, former Colorado Springs Councilman Charles Wingate, worked at the First United...
Colorado sheriffs sue over new gun restrictions

DENVER (AP) — Colorado sheriffs upset with gun restrictions adopted in the aftermath of last year's mass shootings filed a federal lawsuit Friday, challenging the regulations as unconstitutional. The lawsuit involves sheriffs from 54 of Colorado's 64 counties, most representing rural, gun-friendly areas of the state. The sheriffs say the...
Former Colorado Springs councilman denies allegations of neglect after autistic boy is found naked

A notorious former Colorado Springs city councilman and his wife were cited for child neglect after Colorado Springs police say officers found their 13-year-old son naked and living in a home littered with feces. Charles E. Wingate and his wife of 17 years, Sharon Starkey, were cited after a neighbor called police, who checked on the home in...
Colorado sheriffs suing over gun control measures

DENVER - Most of Colorado's sheriffs say they are suing to block two gun-control laws scheduled to take effect this summer. Fifty-four sheriffs, including El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, are joining other gun-rights activists in trying to block a law limiting the size of ammunition magazines. The sheriffs say they're also suing to block...
Killing at Colorado Springs biker clubhouse leads to 21-year sentence

An Iraq War veteran-turned-motorcycle gang enforcer was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison in the slaying of an unarmed man who died in a hail of gunfire outside an outlaw motorcycle gang's Colorado Springs clubhouse. Christopher Mountjoy, a hulking Fort Carson sergeant who moonlighted as "sergeant-at-arms" for the Sin City Disciples,...
VIDEO: DOC interim chief wants to lay foundation for progress

Colorado Department of Corrections interim chief Roger Werholtz wants to set plans in motion that will carry the agency forward in the right direction. During an interview with The Gazette Thursday, Werholtz praised slain director Tom Clements' accomplishments and said he wants to use them as the foundation for a plan of action that...
Name of fallen Colorado Springs motorcycle officer added to national memorial

The name of a Colorado Springs motorcycle officer who died in a traffic crash last year is now on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The name of Matt Tyner and 119 other officers who died in the line of duty in 2012 were formally dedicated during a candlelight vigil Monday. Members of the Colorado Springs...
Police: Easy Check Loans robber still on the loose

Colorado Springs police and its K-9 unit are searching for a suspect they say robbed the Easy Check Loans at 2383 N. Academy Blvd. Police said a man walked into the loan business at 1:40 p.m. armed with a long screw driver in his pocket and demanded money from the clerk. Barbara Miller, police department spokeswoman, said the man walked...