COLD CASE: NICHOLAS DOLCE WANTED IN 1986 SLAYING OF HIS MOM IN TRINIDAD

Nicholas Joseph Dolce - AKA "Marty Whitehorse" and other aliases - is wanted for the murder of his mother more than 40 years ago in Trinidad.

Dolce, born Jan. 12, 1950, had a violent history prior to the slaying and started using heroin and speed as a youth.

His mother, Rebecca Bates, 64, was struck with a stick and stabbed on May 2, 1986, at her home at 218 East Johnson Avenue. After the killing, he showered, packed his belongings in his mother's auto - and set fire to the dwelling with gasoline. He was 36 at the time.

Dolce was last seen on Sept. 2 of that year. A potential sighting was reported in Trion, Georgia, in 2021. There was also a possible sighting at the 1987 Colorado State Fair in Pueblo.

In addition to Marty Whitehorce, Dolce used other aliases: Ed Velencia, Edward Bear, Amos A Maes, Richard Jake DanKert, Eddie Valcia, Edward Valcia, Eli Velasquez, Nick Dolsi, Dale Valicia, Edward Dale Valicia, Edward Dale Valcia, John McGregor and others.

At the time of the killing, Dolce was described as 5-foot-6, 130 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 

His left or right pinky finger had an untreated break and was shorter than the other. He also had a scar on his buttocks, a scar on one of his knees from a possible gunshot wound and a scar above his right eye.

Dolce may have been armed with a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

[Photos: CBI]

PATROL SEEKS DRIVER IN GRUESOME I-270 DEATH

State troopers investigating the death of a man darting between autos on I-270 are seeking a motorist who believes they may have struck a deer or roadway debris.

They are also seeking witnesses.

The bizarre accident occurred on the westbound off-ramp to I-76 in Adams County on Aug. 20 at about 8:24 p.m.

Shortly thereafter, a second vehicle struck the downed pedestrian who "was believed to be already deceased," according to the state patrol. The driver of the second vehicle remained on scene. 

The victim, age 45, was reported to be running "back and forth" on the ramp, the patrol said. "No description is available of the vehicle that originally left the scene of the crash."

If you have information, contact the state patrol (303) 239-4501 in reference to case number VC260290. 

LAKEWOOD DRIVER PUTTERED THROUGH GOLF COURSE IN CHEYENNE

Motorist Gust Martinez Jr., 48, of Lakewood, was arrested after his GMC Sierra puttered through the golf course at the Cheyenne Country Club in Wyoming, police said. The suspect allegedly refused to stop and drove through a fence in what was described as a "slow-speed pursuit" on Monday evening. "Officers pursued the truck, following south on Randall Avenue," according to Cheyenne police. "As they followed, Martinez drove recklessly, at times on the wrong side of the road and running red lights.

"The pursuit ended when Martinez stopped the truck at the intersection of West 25th Street and Pioneer Avenue," police reported. "He continued to actively resist and fight with officers until he was taken into custody." Officers searched the Sierra and discovered a rifle with a modified stock. The suspect is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm. Police made no mention of alcohol or drugs. The suspect faces a variety of charges including felony a weapons violation, destruction of property, reckless endangering, running a red light and stop sign. He was booked into the Laramie County Jail.

PERSON DIES IN APARTMENT FIRE IN FORT COLLINS

A person was pronounced dead after being pulled from a burning apartment in Fort Collins on Tuesday.

The incident occurred the 1000-block of Cunningham Drive, according to Poudre Fire Authority.

"Firefighters located the person, carried them to a safe location and began CPR," officials said. "A cat was also found deceased inside the unit."
There were no other casualties. A person in a neighboring apartment call 911 after smelling smoke. "Our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by the loss," officials said.

[Photo: Poudre Fire]

KITTENS FOUND CUDDLED BENEATH HOME IN BROOMFIELD

Animal wardens rescued six newborn kittens cuddling beneath the side of a house in Broomfield and reunited them with their mother. "Mom and her kittens are now safe at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley," Broomfield police said. "Once the kittens are weaned and old enough to be spayed or neutered, they will all be available for adoption." The felines were taken into custody earlier this month after neighbors alerted Broomfield's Trap-Neuter-Return program, police said. [Photo: Broomfield Police]

NOT THEIR CANDIDATE: POLICE SEEK POLITICAL SIGN THIEF IN VAIL

Police in Vail are seeking a person responsible for snatching campaign signs for Eagle County Sheriff candidate Rebecca Anderson. The signs were plucked from traffic roundabouts on the morning of Sept. 24. Nine are missing, valued at about $100. Johnson is a Vail police sergeant. "A surveillance camera video shows a person exiting a customized green Ford Bronco at approximately 12:45 a.m. and then driving away moments later with one of the signs," police said Tuesday. If you have information, contact Vail police (970) 479-2200 or vailpolice@vail.gov. [Photo: Vail Police]

MORGAN MAYHEM: DRIVER OF STOLEN AUTO NABBED AFTER WILD CHASE

A stolen auto smashed through fences, tore up farmland, veered onto I-76 in the wrong direction, spun around and collided with cop cars in a wild chase in Morgan County.

The driver, identified as Samuel Curtis, 28, was arrested. He was sent to hospital and then booked into jail. A deputy located the vehicle - which had been stolen in Aurora - at the Flame Steakhouse on Highway 34 on Monday afternoon. "The driver initially appeared to comply with the deputy’s commands but then entered the vehicle and fled," the sheriff's office said. "Despite the vehicle traveling through fields, private property, county roads, and Interstate 76, no serious injuries were reported." A number of Morgan County sheriff’s vehicles sustained damage as did the stolen auto and agricultural property. Morgan County is located 80 miles northeast of Denver. [Photos: Morgan County Sheriff]

CAR SMASHES CONVENIENCE STORE IN GRAND JUNCTION

In Grand Junction, a car crashed into the Golden Gate gas station at 2395 G Road - causing major damage. Minor injuries were reported. "Alcohol is not suspected," police said.

[Photo: Grand Junction Police]

FORMER SUMMIT VIEW HOA CHIEF LYLE QUINT ACCUSED OF $150K THEFT

Lyle Quint, 72, longtime president of the Summit View Homeowners Association in Severance, was charged with stealing almost $150,000 from the organization, the Weld County District Attorney's Office said Monday.

The association alerted police in November 2025. Quint surrendered at the Weld County Jail on Friday. The thefts occurred between 2017 and 2025.

"Quint had served as president of the HOA since 2004 and was the sole board member beginning in 2020," the DA's office said. "A new HOA board was elected in April 2025."

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation led the probe and "identified approximately $147,635 in funds that were used for unauthorized expenses attributable to Quint," the DA's Office said.

[Photo: Weld County DA]

FEDS, LOCAL COPS CAPTURE 4 TEXAS MURDER SUSPECTS IN NORTHGLENN

A regional fugitive task force captured four Texas murder suspects in Northglenn, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Monday.

They were arrested at a house in the 3400-block of 105th Court on Sept. 21. The slaying occurred 10 days earlier in an apartment in Lewisville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

The task force - consisting of federal, state and local agencies - "executed a search warrant of the premises where a semi-automatic handgun and other evidentiary items were located, several of which were believed to be tied to the murder," the Marshals Service said.
  
The suspects were identified as Gabriel Olivo-Olivo, 28, Erian Espinoza-Martinez, 20, Carly Guerrero-Aguero 20, and a juvenile.
The adults were booked into the Adams County Jail pending extradition to Texas.

U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor said: “When state, local, and federal partners work hand-in-hand, there becomes nowhere to run for those attempting to flee from justice.”

[Photo: U.S. Marshals Service]

OFFICER DIES WAKEBOARDING AT LAKE PUEBLO

Corporal Stephen Biggs of the Pueblo Police Department died Sunday in an off-duty wakeboarding accident at Lake Pueblo State Park, officials said. Biggs - who joined the agency in October 2010 - served as a Patrol Training Officer and a member of the SWAT team. He received 10 letters of commendation, three Medal of Valor awards and the Distinguished Service award. “Working with Stephen was an honor, and his loss is deeply personal,” Police Chief Chris Noeller said. “His courage, dedication, and commitment to his fellow officers meant so much to our department." Searchers recovered his body early Monday. [Photo: Pueblo Police]

FORMER DEPUTY WIELDING ASSAULT WEAPON BLASTS SHERIFF'S HQ IN BOULDER COUNTY

A former deputy armed with an assault weapon blasted the entry way of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office early Monday, authorities said.

No one was injured and the man - apparently suffering from a psychiatric condition - was arrested without incident without gaining access to the building on Flatiron Parkway.

Investigators also suspect he fired shots outside Broomfield police headquarters on Descombes Drive. No injuries were reported there.

The former deputy "resigned on May 25, 2024, in lieu of termination for cause," the sheriff's office said.

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

[Photo: Boulder County Sheriff]

FIREFIGHTERS FACE WALL OF FLAMES IN FORT COLLINS

Fire ripped through a home's detached garage over the weekend in the 1300-block of West Stuart Street in Fort Collins, according to Poudre Fire Authority. No injuries were reported. [Photo: Poudre Fire]

BIG MESS SHUT DOWN I-70 IN GARFIELD COUNTY

A semi-truck was slashed open in a collision with another big rig Sunday on westbound I-70 at Canyon Creek in Garfield County, the sheriff's office said. Spilled cargo shut down the westbound lanes for hours. No injuries were reported.

[Photo: Garfield County Sheriff]

BIKER AND PASSENGER DIE IN DOWNTOWN DENVER

UPDATE

An auto struck a motorcycle in downtown Denver, killing the biker and fatally injuring the passenger, police said.

Sunday's accident occurred at Speer Boulevard and Wewatta Street. The biker was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident while the passenger died at hospital, police said. No other details were released.

MAJOR FIRE IN GREENWOOD VILLAGE

Firefighters from South Metro, Denver and Aurora battled a two-alarm fire in a commercial building Saturday at 8081 East Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. No one was injured. [Photo: South Metro Fire]

GLENDALE MURDER SUSPECT CAPTURED IN MEXICO

A suspect in a murder in the Denver suburb of Glendale was arrested in Mexico and returned to the United States.

Robeiker Mejias-Gonzalez, a Venezuelan citizen, was detained Sept. 17 for "not having legal status" to be in Mexico, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Mexican authorities "learned he had an active arrest warrant for homicide in Colorado," the marshals service said. A male youth was fatally shot Aug. 31 at 5001 East Mississippi Avenue in Glendale, according to local police.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at the address last week with the assistance of the Arapahoe County SWAT team.

The suspect was jailed in Miami pending extradition to Colorado, the marshals service said.

[Photo: U.S. Marshals Service]

BATTLE OF BOISE CITY: FLIERS MISTAKENLY DROPPED 6 BOMBS ON SLEEPY TOWN

John Adkins, a World War Two air raid warden in an Oklahoma county bordering southeast Colorado, wired the adjutant general’s office in Oklahoma City on July 5, 1943: “Boise City bombed 1 a.m. Baptist Church, garage hit.”

Student fliers aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress mistook the lights of the Cimarron County courthouse square for a practice range 30 miles away.

"The explosions caused minor terror among the sleeping populace, who ran into the streets in their night clothes," the United Press reported.

The B-17's payload of training of bombs each contained only four pounds of powder. The rest was sand. 

The bombs nonetheless ripped craters in the streets and sidewalks of Boise City, which then had a population of about 1,100, according to the news agency.

Thankfully, no one was hurt but plenty of windows were shattered.

A worker at the local electric plant had to the good sense to black out the community.

"Five bombs were dropped around the courthouse while the sixth one was dropped further southeast," burrowing harmlessly into a sand pile along railroad tracks - without detonating, according to the Cimarron Heritage Center.

A railroad worker named Jerry Shannon unearthed the dented dud, took it home and stored it in his barn for many years.

Today, it is on public display at the heritage center.

The Army Air Force blamed the navigator for the snafu and reprimanded the crew, then based at Dalhart, Texas.

The bomber crew went onto glory though, leading the first daylight bombing of Berlin - and the navigator even earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Cimarron County, Oklahoma, is located about 20 miles south of Baca County, Colorado - and as far as is known, the Battle of Boise City was the first and only such aerial snafu during World War Two.

[Photos: Oklahoma Historical Society]

STUBBORN BLAZE TESTS DENVER FIREFIGHTERS

In Denver, firefighters battled a blaze at a vacant property near 4th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard. No injuries were reported. The fire broke out early Wednesday. [Photos: Denver Fire]

YES, YOUR DOG DREAMS TOO, VETS SAY

Dogs dream too. Vets call it "sleep running" - a snoozing canine's recollection of the day's events, i.e. chasing a squirrel or rabbit or fetching a much-loved toy.

A dog’s size affects the number and length of its dreams. A toy poodle, for example, may dream every 10 minutes. A Labrador retriever may dream once every hour or so.

"Puppies, who have a lot of new information to process as they explore their new world every day, tend to dream more often than adult dogs," according to VCA Animal Hospitals.

"Dogs who are tuckered out from staying active may sleep more soundly and experience longer phases of REM sleep, giving them more time to dream," VCA reports.

Use caution rousing fido. "Many of the dog bites thar occur in children happen because the child wakes a sleeping dog," VCA cautions. "So always remember to let sleeping dogs lie ... and dream."

[Photo: Wiki Commons]

BRIGHTON'S BRAVEST SAVE CAT AND DOG ON 5th STREET

 

T was a close call for a pair of pets when smoke from a basement dryer fire filled their home in Brighton.

"Firefighters quickly located the family’s dog and brought it outside to safety," the fire department said. "Crews then searched throughout the home for the family’s cat and deployed an aerial ladder to expand the search outside." The feline was located, too, spared by one of its nine lives.

No injuries were reported in Wednesday's blaze in the 200-block of North 5th Street. [Photo: Brighton Fire]

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE CHRISTMAS ... ON PIKE'S PEAK

A snowy scene Thursday morning from Pike's Peak. Down yonder in Colorado Springs it was about 66 and cloudy. 

[Photo: Denver & Front Range Weather Facebook]

1962 TRAGEDY: BLAZE KILLED WAITRESS, INJURED 50 AT DENVER'S ALBANY HOTEL

Coffee shop waitress Stella Bruce resting after a busy shift when fire struck the Albany Hotel in downtown Denver on Sept. 2, 1962.

The four-alarm blaze started in the basement of the seven-story hotel at 17th and Stout streets and burned for more than four hours.

Bruce, 35, was discovered dead on a dressing room cot where she was napping.

"She had apparently just finished a hard day's work," Deputy Fire Chief Cassio Frazini told the Rocky Mountain News. "Mrs. Bruce had unfastened the top button of her blouse and lay down on the cot with her glasses in her hand."

The blaze injured 50 people. Firefighters saved three trapped in an elevator. Some were brought down by ladders. Denver Firefighter Frank LaSasso rescued Captain Jack Lynch who was overcome by smoke. Once revived the captain returned to battling the fire.

The Albany Hotel had 300 rooms. Parts of the interior collapsed, including in the ballroom.

Assistant Fire Chief Vernon "Bud" Parrahm said: "It seemed like we had it under control as we fought our way to the basement when suddenly the fire broke free and shot to the back of the building and up to the first floor."

Hotels of the post-World War 2 era were plagued by a lack of maintenance and investment owing to the Great Depression and shortages of building supplies during the war.

Immediately following the war, in 1946, fires killed 19 people at the Canfield Hotel in Dubuque, Iowa, 61 at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago and 119 at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta.

A total of 26 Denver fire crews, including a civil defense reserve, battled the stubborn blaze at the Albany Hotel.

One firefighter said: "We just couldn't get to the damn thing."

Fire crews from Skyline, Arvada, Aurora, Englewood, Littleton, Bancroft, Pleasant Valley, College View and Evergreen helped cover the rest of the city on that terrible day in September 1962.

The hotel closed in 1976 and was demolished to make way for a skyscraper. 

[Photo: Post Card]

FIVE VEHICLES CRASH ON I-70 IN DENVER

Five vehicles crashed on I-70 in Denver, snarling traffic during the Thursday morning rush hour.

One person suffered serious injuries.
Police said the crash occurred in the westbound lanes of the interstate near Central Park Boulevard.

CASTLE ROCK COPS CAPTURE FUGITIVE WANTED FOR MURDER

Police captured a fugitive wanted in connection with an out-of-state murder in the shadow of Castle Rock.

The suspect was apprehended when police vehicles blocked the getaway car.

Police released no other details in the case or the suspect's name, gender, location or date of the killing.

The arrest, near downtown Castle Rock, occurred last week, according to police.

[Photo: Castle Rock Police] 

MAJOR DRUG BUST NETS 13 IN SAN LUIS VALLEY

Local, state and federal authorities arrested 13 suspected members of a drug ring dealing in deadly meth and fentanyl in southern Colorado, the Alamosa Police Department said Wednesday.

A 14th suspect eluded capture. "This investigation was initiated due to the organized crime distribution network plaguing the San Luis Valley with illicit narcotics," police said. Arrests were made in city of Alamosa and the Sanford, Antonito, and Bountiful sections of Alamosa County. "Information provided by community members plays an important role in helping law enforcement identify and address illegal drug activity," police said.

ADAMS COUNTY DEPUTIES PLACE NEW FLAG AT WW2 CRASH MEMORIAL

Two members of the Adams County Sheriff's Office replaced a weathered American flag flying at the site of a World War 2 bomber crash on the eastern prairie.
The B-24E “Liberator” bomber slammed into the ground while on a training mission near 96th Avenue and Shamrock Road and close to the border with Morgan County on July 28, 1943, killing the entire crew of 12.

"While patrolling the area a few weeks ago, one of our sergeants stopped by the memorial," the sheriff's office said. "The American flag flying at the memorial was torn and worn from the weather.

"Last week, our sergeant returned with another deputy and a new American flag provided by our Honor Guard, replacing the old one," the sheriff's office said. "It was a simple act, but an important one." The crash was believed to have been the result of mechanical failure. Reports said the aircraft was at 5,000 feet when it went into a dive, slammed into the ground at an 85-degree angle and burrowed a 10-foot crater.
The rural farming communities nearest to the 1943 crash site - Shamrock in Adams County and Adena in Morgan County - are long gone. [Photos: Adams County Sheriff]

PICKUP TRUCK DRIVER DIES IN COMMERCE CITY

A pickup truck driver died overnight after slamming into the rear of a semi-truck in Commerce City, police said. The accident occurred on northbound Highway 2 near 96th Avenue. The driver of the semi was checked for injuries.

NINETY FIREFIGHTERS RACE TO LIGHTNING BLAZE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY

UPDATE

A raging fire caused by a lightning strike gutted a home Tuesday night in unincorporated Douglas County.

Three occupants, a dog and a cat escaped the flames at 7724 Aeroshaft Drive, South Metro Fire said. Another cat was missing.

Ninety firefighters responded to the alarm.

The nearest fire hydrant was almost two miles away and emergency water tenders from South Metro, Aurora, Buckley Space Force Base and Franktown shuttled water to portable reservoirs set up at the fire scene. "The home’s unconventional structural layout and roof design added complexity to firefighting operations as flames spread throughout the home, including through the ceiling, ventilation system and attic," officials said. "A portion of the roof also collapsed."
[Photos: South Metro Fire]

DENVER WATER RESERVOIRS JUST 68% FULL

Denver Water's reservoirs were 68% full as of Monday - well below the seasonal average of 91% - amid a historic drought.

"Dry conditions continue to put significant pressure on Denver Water supplies as we move into the final stretch of the irrigation season," said Nathan Elder, Denver Water's manager of water supply.

Water restrictions remain in place.

Statewide, 88.2% of Colorado was in drought - as of Sept. 15 - with 44.1% of the state experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, including parts of Denver Water’s collection system and service area, Elder said.

FORMER IRS AGENT INDICTED FOR TAX FRAUD INVOLVING DOPE DEALERS

Former Internal Revenue Service agent Clinton Roosevelt Dale, 51, of Denver, was indicted on charges of preparing false tax returns for drug dealers and money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

Dale owned and operated Blue Bear Tax Solutions, a tax preparation business in Denver. He had worked for the IRS as a revenue agent and contact representative for more than a decade.

"The charges allege that Dale designed a scheme to conceal the true nature and source of income earned by certain clients of Blue Bear Tax Solutions who primarily made money by illegally selling drugs, including cocaine," prosecutors said.

"To carry out this scheme, Dale allegedly created fictitious businesses and prepared false individual tax returns for the drug dealer clients, which fraudulently reported that the clients earned income from lawful business activity rather than from illegally selling drugs and claimed improper business expense deductions to reduce the clients’ taxes," prosectors said.

WOMAN SAFE AFTER COPS CHASE POSSIBLE KIDNAPPER

UPDATE

An auto involved in a possible kidnapping on East Colfax Avenue in Aurora dodged police cars after a brief pursuit Tuesday.
"At approximately 12:31 p.m., a black male was seen dragging a white female toward a silver BMW sedan," police said. "The male then appeared to force the female into the back seat of the vehicle before the BMW drove away." The woman was " found safe" a few hours later, police said. They provided no other details. The incident started behind 9898 East Colfax Avenue, the address of the Martin Liher King Junior public library branch. The vehicle was last seen in the vicinity of 13th Avenue and Xapary Street and may have headed southbound on I-225 approaching Mississippi Avenue. [Photos: Aurora Police]

MASERATI CLOCKED AT 118 MPH IN ENGLEWOOD

In Englewood, police stopped a Maserati clocked at 118 mph in a 55-mph zone. The driver was arrested and the auto was impounded. The incident occurred Sept. 11.

[Photo: Englewood Police]

DOUBLING UP ON E-SCOOTERS ILLEGAL

The Colorado State Patrol warns that doubling up on an electric scooter "significantly increases the risk of a severe injury to the riders and is illegal." Two riders compromise scooter stability, steering and braking.

SUSPECTED RED LIGHT RUNNER CAUSES 5-CAR CRASH

A driver suspected of running a red light caused a five-car crash Monday at Black Forest and Burgess roads, Black Forest Fire said. One person was transported to hospital. "A moment of inattention or the decision to disregard a traffic signal can have serious consequences," fire officials said. [Photo: Black Forest Fire]

SWAT RAID IN GLENDALE MURDER PROBE

The Arapahoe County SWAT team raided an apartment in Glendale early Tuesday in connection with a murder in the city.

The search warrant operation occurred at 5001 East Mississippi Avenue, the site of the Aug. 31 shooting death of a male youth, according to the Glendale Police Department.  

Federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, well as the Department of Homeland Security, were on the scene, police said.
 

BEAR CLIMBS LONE TREE ... IN LONE TREE'S TERRA RIDGE

In Lone Tree, a bear climbed a tree for a nap Monday at Indian Wells Drive and La Quinta Drive in the Terra Ridge neighborhood, city officials said. They warned the curious to steer clear. [Photo: Colorado Parks and Wildlife via City of Lone Tree]

COPS SEIZE HIDDEN FIREARMS IN AURORA

Alerted by a property manager, Aurora police seized weapons hidden in vacant apartments - including two firearms stolen from a police department in Alabama.

The manager told officers the empty units "were being used for criminal trespassing," according to police. However, the trespassers were nowhere to be found.
Officers "recovered numerous firearm parts - including two gunstocks, multiple shotgun barrel guards and barrels - and located two firearms with altered serial numbers," police said. [Photo: Aurora Police]

INJURED DIRT BIKE RIDER RESCUED FROM OUTBACK

A dirt bike rider was injured on Trail 679 near Jackson Creek in Rampart Range and evacuated by medical helicopter, Douglas County Search and Rescue said. The incident occurred Saturday. [Photo: Douglas County Seatch and Rescue]

I-25 HORROR: COPS FIND GUNSHOT VICTIMS IN POSSIBLE TARGETED ATTACK

Loveland police found two gunshot victims in an auto that crashed early Monday near the I-25 and Eisenhower Boulevard off-ramp. The injuries were considered life-threatening. "The preliminary investigation leads investigators to believe this may have been a targeted attack and not a random act," police said. "Based on evidence obtained thus far, investigators believe the shooting itself occurred near the location of the crash." 911 dispatchers were alerted to the accident by an iPhone alert and they "could hear commotion, but the notification provided limited information about what had occurred," police said. Investigators are seeking "anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity or has information from the moments before midnight along the I-25 corridor between Crossroads Boulevard and Eisenhower Boulevard, particularly in the southbound lanes," police said. Contact the Loveland Police Department tipline (970) 962-2032 or Crime Stoppers at (970) 221-6868.

AUTO SLAMS INTO PET GROOMING PARLOR IN DENVER

An auto smashed into the Zen Den Pet Spa at 2247 Oneida Street in Denver on Sunday.

"The collision caused significant structural damage to the storefront, requiring crews to stabilize the building and mitigate additional hazards," the fire department said.

No injuries were reported. [Photo: Denver Fire]

RUSH HOUR CRASH BLOCKS WADSWORTH IN LAKEWOOD

A crash involving several vehicles shut down Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood from Ohio to Kentucky avenues during the Monday morning rush hour, police said. [Photo: Lakewood Police]

FEDS & LOCAL COPS CAPTURE FUGITIVE IN LONE TREE

The U.S. Marshals Service said Jacinto Herrera, a fugitive, was arrested by a federal and local task force near Acres Green Drive and Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree. He was wanted for second-degree assault with serious bodily injury in Douglas County.

[Photo: U.S. Marshals Service]

ARREST IN FATAL STABBING AT THORNTON MAVERICK

Anthony Valenta, 28, was arrested as a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a woman at a gas station in Thornton, police said Thursday. Wednesday evening's attack occurred at the Maverick station at 237 East 120th Avenue.

"Officers were initially dispatched to a physical disturbance between a man and a woman," police said. "While officers were on the way to the scene, they received information that the man had stabbed the woman." "Valenta fled the scene before police arrived, and witnesses were able to provide a description of the suspect's vehicle," police said. "Officers located Valenta driving the described vehicle in the area and took him into custody without incident." The woman was 40. [Photo: Thornton Police]

SIX COLORADO COMMUNITIES HAD SOCIALIST MAYORS IN EARLY 20th CENTURY

During the Progressive-era of the early 20th Century, voters in six Colorado communities elected socialist mayors - Buena Vista, Edgewater, Grand Junction, Lafayette, Paonia and Victor.

Homer J. Brown was elected mayor in Buena Vista in 1912, Eugene Bootz in the Denver suburb of Edgewater in 1914, S.R. Wood in Lafayette in 1912, Thomas M. Todd in Grand Junction in 1909, J.M. Haley in Paonia in 1912 and Joseph Bitterlry in 1911 in Victor.

The mayors - most of whom served short terms - belonged to the Socialist Party of America, which boasted the nationwide support of miners, populist farmers, social reformers and many others following the "Gilded Age."

A dispatch in the Wray Gazette needled Grand Junction's Todd, saying "conditions must be Utopian" in the city. 

Colorado history blogger Robert Silbernagel said Todd was once considered as a potential running mate for Socialist presidential running mate Eugene Debbs in 1912.

Some even suggested he run for president, according to the Rocky Mountain News on May 5, 1912.

In Victor, every socialist candidate on the ballot won was elected in the town's April 1911 vote, with Bitterly leading the pack, the News said.

In Edgewater, Bootz beat an Anti-Saloon League candidate in a close and controversial vote, according to the Arvada Sun on April 10, 1914.

The Sun reported: "Previous to election day considerable agitation was rife and some parties, fearing that there would be trouble at the polls appealed to Sheriff Dennis for protection. Mr. Dennis sent Deputy E. L. Newcomb to Edgewater as a peace officer, to be on hand in case any trouble did arise. Mr. Newcomb reports that everything passed off peaceably and orderly."

[Image: Wikipedia]

APARTMENT FIRE IN DENVER; MEDICS CHECK RESIDENT

In Denver, firefighters battled a blaze Wednesday on the third floor of an apartment building near South Clarkson Street and East Cedar Avenue. The fire was "contained to the unit of origin with no extension," the fire department said. "One resident was evaluated by EMS." [Photos: Denver Fire]