Sheriff: Man killed wife, called cops

AURORA | A man killed his wife and called sheriff’s deputies to turn himself in Wednesday, the Arapahoe County sheriff’s office said.

The 47-year-old man, whose name has not been released, called deputies to his home in the 23800 block of East Archer Place at about 8:30 a.m., according to a statement from the Arapahoe County sheriff’s office.

When deputies arrived at the home near East Sixth Avenue and E-470, the man told them he and his wife had been arguing and he shot her.

Inside, deputies found a deceased white female. The woman’s name has not been released. 

The man was then taken into custody.

Aurora cop arrested on child porn charge

Sgt. Morgan Sellman

AURORA | An Aurora police sergeant has been arrested in El Paso County on child pornography charges. 

Sgt. Morgan Sellman, 39, a 14-year Aurora police veteran, faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of the charges, according to Colorado Springs police. 

Sellman, who worked as the department’s quartermaster and DARE coordinator, has been placed on unpaid leave pending the investigation, Aurora police said. 


Here is a link to the Colorado Springs police release on the case. 


Click below for a statement on the case from APD. 

Man struck by car Tuesday dies

AURORA | A man struck by a car early Tuesday morning near Anschutz Medical Campus has died, police said Wednesday.

Clifford Nash, 61, of Aurora, was struck shortly before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday while he crossed East Colfax Avenue just west of Aurora Court, police said in a statement.

Police said Nash had just got off an eastbound bus on the southside of Colfax when he and a group of bus passengers walked across Colfax.

The rest of the group stopped in the median, but Nash continued into the westbound lanes of Colfax, where he was struck by a Volkswagen Passat.

The driver of the Passat, Janet Anderson, 31, of Aurora, had drivien through a green light at Aurora Court and did not see Nash because of his dark clothing and because he was partially hidden by a car in another lane, police said.

When officers arrived Nash was laying in the street and Anderson had pulled over to the side of the road.

Nash was rushed to an area hospital but passed away around 9 p.m. from his injuries.

Police said Anderson will not face charges.

Pedestrian killed Tuesday morning

AURORA | A 61-year-old Aurora woman was killed Tuesday morning when she was struck by a van on South Havana Street. 

The crash happened at about 6:20 a.m. a few yards north of the intersection of Havana and East Mexico Avenue. 

Police said Rebecca Ramirez, 39, of Aurora, was driving a 1983 Chevy Van north on Havana when she drove through a green light at Mexico. 

About 12 to 15 feet north of the intersection, the van hit Carmen Vasquez-Rios, who was crossing the street. 

When police arrived, Vasquez-Rios was laying in the street. She died later at an area hospital. 

Police said in a statement that investigators believe the darkness, Vasquez-Rios’ dark clothing and her failure to use the crosswalk contributed to the accident.  

Ramirez will not be charged, police said. 

UPDATE: Cops ID man killed in truck crash

AURORA | Police have identified a driver killed in a rollover early Monday as Michael Dowdy.

Dowdy, 26, of Aurora, died after crashing a pickup truck near Quincy Reservoir.

Police said the crash happened at about 3:35 a.m. on East Quincy Avenue near South Pitkin Street.

The truck, a 2002 blue Dodge Ram with Kansas license plates, was headed west on Quincy when it slammed into a curb near South Richfield Street. The driver lost control of the truck and it careened into the eastbound lanes, hitting a light pole and an embankment before rolling over.

When emergency crews arrived the truck was upside down and the driver still in the cab.

The driver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Speed was a factor in the crash, police said, but it is not yet clear if drugs and alcohol were as well.

In a statement Monday afternoon, police said a toxicology exam, which will determine whether alcohol and drugs were a factor, could take up to eight weeks to complete. 

Pot doc due in court this afternoon

AURORA | The Aurora doctor who police say doled out bogus medical marijuana perscriptions is due in court this afternoon. 


I will be in court for the hearing, which starts at 1:30 p.m. Check for updates here and on twitter.  


Here is a link to a previous story on the case. 

One dead in early morning crash

AURORA | A man died after crashing a pickup truck early Monday morning near Quincy Reservoir. 
 
Police said the crash happened at about 3:35 a.m. on East Quincy Avenue near South Pitkin Street.

The truck, a 2002 blue Dodge Ram with Kansas license plates, was headed west on Quincy when it slammed into a curb near South Richfield Street. The driver lost control of the truck and it careened into the eastbound lanes, hitting a light pole and an embankment before rolling over.

When emergency crews arrived the truck was upside down and the driver still in the cab.

The driver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said the driver, who was the only person in the truck, was not carrying identification so they have not yet identified him.

Speed was a factor in the crash, police said, but it is not yet clear if drugs and alcohol were as well.

Cops ID Central suspect

AURORA | The man police say shot an Aurora Central High School student in front of the school Monday afternoon has been identified as Luis Guzman-Rincon, 19.
Police released Guzman-Rincon’s name Thursday, a day after he was arrested in Aurora in connection with the shooting.
Guzman-Rincon has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault and is being held in the Arapahoe County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Police said Guzman-Rincon may be in the country illegally. According to jail records, federal immigration authorities have also placed a hold on him.
The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of East 11th Avenue and Newark Street, just a few yards from the campus’ northern edge.
Police said when officers arrived at the scene, the victim had already been rushed to a local hospital by friends in a purple Acura Integra.
The victim has been identified as Karina Vargas, 17, a Central High junior. Police haven’t said publicly whether the girl was in a car or in the street when she was shot, but a spokesman said the department knows that information.
Witnesses said Monday there was supposed to be a fight between gang members at the intersection around the time of the shooting, but police said the victim was not involved in any altercation before she was shot.
Police confirmed Thursday that the shooting was gang related.

Arrest made in Central shooting

AURORA | The man who shot an Aurora Central High School student in front of the school Monday afternoon has been arrested, police said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Aurora, according to a statement from Aurora police.

Police said the man was being questioned at police headquarters Wednesday afternoon.

The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of East 11th Avenue and Newark Street, just a few yards from the campus’ northern edge.

Police said when officers arrived at the scene, the victim had already been rushed to a local hospital by friends in a purple Acura Integra.

The victim has been identified as Karina Vargas, 17, a Central High junior.

Police haven’t said publicly whether the girl was in a car or in the street when she was shot, but a spokesman said the department knows that information.

Witnesses said Monday there was supposed to be a fight between gang members at the intersection around the time of the shooting, but police said the victim was not involved in any altercation before she was shot.

Police said the shooting may have been gang related.

Cops now seek Infiniti related to ACHS shooting

A car similar to the one police are
searching for, photo courtesy of APD.

AURORA | Police said this afternoon they are looking for a black, 1990s Infiniti sedan in connection with a shooting Monday near Aurora Central High School. 

Initial reports from police on Monday said they were looking for a black or primer gray Dodge Neon, but police said in a statement today that description was incorrect. 


The victim, a 17-year-old student at Central, remained hospitalized Tuesday, a spokeswoman for University of Colorado Hospital said. The spokeswoman said the girl's family asked for privacy and the hospital could not release further information about her condition.


We will have more on this story later this afternoon. 

Click below for the full release from Aurora police. 

Fraud crackdown finds billions in losses

AURORA | Federal prosecutors said yesterday that a nationwide crackdown on financial crime netted charges against 343 people accused of $2.1 billion in fraud. 

In Colorado alone, investigators filed four criminal cases that involved 882 victims losing more than $55 million, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office in Denver. 

Click below for the full release from the US Attorney. 

No updates yet for Central High shooting

AURORA | Police said this morning they likely won’t have any updates on yesterday’s shooting at Aurora Central High School until later today at the earliest. 

We will update here and on the twitter feed as soon as we hear more. 

For now, click below for our story on the shooting that ran today.

CSP launches new anti-DUI effort

AURORA | The Colorado State Patrol is increasing its efforts to keep holiday revelers from driving drunk this month. 

In addition to increased DUI patrols from now until early next month, State Patrol is offering rewards including free cab vouchers and hotel stays to drivers who pledge not to driver drunk. 

“You can still have a good time with friends and family, but take responsibility for yourself to be safe and line up a sober ride if you’re celebrating with alcohol.  If you don’t plan ahead, that’s when bad situations arise and you can end up behind bars or worse,” Col. James Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol, said in a statement announcing the contest.

According to the statement, anyone who takes the plan ahead pledge is eligible to win a free night out in Denver, including an overnight hotel stay, dinner for two and a town car for safe and sober transportation.  Also, businesses that encourage their employees to be safe this holiday season can enter to win a free holiday lunch for their employees. All of the information can be found at www.PlanAheadColorado.com.  

Click below for the CDOT and CSP release. 

Search for missing woman continues

Durst and George. Click to enlarge.

AURORA | Police continued to search this week for a 21-year-old woman whose boyfriend was found slain the couple’s Aurora apartment last month.

Tiffany Shantay Durst was last seen just a few days before police found Terence Scott George, 22, dead Nov. 22 inside Durst’s apartment in the 12200 block of East Kepner Place.

Police said Thursday that Durst’s family and friends have not heard from her for more than two weeks.

Police are calling Durst a person of interest in the man’s death and said they want to make sure she is safe.

Durst might be driving a 1996 maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass with Colorado license plate 750-VBW.

Also Thursday police released another picture of Durst and George.

Police are asking anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Chuck Mehl at 303-739-621.

FBI looking for bank robbery suspect

AURORA | The FBI is looking for a woman who robbed an Aurora bank Tuesday morning. 

The robbery happened about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Bank of the West at 1389 S. Havana St. 

According to a statement from the FBI, a black woman in her 20s approached a teller and showed note demanding money. The woman then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. 

The FBI described the woman as between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall with a very thin build. Investigators have dubbed her the “Slim Fast Bandit.”

During the robbery, the woman was wearing a striped knit cap and a jacket with a fur-lined hood. 

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the robbery to call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171; or remain anonymous and earn up to $2,000 by calling Crimestoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Puffer crackdown coming

AURORA | It's that time of year again. 
Police around the state are cracking down on "puffers" — running and unattended vehicles that police say lead to a spike in car thefts every winter. 
Click below for a release on the crackdown from the Colorado State Patrol.

Report: Sex assault suspect nabbed in Britain

AURORA | The Denver Post is reporting that a man wanted in Jefferson County for sexually assaulting two boys has been arrested in Great Britain.

Authorities said last year that James Craig Bird met the boys at an Aurora church. 

Here is a link to a previous story we wrote about the case. 

I am calling the JeffCo DA’s office now to get more information on this one. 

-Brandon

Feds seize 82 website domains

AURORA | Shoppers looking for a few deals on this Cyber Monday will have 82 fewer places to shop after federal agents shut down that many websites selling counterfeit goods Monday. 

According to a statement from the United States Attorney’s office in Denver, seven of the 82 websites selling fake merchandise were based in Colorado.

The Colorado sites seized in the nationwide bust were: mycollects.com, lv-outletstore.com, lv-outlets.com, lv-outlets.net, timberlandlike.com, realtimberland.com and handbag9.com. 

Visitors to those sites today were greeted with a message from the feds explaining that the domain had been seized. 

The image from mycollects.com is at right, click it to enlarge.

Click below for the release from the US Attorney’s Office. 

Feds say Aurora tax preparer filed bogus claims

AURORA | An Aurora tax preparer’s fraudulent tax returns may have cost the government as much as $4 million, the United States Department of Justice said in a statement Monday. 

Click below for the DOJ release. 

Doug Co. sheriff nabs Aurora man on child porn charge

Robert Ring. Photo courtesy
Douglas County sheriff.

AURORA | Douglas County sheriff’s deputies yesterday arrested an Aurora man on child pornography charges as part of a multi-agency investigation, police there said. 

According to a statement from the Douglas County sheriff’s office, investigators with the Internet Crime Against Children Unit along with Westminster police identified a computer that was sharing several images of child pornography. 

Investigators traced the computer to Robert Ring, 61, and searched his Aurora home with the help of Aurora police. 

As of Wednesday Ring was in custody on two counts of sexual exploitation of children. He is being held in lieu of $50,000.  

Detectives are seeking additional information from the public and asking anyone with information about Ring to call Detective Shawn Cronce at 303-784-7810.  

Body found at city hall

AURORA | Channel 7 in Denver is reporting that police found a dead body outside the east entrance of the Aurora Municipal Center early this morning.

Here is a link to the KMGH story. 

I have a call in to an APD spokesman and hope to have more on this shortly. 

Fire displaces family of five

Crews at the blaze Tuesday.

AURORA | A fire forced a family of five to flee their northeast Aurora trailer home Tuesday morning. 

The blaze started around 10:15 a.m. inside a trailer at 1780 Eisenhower Way, at the Friendly Village mobile home park. 

Capt. Al Robnett, a spokesman for Aurora fire, said nobody was injured and the flames were confined to a bedroom. 

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, Robnett said. 

Fire officials did not have a damage estimate as of Tuesday morning. 


Note: Photo by Heather L. Smith. Click it to enlarge.
-Brandon

Police search for woman after 'suspicious death'

Tiffany Shantay Durst

AURORA | Police are searching for a 21-year-old woman after finding a man dead in the woman’s Aurora apartment Monday.

Tiffany Shantay Durst was last seen Thursday, police said.

Around noon Monday, police found a man dead inside Durst’s apartment in the 12200 block of East Kepner Place. Lt. Sam McGhee, a spokesman for the department, said the man suffered obvious trauma and police are investigating the death as suspicious.

The man, whose name was not released, lived in the apartment with Durst but police have not said what the relationship might be.

McGhee said police were hoping to obtain a search warrant Monday so they could search the apartment.

Police are calling Durst a person of interest in the man’s death.

McGhee said police are anxious to find Durst because they aren’t sure what happened to the man and because they want to make sure she is safe.

“We just don’t know what the circumstances are here,” he said Monday night.

Durst might be driving a 1996 maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass with Colorado license plate number 750-VBW.

Police are asking anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Chuck Mehl at 303-739-6213.


Note: Police said they expect an update on this today, I will update the blog when I hear more. 
-Brandon

DUI crackdown planned

AURORA | Thanksgiving travelers can expect to see extra police on the streets this week as police around the state crackdown on drunk drivers. 

The Colorado State Patrol said Wednesday that State Troopers and officers from 71 law enforcement agencies around the state will participate in DUI crackdown starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. and ending Monday at 3 a.m.

“The goal of increased DUI enforcement is not to spoil Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s to protect families from losing a loved one to a crime that is completely preventable,” Colonel James Wolfinbarger, chief of CSP, said in a statement.  “Thousands of additional vehicles will be traveling our roadways this week and we want everyone in them to make it to their destination safely.  Designate a sober driver and please remember to buckle up.”

This year marks the second time Colorado law enforcement agencies have operated increased DUI patrols over the Thanksgiving week, state patrol said.  

Last year, police around the state arrested 587 drivers for DUI during the seven-day period.

Since 2007, 23 people have been killed on Colorado roadways during the Thanksgiving week and one-third of those deaths were due to an impaired driver, the statement said. 

Click below for the CSP release. 

ICE announces 85 arrests

AURORA | Federal agents arrested 85 convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives during a four-day sweep that ended Friday, immigration officials said in a statement Monday. 

At least one of the arrests occurred in Aurora, according to a statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Names of the arrestees were not released Monday, as per ICE policy. 

Click below for the statement from ICE. 

Sisters ID'd in gun range shooting

AURORA | After four days investigating, sheriff’s deputies said Friday they have positively identified Australian twin sisters who shot themselves Monday at a local gun range. 

The sisters are Kristin A. Hermeler and Candice K. Hermeler, both 29. 

Kristin Hermeler died after the shooting at the Family Shooting Center at Cherry Creek State Park. Candice Hermeler survived and told investigators yesterday that she and her sister shot themselves as part of a suicide pact.

Investigators weren’t certain until today which sister survived and which sister died because the pair are almost identical. 

Sheriff: Gun range shootings were suicide attempts

AURORA | The Australian twin sisters shot Monday at a local shooting range shot themselves as part of a suicide pact, the surviving sister told investigators Thursday. 

According to a statement from the Arapahoe County sheriff’s office, investigators were finally able to interview the surviving sister Thursday, three days after she shot herself along with her sister at the Family Shooting Center at Cherry Creek State Park. 

The sister, who sustained a head wound that required surgery, told investigators she and her sister planned to commit suicide together. 

Names of the women haven’t been released. 

An official at the Arapahoe County coroner’s office said investigators there are still trying to determine which twin sister is which. 

Click below for the release from the sheriff's office.

Figueroa gets life plus 98 for Jan. killing

Ishmael Figueroa

AURORA | A judge Wednesday sentenced an Aurora man to life in prison plus 98 years for gunning a man down near an Aurora grocery store early this year. 

Ishmael Edward Figueroa, 24, was convicted Sept. 30 following a trial in Arapahoe County District Court that lasted about a week and a half.

The first-degree murder conviction carried a mandatory sentence in life in prison without the possibility of parole and at Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Valeria Spencer tacked on an addition 98 years for four counts of attempted murder and nine counts of reckless endangerment

“Mr. Figueroa, you have removed yourself from this community,” Spencer said at the hearing. “Because of your actions you will spend the rest of your natural life in prison.”

Prosecutors say that on Jan. 18, Figueroa was in a dispute with a group of people because he had been calling and sending sexual text messages to a teenage girl.

Name released in Joliet shooting

AURORA | Police identified a man shot to death Monday at a home on South Joliet Street as Michael L. Thompson, 43, of Aurora. 

According to the Arapahoe County coroner’s office, Thompson died of a gunshot wound to the head. 

The shooting happened around 8 p.m. Monday near the front door of a home in the 900 block of South Joliet. 

Police have not released information about a possible suspect. Investigators believe Thompson was involved in an altercation shortly before the shooting. 

Police are offering a $5,000 reward for information on the case. 

That reward is in addition to $2,000 being offered by Denver Crimestoppers. 

Police are asking anyone with information to call Detective Tom Wilson at 303-739-6711 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.

Hightower convicted of murder

AURORA | An Aurora man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend 60 times and shot her four times in 2007 was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Wednesday. 

Marcus Ariel Hightower, 26, was accused of killing Abigail Robertson in December 2007 at Robertson’s apartment in Glendale. 

According to Arapahoe County prosecutors, the three-week trial ended Tuesday and jurors deliberated for just three hours before reaching their verdict. The verdict was read in court Wednesday morning.

After the verdict, a judge immediately sentenced Hightower to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder in Colorado. 

Hightower’s lawyers argued he was not guilty by reason of insanity. 

According to a statement from prosecutors, Hightower and Robertson broke up in June 2007. 

On Dec. 11, 2007, Hightower broke into Robertson’s apartment while she was on the phone talking to her new boyfriend. 

The boyfriend testified that he heard Hightower tell Robertson he “didn’t want it to come to this” before the attack. 

After the slaying, Hightower called police and, posing as a neighbor, asked for help. 

Then he drove to Aurora police headquarters and told police there “I think I did something wrong.  I think I may have hurt my girlfriend.”

Police later found a gun, cell phone and knife discarded in a trash can outside of the Aurora police station. Inside the mini van Hightower was driving investigators found binoculars and ammunition in a backpack, items prosecutors say indicated Hightower planned the murder and had been stalking Robertson.

“This is a case about rejection, and revenge,” Deputy District Attorney Jacob Edson told the jury during closing arguments.  “Marcus Hightower knew exactly what he was doing when he murdered Abigail Robertson.”

Robertson’s mother addressed Hightower before the sentencing. 

“If you would’ve let time pass you would’ve gotten over the pain of the end of your relationship with Abigail,” Kathy Robertson said.  “Abigail was not yours to take Marcus.  She did not belong to you.  She belonged to me and her father.”