GREELEY POLICE CHIEF CLEARED IN CRASH

The state patrol cleared Greeley's police chief in a traffic accident that injured a teenage bicycle rider and charged the youth with failing to yield to traffic. The accident occurred on West 26th Street on Feb. 15. Chief Adam Turk was off duty.

GRAND JURY SAYS NO SUICIDE; INDICTS HUSBAND IN MURDER IN BENNETT

An Arapahoe County grand jury indicted Ronald Elton Lowry, 52, with murder in the death of his estranged wife, Richelle - a case initially considered a possible suicide, prosecutors said Friday.

Deputies found the woman's body inside her home in Bennett after she failed to report to work Oct. 26, 2023. She suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. The deputies broke into the locked dwelling to gain access.

"Although the death initially raised questions over whether it was a suicide, it was later determined to be a homicide based on an extensive investigation involving forensic analysis and digital evidence review," according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

The suspect was booked into the Morgan County Jail on Friday and also faces charges of stalking and tampering with evidence, prosecutors said.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Dial 988 - the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

FIRE STOPPED AFTER BRIEF EVACUATION IN DOUGLAS COUNTY

Firefighters stopped an eight-acre brush fire in Douglas County on Friday after going door-to-door delivering evacuation notices. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported in the blaze near Merryvale Trail, South Metro Fire said.

[Photo: South Metro Fire]

MORE THAN 70 GUNS REMOVED AFTER EVICTION

Police collected more than 70 guns left behind during an eviction in Brighton. The incident occurred at an apartment on South 18th Avenue on Feb. 19, police said.

[Photo: Brighton Police]

BICYCLE RIDER KILLED IN NIWOT COLLISION

A dump truck and bicycle collided Friday killing the bicycle rider. The accident occurred at the intersection of Diagonal Highway and Niwot Road in Niwot, Mountain View Fire said. [Photo: Mountain View Fire]

COLD CASE: FEBRUARY 1970 MURDER OF CHEERLEADER MARILEE BURT

On Feb. 27, 1970, a road crew found the body cheerleader Marilee Ruth Burt, 15, beneath a bridge in Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County.

She had been strangled and suffered a blow to her skull, the Rocky Mountain News said. Her clothes and personal property were missing and there was evidence of sexual assault. The gruesome discovery was made about a mile east of Phillipsburg.

Burt vanished the evening before. She was walking home after a basketball game at Goddard Middle School in Littleton. She was last sighted talking to a person in a large, blue or green late model pickup truck along South Middlefield Road after trekking on Berry Drive and Bowles Avenue. 

The murder has never been solved - and the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is actively pursuing leads in the case more than a half century later.

"In 1998, the case was formally reviewed and evidence collected in 1970 was submitted for DNA testing," the sheriff's office said this week. "While investigators pursued multiple leads, subsequent analysis eliminated those individuals as suspects."

The ninth grader and her family resided at 30 Wedge Way in Columbine Valley. Her father was the general manager of an auto dealership.

At the time of the murder, police saw similarities to the March 1968 strangling death of an Englewood High School student who was also walking home. The body Constance Marie Paris, 18, was found in a gully in Bear Creek Park. The Paris murder went cold, too.

If you have even the smallest bit of information to share, contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (303) 795-4711 or Coldcase@arapahoegov.com

[Photos: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office]

STRUCTURES ABLAZE IN FORT LUPTON

Fire struck several outbuildings and spread to a field in the Fort Lupton area on Thursday. No injuries were reported at the blaze at Weld County Road 37 and Highway 52. Fort Lupton Fire and Hudson Fire responded to the alarm.

[Photo: Fort Lupton Fire]

FREDDY GARZON FACES 72 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ROLE IN MAJOR BUGLARY RING

A jury in Arapahoe County convicted Freddy Giovanni Castro Garzon, 45, for his role in a sophisticated burglary ring targeting homes of Asian business owners across Colorado - and making off with cash, jewelry and designer items.

To select potential targets, more than a dozen crooks followed the movements owners of liquor stores, restaurants and nail salons, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney.

Prosecutors said: "Suspects used sophisticated methods to avoid detection. These methods included disabling or disrupting Wi-Fi-based security systems, using multiple vehicles during the commission of crimes, switching or displaying fictitious license plates, and conducting coordinated surveillance in advance of attempted burglaries." 

Crimes occurred in Adams County, Arapahoe County, Arvada, Aurora, Broomfield, Denver, Fort Collins, Jefferson County, Lakewood, Longmont, Mesa County, Parker, Thornton, Westminster and Windsor between 2023 and 2025.

Detectives collected evidence at pawn shops, received court approval to place tracking devices on autos associated with the burglary ring, analyzed surveillance video and evaluated information collected by automated license plate readers.

Garzon faces up to 72 years behind bars. His three-week trial included testimony from dozens of witnesses and more than 900 exhibits. 

[Photo: Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office]

DENVER ZOO'S JOEY IS OUT OF THE POUCH

The Denver Zoo's adorable Huon tree kangaroo joey is out of his mother's pouch and exploring the world beyond. "When this little guy was born in late July 2025, he was roughly the size of a jellybean," the zoo said. "He instinctively climbed up into Pearl's pouch where he spent the next several months growing and developing.

"Seven months later, he's exploring outside the pouch."

[Photos: Denver Zoo]

FIRE GUTS HOME, SPREADS TO BRUSH IN JEFFERSON COUNTY

Fanned by wind, flames destroyed a home Thursday in the wilds of Golden Gate Canyon and spread to grass and trees. The blaze broke out in the 10600-block of Ralston Creek Road, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. No injuries were reported. Firefighters contained the burn to less than an acre, officials said. A pre-evacuation notice for Drew Hill Road and Spirit Horse Trail was lifted at 1 p.m., officials said. [Photo: Jefferson County Sheriff]

MOUNTAIN SNOW JAMS I-70 WHILE SUN SHINES ON DENVER

UPDATE

While the sun shined on Denver, snow jammed I-70 in Clear Creek County during Thursday morning's rush hour. No one was hurt in this wreck. On social media, the sheriff's office described conditions as "crappy" on the west side of the county.

[Photo: Clear Creek County Sheriff]

WOLVES STEERING CLEAR OF HUBBUB OF DENVER

Tracking data collected by Colorado Parks and Wildlife show migrating wolves are steering clear of Denver but closing in on Pueblo and nearing Colorado Springs.

[Photo: Colorado Parks and Wildlife]

PARKER COPS STOP NEWBIE SPEEDING AT 91

Parker police stopped a teen speeding at 91 in a 35-mph zone. The boy, 17, "gets to have an awful conversation with his parents, lose his driver’s license and have insane insurance rates when he gets his license back," police said. An adult would face jail.

COLORADO'S BEARS ARE SPENDING MORE TIME IN TRASH BINS, DATA SUGGEST

Colorado Parks and Wildlife received 5,299 bear sightings and reports of troublemaking last year - about 300 more than a year earlier. Trash continues to be the No. 1 draw. Almost half of the incidents resulted in property damage.

SKILL BUILDING AT WORK SITE IN DENVER

Firefighters and construction workers trained at a building site in Denver on rescuing a patient with a crane and specialized equipment. The site is operated by PCL Construction.

[Photos: Denver Fire Department]

FIREFIGHTERS OF SKY SWOOP OVER DOUGLAS COUNTY

Firefighting jet makes a run through the haze of Tuesday's wildfire in Douglas County.

[Photo: South Metro Fire]

HIKER MAKES GRISLY FIND IN DOUGLAS COUNTY

A hiker found human remains in a remote area of Douglas County, the sheriff's office said Wednesday.

Deputies hunted for evidence - with Douglas County Search and Rescue and the El Paso County Search and Rescue K9 team - near Crowfoot Valley Road and Pradera Parkway.

No other information was released.

[Photo: Douglas County Sheriff's Office]

FIREFIGHTERS HURT AS BLAZES ERUPT IN CITY, ON PRAIRIE

Four firefighters were injured battling a wind-driven wildfire that erupted Wednesday in Thornton.

A civilian was also injured in the 10-acre blaze, which broke out at about 11:30 a.m. near West 84th Avenue and Huron Street, forcing evacuations, damaging businesses and burning a row of autos. 

Students at Pinnacle High School were among the evacuees. Police went door-to-door warning residents and businesses.

A tidal wave of black smoke halted midday traffic on I-25 as fire crews from across the Denver area extinguished the blaze. The cause was under investigation.

In Logan County, a prairie fire ignited by an auto accident scorched between 3,500 and 4,000 acres. The little town of Padroni was evacuated.

No injuries were reported. No buildings or livestock were lost. Firefighters from northeast Colorado and western Nebraska contained the flames.

[Photos: City of Thornton, Westminster Police]

Photos illustrate extent of Thornton fire

COPS ARREST 3, SEIZE 2 GUNS IN WESTMINSTER

Westminster police arrested three people and seized a stolen gun and an illegal ghost gun after responding to a report of gunfire. No one was hurt. Bullets struck several autos. The incident occurred near 115th Avenue and Pecos Street on Feb 13.

'DU' YOU KNOW ME? DENVER'S ZOO NAMES ITS NEW KUDU

The Denver Zoo officially named its lesser kudu - "Ella." She was born Jan. 5 and is bonding with the herd. [Photo: Denver Zoo]

FUGITIVE CAPTURED IN APARTMENT RAID IN DENVER

Heavily armed federal and local authorities captured fugitive Freddy Gonzalez in a raid Tuesday on an apartment near East 48th Avenue and Vine Street in Denver, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Gonzalez was wanted for parole violations. [Photo: U.S. Marshals Service]

SUSPECT IN DENVER VALENTINE'S KILLING ARRESTED IN KANSAS

Authorities in Kansas arrested a suspect in a shooting at a Valentine's Day party in Denver that killed a man and wounded a woman, police said Tuesday.

The shooting, which stemmed from a fight, occurred in the 1500-block of West Maple Avenue at about 5:15 a.m. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was shot in the ankle.

Police identified the suspect as Yeanbraiker Yriarte-Valera, 20. No hometown was provided. The suspect was captured in Kansas City, Kansas.

CAT SAFE AFTER CLIMBING HIGHER THAN FIRE LADDER

 

A firefighter reached well above the top of a ladder to save a cat perched high on a tree branch, Black Forest Fire said Tuesday.

"Once she got him in her arms, the cat held on tight and didn’t look back," officials said. The feline is home again after "clinging to the branch and meowing the whole time," officials said. He wasn't injured in this week's one-in-nine lifetime adventure.

[Photo: Black Fores Fire]

RESIDENTS SAVE HOME IN FREAK ACCIDENT IN NORTHGLENN

Residents saved their Northglenn home from fire by shoving a burning auto out the garage and down the driveway to await the arrival of firefighters.
"The vehicle had been leaking fuel earlier in the day, possibly from a fuel injector," North Metro Fire said. "While attempting to place the vehicle into accessory mode using the push-button start, the fire ignited." Medics treated three people at Monday night's blaze. North Metro Fire cautions: "If you suspect a fuel leak, avoid attempting repairs in enclosed spaces. Flammable vapors can ignite easily." [Photo: North Metro Fire]

STANDOFF IN SUMMIT COUNTY PASTURE

Deputies arrested a woman brandishing a 9mm handgun after a four-hour standoff in a horse pasture in Summit County. 
Amy Autry, 45, of Lakewood, is accused fleeing from deputies in her auto, hitting a patrol car, crashing through a through a fence, down a steep horse pasture - and into an irrigation ditch, the sheriff's office said. Deputies "tossed an aerosol pepper spray canister into the vehicle" ending the standoff, officials said. Autry is also suspected of smoking marijuana while driving. The incident started when a resident of the Ptarmigan Ranch neighborhood reported "an unknown person" parked at their home, loading a magazine into a gun and making a motion as though she was aiming for the house, officials said. [Photo: Summit County Sheriff]

HAND-IN-HAND: DEPUTIES LOCATE MISSING GIRL IN ADAMS COUNTY

Adams County deputies located a missing girl over the weekend - and a lawman walked her home hand-in-hand.

"The child, who had been diagnosed with autism, is fairly nonverbal, and has a seizure disorder, had left her apartment without shoes or a jacket," the sheriff's office said. "Deputies located her in a neighboring building on the property." "After finding her safe, they took the time to build trust and make a meaningful connection" during Sunday's incident at an apartment complex near 74th Avenue and Dakin Street, the sheriff's office said. "Moments like this highlight how important it is to build strong relationships within our community — especially with our most vulnerable children," the sheriff's office said. [Photo: Adams County Sheriff's Office]

THORNTON COPS CLOCK I-25 SPEEDSTERS AT 100 MPH

During a recent graveyard shift, Thornton police stopped seven drivers speeding at more than 90 mph on I-25 - including four with the hammer down at more than 100 mph. [Photos: Thornton Police]

MARSHALS NAB FUGITIVE NEAR DENVER

UPDATE The U.S. Marshals Service and local police arrested fugitive Matthew Gardner near West 72nd Ave and North Pecos Street in Adams County on Monday. He was wanted for violations of federal supervised release. [Photos: U.S. Marshals Service] [Editor's Note: We are correcting the location that was provided in the official release on X from the U.S. Marshals Service. It is in Adams County.]

DENVER COPS HUNT TRIO IN ROBBERY; HAD GUNS, FLED IN AUTO WITH HANDICAP TAG

Denver police are hunting for three masked armed robbery suspects who fled in an auto with a blue handicap tag hanging from the rearview mirror.

The crime occurred in the 3400-block of 42nd Avenue at last Wednesday about 9:30 a.m., police said.

The trio traveled in a dark colored Ford Explorer. No injuries were reported. Two of the suspects carried black handguns. Two were very heavy set. The other was of medium build.

COLD CASE: STUDENT FOUND DEAD IN SOUTH PLATTE RIVER MAY HAVE BEEN VICTIM OF SERIAL KILLER

On Feb. 24, 1985, Denise Davenport, a student and sorority chaplain at the University of Northern Colorado, vanished - a case that rattled the college campus in Greeley.

On April 20, canoeists found her nude body in the South Platte River about two miles east of the city. It had apparently floated down river. Davenport, 20, whose family lived in Littleton, vanished after leaving work at a boutique at the Greeley Mall. She was wearing a bright pink two-piece suit with a white blouse and black pumps, the Weld County Sheriff's Office said. The young woman may have been a victim of a serial killer, a news report said. A suspect, who was sentenced to life in prison in a habitual criminal case, was never charged. He was considered a suspect in other slayings - the deaths of an elderly Windsor couple and a drifter found in Poudre Canyon.
Davenport "told a coworker that she was going to a car wash before picking up her boyfriend and was planning to attend an induction ceremony at her sorority later that night," the Rocky Mountain News said. She had been elected the sorority's chaplain.

"The following afternoon, a student spotted the car, a steel blue Mazda RX-7, parked near the UNC campus about five blocks from Davenport’s home," the News said. "The door on the driver’s side was unlocked, the radio was on, and the seat was soiled with mud and pushed back further than normal."

If you have information, contact the Weld County Sheriff's Office (970) 304-6464 or Crimetips@weld.gov. The exact location of the discovery of her body was in the South Platte between 18th Street and U.S. 34. In an odd twist, the News said: "A witness, under hypnosis, said she had spotted the car Davenport had been in, with its flashers blinking, the night Davenport disappeared. The witness said the car was parked at 26th Street and Seventh Avenue in Greeley. She recalled seeing two men and a woman nearby walking toward a pawn shop door."

[Photo: Weld County Sheriff's Office]

PERSON STRUCK BY AUTO IN RURAL LARIMER COUNTY

A person was struck and injured by an auto Monday on County Road 80C in Larimer County, Livermore Fire said. The accident occurred at mile marker 9.5. [Photo: Livermore Fire]

DENVER COPS ARREST SUSPECT IN GRANT STREET ATTACKS

Chase Leon Lipscomb, 24, was arrested as a suspect in a pair of attacks against women on South Grant Street in Denver, police announced Monday.

The attacks occurred Jan. 7 and Jan. 27 and the suspect was arrested Saturday.

He faces charges of assault and kidnapping. Police said the investigators recovered "physical and forensic" evidence.

DOG DAY FOR POLICE IN FREDERICK

UPDATE

Police in Frederick are seeking the owners of a female border collie mix found Monday near Fox Run as well as a male tan and white mix found in Countryside. Neither has chips. Call police dispatch (720) 652-4222.

[Photos: Frederick Police]

CLOSE CALL: AUTO SHOP ROOF CAVES IN AS FLAMES RAGE

A roof collapsed as fire devoured an auto shop in Colorado Springs. No one was hurt. The blaze broke out Friday at 2663 Durango Drive. Officials released photos Monday. The cause was under investigation.

[Photo: Colorado Springs Fire] 

TRIGGER-HAPPY WOMAN KNOCKS ON WRONG DOOR

A gun-toting woman knocked on the wrong door and shot up a home occupied by a gun-owning resident who fired back.

Bullets crashed through a wall into a child's room and the woman fled. No one was hurt in Monday's strange incident on University Drive in Colorado Springs, Fox 21 said.

The family didn't know the woman. Police stopped a car and arrested two suspects.

MOB TOWN: COLORADO SPRINGS BOSS SLAIN IN SHOOTOUT

On April 30, 1930, Colorado Springs bootleg boss Andrew Lombardi was "taken for a ride" and killed in an ambush on a lonely road southeast of the city.

It was one of Colorado's more than 30 mob murders during the Prohibition years, including the death of a federal agent.

The Associated Press said: "Lombardi had fired nine shots from the pistol found by his side. A new clip of cartridges had been placed in the gun when he fell with ‘shotgun slugs in his back and chest.

"Five shotgun shells were found nearby. The ground was torn up. Automobile tire marks indicated that the assassins drove westward with a flat tire, presumably punctured by one of Lombard’s bullets."

The police twice raided Lombardi's properties between 1924 and 1930. He hid whiskey in dugouts at his homes and shop in Roswell, a section of Colorado Springs. He was also arrested in connection with a distillery in Black Forest.

The murder occurred near Kelker.

Reporting from Colorado Springs, the AP said: "Lombari had a pretentious home here and was reputed to be wealthy. Authorities believe he had been involved in Pueblo gang warfare and was 'taken for a ride.'"

MAJOR FIRE IN FRANKTOWN SUNDAY

 

Flames ripped the roof off a residential building Sunday in Franktown. Neighboring communities sent mutual aid to the blaze on Empire Drive. No injuries were reported.

[Photos: Franktown Fire]

OUT ON PRAIRIE NATURE 'FLIPPED THE SCRIPT'

Rural fire crews responded to a series of wrecks along I-70 in eastern Colorado Friday as snow and ice struck - a sudden shift from days earlier when they battled a 5,000-acre wildfire. Agate Fire said: "Our firefighters worked long hours alongside mutual aid partners to protect property, livestock, and open space across our communities. Then by Friday, Mother Nature flipped the script. Snow and ice rolled in, turning highways slick and dangerous." The fire district called the week "a true Colorado reminder that conditions can change in a heartbeat." The wildfire swept farmland in Elbert and Lincoln counties. [Photos: Agate Fire]

ARREST SUSPECT IN DENVER STABBING

UPDATE Mia Zaffarano, 27, was arrested as a suspect in a stabbing in the 2800-block of North Brighton Boulevard in Denver, police said Monday. The suspect faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in the overnight stabbing. "Investigators believe the suspect and the adult male victim are known to each other," police said. The man was transported to hospital.

DO FISHING CATS FISH CATFISH?

This is Jonas, the Denver Zoo's fishing cat - a breed native to marshes, rivers and wetlands of Southeast Asia. Fishing cats have webbed paws to hunt and swim. [Photos: Denver Zoo]

TRUE CRIME: COLORADO'S ROBIN HOOD

Charles D. Waggoner, president of the Bank of Telluride, cleverly "robbed" several major New York banks of $500,000 to rescue his tiny institution from insolvency on the eve of the Great Depression.

Without firing a shot, Waggoner also saved his customers from economic ruin - and earned the moniker "Colorado Robin Hood."

In a series of complex transactions Waggoner - through his understanding of the intricacies of inter-bank transfers - made it impossible for the New York banks to recall money once it was released it through legal channels.

The money fleeing New York allowed Bank of Telluride to pay its debts though Waggoner wound up serving time in federal prison for masterminding the scheme.

Waggoner - standing to the left in the photo - didn't spend a dime of the money on himself.

[Photo: Denver Public Library]