The responding officer to an accidental shooting at the apartment of Thornton’s new police in May did not have his body camera on, an apparent violation of police policy.

Thornton Police Department admitted the responding sergeant should have been rolling on his body camera when responding to the apartment of incoming Chief Jim Baird on May 14, according to Channel 9 News.

Technically at the time of the shooting, Baird was not yet Thornton’s police chief. He was sworn in as chief on May 27.

Baird said he was trying out different magazines on a new Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun when it was fired. He said he was on the phone and was multitasking when the gun fired.

The bullet went through a kitchen cabinet inside the apartment, and nobody was injured, according to CBS News Colorado.

“I should have known better,” Baird told CBS News Colorado. “It’s a mistake I’ll never make again.”

The City of Thornton said in a statement that Baird immediately tried to contact residents to make sure nobody had been hit. Baird then reported the incident to the interim police chief, who came to the apartment with an on-duty sergeant from the Thornton Police Department.

The investigation found no evidence of negligence or criminal conduct and Baird was not cited or arrested, according to a City of Thornton statement.

Channel 9 News reported that in a statement from the Thornton Police Department, the police acknowledged that on the evening of the incident, there were assumptions made that the situation was a “personnel/administrative matter instead of an investigation with a member of the public.”

“In review, the Sergeant should have had his body camera turned on, and this will be addressed internally, consistent with other incidents where a body-worn camera is not properly activated,” the statement said. “Furthermore, steps will be taken to clarify the interpretation of the BWC policy for all personnel for unique situations as our personnel faced on that evening.”

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Southbound lanes of I-25 near 84^th Avenue and Grant Street were closed for about two hours Wednesday morning after the Colorado State Patrol used a “grapple” device to halt a suspect driving at a high speed in a stolen Ram pickup.

A CSP Trooper responded to the area after a Thornton Police Officer requested assistance with the stolen Ram.

The trooper attempted to stop the stolen vehicle by using a “grapple,” which was unsuccessful, according to a CSP news release.

Following the first grapple attempt, the Ram turned onto southbound Interstate 25 from 84th Avenue, where the Trooper was able to use the grapple successfully to stop the stolen vehicle.

A police grappler is a device attached to the front of a police vehicle that uses a net or strap to safely and effectively stop a fleeing vehicle. It deploys a net or strap that wraps around the rear tire of the suspect’s vehicle, bringing it to a controlled stop and preventing a high-speed chase from escalating into a dangerous situation, according to police department pages. 

But after stopping the Ram, the Colorado State Patrol cruiser was yanked into the jersey barrier on the left side of the southbound Interstate 25 shoulder, disabling the patrol vehicle. The Trooper sustained no injuries, the news release states.

Following the stop, the suspect fled on foot and was apprehended by Thornton Police Officers south-east of the final stop location.

All lanes of travel for southbound Interstate 25 were closed following the incident for the initial investigation but were reopened by 5:20 a.m. the news release states.

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With the massive facility between uses and temporarily empty, vandals have left their mark at Bandimere Speedway. 

They’ve broken windows, stripped electrical boxes and other devices, and tagged walls with graffiti. Bandimere representatives said people are living in the buildings as well.

Several videos depicting the damage are posted on TikTok and YouTube. 

The speedway’s former facility and operations manager recently shared his concerns with the Morrison town board.

“There have been people all over the suites breaking windows,” said Larry Crisp, who is also son-in-law of the speedway’s former owner, John Bandimere Jr. “Homeless people that have been chased out of here. It’s on all kinds of videos, and it’s kind of the laughing stock of Morrison because there are no cops.”

While two trustees said they agree with Crisp that the issue should be addressed, no formal motion was taken.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it has no record of vandalism at the site. 

Securing the property

Bandimere hosted its last race in July 2024, and stopped doing any business at its Morrison site in October.

Global auto company Copart plans to operate a vehicle auction center on most of the former speedway site at Morrison Road and C-470. Copart representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Karlyn Tilley said Copart has not been in touch with them about issues on the site.

“Someone from the town of Morrison reached out to let us know the new owner wanted to speak with us about securing the property,” said Tilley, estimating that the call came in March. “Since we never heard back from them, we don’t have any official records of it, just what people remember.”

Despite Crisp’s observations, Tilley said the Sheriff’s Office has no information about criminal incidents at the abandoned speedway.

“I couldn’t find any case reports related to vandalism at that address, so that leads me to believe we have not received any requests for us to respond out there,” she wrote.

In addition to an office, the Bandimere site has a VIP tower with four floors. Future plans call for razing the towers, stadium lights and grandstands, leaving only the office for Copart’s use. Its agreement with the town also includes fencing and revegetating much of the speedway site. 

But town manager Mallory Nassau said the company’s site plan is not yet approved.

“Copart is still working on its site plan application,” she wrote in an email. “It is my understanding that once the plan is submitted and approved, construction will begin.”

John Bandimere, Jr., whose family has run the speedway since its 1958 opening, sold the land to move the operation to a much larger site in Hudson. But he agrees with Crisp that there are issues at the Morrison site.

“The land has been annexed into Morrison,” he said. “It’s something they should be paying attention to, and apparently they’re not.

“People have gone through the tower, pulled every wire and everything so they can sell it. It’s ridiculous. And people are living in every building there. You would think Morrison would not want people on the property. They’re making a mockery out of it on TikTok.”

Bandimere acknowledges his family has moved its business interests elsewhere.

“It’s not our responsibility,” he said. “But we were part of the town for years, and we are still tied to it emotionally.”

The property had been in Jefferson County, but Morrison agreed to annex the 125-acre site in August 2024. That deal includes the transfer of 16 acres to the town. 

Morrison disbanded its police department in late 2024, and instead contracts with the sheriff’s office for law enforcement services.

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A Wyoming man faces six charges related to sexual assault for an alleged July 7 incident at Pirates Cove Water Park in Englewood.

When Englewood police officers responded to a report of a sexual assault that had just occurred at the water park, they found 18-year-old Trenton Moskovita in the men’s locker room, according to an affidavit obtained by the Englewood Herald.

The affidavit describes the incident and the allegations against Moskovita this way:

When an officer attempted to detain him, Moskovita initially resisted and claimed he had been with his siblings. After being handcuffed, he refused to provide his name but eventually complied.

Moskovita told police he could not go to jail and explained that a young girl had asked for help using the bathroom. He said they went into the family restroom together, where he turned away so she could use the toilet. The girl then screamed, he said. Moskovita later admitted he should not have accompanied the girl into the bathroom and said he only used the restroom after she left.

A Pirates Cove employee told officers the victim and her mother reported the assault. The mother said her daughter described a man pulling her into the bathroom, pulling down his pants, and covering her mouth, the affidavit states. The employee also observed Moskovita hurriedly packing his belongings and helping his siblings change clothes as police arrived.

The affidavit states that video footage was reviewed and showed Moskovita take the female child into the bathroom, where they both stayed for about nine minutes. The footage also captured Moskovita motioning for the girl to approach him in the public shower area before taking her by the hand and entering the bathroom together. The girl exited the bathroom in apparent distress, followed by Moskovita a few minutes later.

According to a police interview with the victim, she described how Moskovita asked her to do him a favor inside the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, she got scared and started to scream and Moskovita covered her mouth, the affidavit states.

The girl reported that he pulled down both his and her pants and touched her genital area and said “it felt weird” and hurt, according to the affidavit.

The girl said she saw Moskovita’s genitals and closed her eyes while the assault was happening, the affidavit says. It adds that the girl said when she tried to pull away, Moskovita’s grip tightened and he blocked her exit, so she decided to stop struggling.

After the assault, the girl said Moskovita told her not to tell anyone, said he had done this before, and wanted to continue with another action. The girl was able to run out of the bathroom and immediately notified her mother.

During Moskovita’s interview later that day, detectives say he was visibly scared and claimed he wasn’t sure why he was in trouble for helping the girl go to the bathroom. He requested a lawyer and didn’t make a statement.

Moskovita remains in the Arapahoe County Jail on a $200,000 cash or surety bond. He faces six felony charges:

• Kidnapping with sexual offense

• Enticement of a child – bodily injury

• Sexual assault on a child – aggravated

• Sexual contact – coerce child

• Violent crime – sex offense

• Aggravated sex offense

A preliminary hearing for the case is set for at 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Arapahoe County Justice Center.

Moskovita is legally considered innocent unless convicted of a crime, and all allegations and descriptions in the affidavit are unproven at this time.

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A 51-year-old man faces a sentence of mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted Thursday of first-degree murder for a fatal 2016 stabbing inside a Dollar Store in Adams County.

Jurors convicted Anthony Dennis Grayson after a four-day trial in Adams County District Court.  Grayson will be sentenced on July 29.

The case experienced multiple delays due to issues related to the defendant’s competency. Ultimately, he was found competent to proceed and chose to represent himself at trial, according to an Adams County District Office news release.

On September 1, 2016, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a stabbing at the Dollar Store located at 7067 Pecos Street.

Surveillance footage and eyewitness testimony revealed that Grayson confronted the victim, Alejandro Alvear, inside the store, according to the news release. After a brief exchange, Grayson pulled a knife and stabbed Mr. Alvear multiple times. Mr. Alvear was transported to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was later pronounced deceased. 

Witnesses, including a store employee, stated that Grayson demanded money back from Mr. Alvear and threatened to stab him if he refused. The incident was captured on a store surveillance video. Grayson was taken into custody at the scene and later charged, the news release states. 

“This was a senseless act of violence in a public setting that cost a man his life,” said District Attorney Brian Mason in the news release. “Thanks to the excellent work of law enforcement, eyewitnesses, and our prosecution team, we were able to secure justice for Mr. Alvear and his family.” 

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A Thornton Police Officer will not face criminal charges for his role in the shooting death of William Skells who was found dead in a residence at 16024 Columbine St. on Oct. 9, 2024.

An autopsy by the Adams County Coroner determined that Skells died from a single gunshot wound to his abdomen from a rifle round fired by Officer Robert Smedley.

Skells had shot one Thornton Police officer in the shoulder before he was shot by Smedley. Skells had fired several rounds at other officers during a violent standoff with police at the residence, according to a letter from Adams County District Attorney Brian Mason, which was released Thursday.

One officer said he felt “we were going to die that day” and at least two officers were transported to a local hospital after being wounded by Skells, Mason states.

Surrounding the house

According to Mason’s letter, Smedley responded to 16024 Columbine St. on a report of shots fired inside the residence and a possible fire. Smedley and another officer were positioned on East 160^th Place to assist with a visual of the rear of the residence.

At about 9:05 a.m. shots were fired from inside the residence towards the two officers. At that time, neither officer returned fire as they did not have a clear visual of the shooter, Mason said.

Skells fired several shots from the front of the residence toward officers, wounding two and keeping others trapped behind their vehicles. Smedley, who couldn’t see the front of the residence, received updated radio reports that an officer was down.

“He was concerned that the worst-case scenario had occurred and that an officer had been killed,” Mason states.

Skells exited the residence with empty hands. Smedley and the other officer gave him repeated commands to keep his hands up and told him he was under arrest.

Although Skells had just shot one officer already, another officer tried to engage with Skells and build a rapport to convince him to give himself up peacefully.

“This effort was unsuccessful,” according to Mason.

Smedley was about 40 to 50 feet away from Skells, who had taken a seat on an outdoor couch. When Skells again stood up and began to retreat toward the door to enter the residence, he ignored commands to stop and not go inside, Mason said. Smedley then fired two shots, with one striking and killing Skells, Mason said.

Legally justified, DA decided

During the standoff with the police, Skells told the police department’s crisis negotiation team that the “CIA is doing PsyOps” on his home, Mason wrote.

The shooting was reviewed by the 17^th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, led by two Adams County Sheriff’s deputies. Other investigators who reviewed the conduct of Thornton officers are associated with law enforcement agencies independent of the Thornton Police Department, Mason said.  

“I find Officer Smedley’s actions to be legally justified in this matter,” Mason states in his letter, which outlines the circumstances of the shooting. “William Skells had already shot several rounds at multiple officers in the front yard, hitting and wounding one officer, while another officer was also wounded after … Skells fired and shattered the glass on a vehicle.

“Officer Smedley evaluated the circumstance in this moment and worked to prevent William Skells from re-entering the residence, accessing additional firearms and then shooting at officers or members of the public again,” Mason said.

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When Englewood police officers responded on the afternoon of July 7 to a report of a sexual assault that had just occurred at Pirates Cove Water Park with the suspect still there, they found 18-year-old Wyoming resident Trenton Moskovita in the men’s locker room, according to an affidavit obtained by the Englewood Herald.

The affidavit describes the incident and the allegations against Moskovita this way:

When an officer attempted to detain him, Moskovita initially resisted and claimed he had been with his siblings. After being handcuffed, he refused to provide his name but eventually complied.

Moskovita told police he could not go to jail and explained that a young girl had asked for help using the bathroom. He said they went into the family restroom together, where he turned away so she could use the toilet. The girl then screamed, he said. Moskovita later admitted he should not have accompanied the girl into the bathroom and said he only used the restroom after she left.

A Pirates Cove employee told officers the victim and her mother reported the assault to him. The mother said her daughter described a man pulling her into the bathroom, pulling down his pants, and covering her mouth, the affidavit says. The employee also observed Moskovita hurriedly packing his belongings and helping his siblings change clothes as police arrived.

The affidavit says video footage was reviewed and showed Moskovita take the female child into the bathroom, where they both stayed for about nine minutes. The footage also captured Moskovita motioning for the girl to approach him in the public shower area before taking her by the hand and entering the bathroom together. The girl exited the bathroom in apparent distress, followed by Moskovita a few minutes later.

According to a police interview with the victim, she described how Moskovita asked her to do him a favor inside the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, she got scared and started to scream and Moskovita covered her mouth, the affidavit says.

The girl reported that he pulled down both his and her pants and touched her genital area and said “it felt weird” and hurt, according to the affidavit.

The girl said she saw Moskovita’s genitals and closed her eyes while the assault was happening, the affidavit says. It adds that the girl said when she tried to pull away, Moskovita’s grip tightened and he blocked her exit, so she decided to stop struggling.

After the assault, the girl said Moskovita told her not to tell anyone, said he had done this before, and wanted to continue with another action. The girl was able to run out of the bathroom and immediately notified her mother.

During Moskovita’s interview later that day, detectives say he was visibly scared and claimed he wasn’t sure why he was in trouble for helping the girl go to the bathroom. He requested a lawyer and didn’t make a statement.

Moskovita remains in the Arapahoe County Jail on a $200,000 cash or surety bond on a sexual assault on a child and second degree kidnapping charge. He will hear formal charges against him in court on July 11 at the Arapahoe County Justice Center.

Moskovita is legally considered innocent unless convicted of a crime, and all allegations and descriptions in the affidavit are unproven at this time.

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Patrol officers discovered a credit card skimmer at the 7-Eleven store on 14th Street in Fort Lupton on July 7. 

The skimmer was found inside the store, placed on a terminal, and could have collected swipe transactions and PINs, according to officials. 

They are investigating whether the skimmer captures data from the chip or TAP. If anyone used the terminal at 7-Eleven and is a victim of identity theft, contact your bank and report the theft to the Fort Lupton Police Department at 720-652-4222. The case is currently under investigation.

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A man died on the evening of July 2 in the men’s restroom at the Englewood Public Library despite the use of Narcan, an antidote to opioid overdoses, in an attempt to revive him.

Englewood police and Denver medics were called at 6:02 p.m. on a report of an unresponsive man in the restroom, according to a statement from the city. Security personnel began life-saving efforts until police, Denver Fire and medics arrived.

Police officers arrived in less than two and a half minutes and began the administration of Narcan and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Denver medics then arrived and took over the life-saving efforts, but the actions were unsuccessful and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office transported the body for further investigation. The man’s name was not released at this time.

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Welcome to July, the month that racks up the most impaired driving crashes in Colorado. The Fourth of July, meanwhile, remains the most significant holiday for those violent crashes, the Colorado State Patrol says.

Over four years, from 2021 through 2024, Colorado State Patrol troopers have investigated over 2,450 fatal and injury crashes determined to be caused by impaired drivers. Year after year, the number of impairment-related crashes expands during the warmer months, with the peak month for impaired crashes being July, according to the CSP.

 “Last July, troopers investigated 12 impaired driving fatal crashes that resulted in the loss of 13 people. An additional 32 people were left with serious injuries during this month from impaired drivers,” said Colorado State Patrol Chief Matthew C. Packard in a news release. “We are imploring people who have risked taking substances and driving in the past to change their behavior,” said Packard, noting driving while impaired has long-term consequences beyond just getting a citation.

“Driving intoxicated is literally rolling the dice with your license, your freedom and your life,” Packard said.

In 2024, Independence Day tied for the most common holiday that Colorado State Troopers responded to investigate a crash (property, injury or fatal) involving an impaired driver, according to the news release.

• New Year’s and Fourth of July (22 each)
• Halloween (17)
• Labor Day and Christmas (16 each)

“You have the freedom to choose your sober driver,” said Packard. “When you fail to do your part, and your driving behavior concerns an officer to pull you over, the consequences will be life-changing. A DUI conviction leads to a criminal record and generally is not eligible to be expunged.”

In addition, DUIs become a matter of public record, meaning information is accessible to the public. A DUI conviction also impacts your driving record. Therefore, DUI convictions can impact many aspects of your life when a background check or driving record is required, the news release states.

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