Spring forward or fall back? Its Time for That Discussion Again -- AP

Colorado lawmakers are planning to debate changes to daylight saving time when they convene next year.

One proposal would make daylight saving time permanent, while another would keep the state on standard time year-round.

Republican Sen. Greg Brophy of Wray wants Colorado to permanently run on daylight saving time, giving people more daylight in the evenings to enjoy the outdoors.

“There are studies that show there are more automobile accidents after we make that change in the spring,” Brophy told CBS4's Paul Day.

Winter mornings would stay dark longer, but the benefit, according to Brophy, is more daylight later in the day.

“I would make that trade and I think most of Colorado will too,” Brophy said.

Democratic Rep. Ed Vigil of Fort Garland wants Colorado to join Hawaii and Arizona in staying on standard time year-round because he says farmers and ranchers no longer need the extra daylight to work their fields.

Coplink Links Cops from Several Agencies

If only there were a way for Fort Morgan Police, Morgan County Sheriff's officials, other counties and state police to communicate...OH WAIT! There is! Its called Coplink and it will allow several law enforcement agencies to share information, thereby improving investigations. Morgan County Emergency Services Director Steve Enfante said Coplink has been in the works for some time, but just now got approval from Morgan County Commissioners. He said a nearly 237 thousand dollar Homeland Security grant will pay for Coplink.

BMS Lockdown "Precautionary"

It was an angry parent who caused a lockdown last week at Brush Middle School. Superintendent Priscilla Huston said it happened on December first when the distraught parent left, following a meeting with her and the middle school's principal, Don Taylor. Huston called the lockdown "precautionary" since she and Mr, Taylor convinced the parent to come back to the office and continue the reasonable discussion. There were also added patrols on the premises, but the parent did not go to the school..”

Studies Being Done on Gas, Electric for Fort Morgan

Utilities could cost Fort Morgan residents more next year, both natural gas and electricity rates will likely go up. They'll already be paying more for water in January, City Council voted to have a studies done with the Nebraska Municipal Power Pool to see what rates will look like over the next five years or so. The study for natural gas will cost about 12,300 dollars and both should be done in the next 90 days or so.

Elway Will Have To Wait Just Like Other Victims -- AP

A judge has told John Elway he will have to wait in line with everyone else in a bid to get at least some of his money back. The former Denver Broncos quarterback and a partner invested an estimated $15 million in what turned out to be a Ponzi scheme.

The investment was with Sean Mueller, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week for bilking more than 60 investors. CBS4 investigator Rick Sallinger obtained a tape of Mueller’s testimony at the sentencing.

Mueller pleaded guilty to racketeering, securities fraud and theft. Before the judge delivered his sentence Mueller delivered an apology and explanation to Elway and all his victims.

“I’m sorry for the clients. With all my family and my friends here, I’m very sorry. This is on me. I have no one to blame but myself,” Mueller said.

The apology may have sounded heartfelt, but it was too little too late for the dozens who lost their investments, in some cases their life savings. Mueller explained how it happened.

“I sent out a fictitious statement to start this off thinking I could make this back. It was the wrong choice obviously.”

Those fictitious statements showed profits when really there were big losses for years.

Elway asked the court to allow him and his partner to go to the front of the line for any paybacks that might come saying their money had only gone into a trust in Mueller’s investment company to be held there for investment. But the judge denied Elway saying he will have to file a claim like everyone else. That includes a woman that investor Eddie Calus told the court about.


“She was born without hands or feet. That’s a sad story. And then to lose all of her money,” Calus said.

Mueller is now starting his sentence after almost ending his life in April when he went to the top of a garage and nearly jumped.

“I was struggling to hold onto life. Each day since then, you know, I thought about going to a garage again,” Mueller said.

Randy Lewis has been appointed as the receiver in the case. He says the deadline for filing claims was last week and Elway did file. The next step is to sort out those claims and find out how much money can be recovered, and then decide who gets what.

Mueller is also being asked to pay restitution in the amount of $65 million, but that’s not final. It’s doubtful he’ll be able to do pay that much back.

State Worker Fired for ‘Farkling’ On Duty -- AP

A Colorado administrative law judge has ruled that a security supervisor at a Colorado youth prison should not get his job back after the state fired him for sending pornographic texts and videos and playing a computer dice game called “Farkle” during work hours.

“I want to say I went against the tide and because I did, I got pulled under in the undertow,” said Curtis Medina, who oversaw inmates and staff members at the Platte Valley Youth Services Center in Greeley.

Platte Valley is a 133-bed, secure state-run facility for youth offenders. Some are awaiting trial; others have been convicted of serious crimes. Medina worked there nine years, rising to a role as a senior supervisor. He disputes some of the accusations about his activities while admitting to others.

According to a decision by an administrative law judge handed down in October, Medina interacted with some subordinates while on duty “by sending sexually-oriented text message videos and photos to the personal phones of staff members or displaying sexually explicit texts to these subordinates.”

Medina told CBS4 he did send inappropriate texts and videos to co-workers, but denied doing it during work hours.

“And I did send them but never at work. That’s a blatant lie. I never did that,” he said.

Joe Thome, who oversees Platte Valley for the State of Colorado, said what Medina did was “completely unacceptable. They were videos and images that had sexual content … naked women and salacious content, basically,” Thome said. “Pretty graphic stuff.”

According to state administrators, Medina also spent work time playing a computer dice game called Farkle. Medina does not deny this but says it wasn’t as egregious as the state claims and there was a valid reason for computer gaming while on the job. Medina says he would focus so much at work and spend so many hours on the computer doing legitimate work, it caused him to get migraine headaches. He says to relieve the migraines, he would play Farkle on his state computer.

“Maybe 10 minutes every day I worked probably,” Medina said. “It would be random times depending on when I got a migraine. I know that sounds strange, but that’s what it was.”

“Time for something like that was unacceptable no matter how much it was,” Thome said.

Medina appealed his dismissal claiming he was targeted for firing after blowing the whistle on other workers’ misdeeds like sleeping on the job, misusing state time, and administrators purportedly having sex with each other at the facility.

But in a ruling dated Oct. 12, 2010, ALJ Denise DeForest wrote that Medina did commit the acts that led to his firing and that evidence did not show Medina was the victim of an orchestrated campaign.


The Medina controversy is just the latest for a facility that has repeatedly been accused of various misdeeds by employees, former employees and inmates. The accusations and rumors became so persistent that the state asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent inquiry into PVYSC in 2009. That review was completed and released earlier this year.

The CBI investigation compiled a list of 58 alleged criminal events at PVYSC. Six could not be confirmed, 24 did result in corrective, disciplinary actions, including terminations and admonishments of detention facility staff members, according to the CBI. Eleven of the events resulted in additional charges against inmates; 20 incidents were confirmed as being referred to the state for investigation; and 15 incidents were turned over to Greeley police for investigationa one incident given to the Weld County Sheriffs Office.

In a letter dated Feb. 23, 2010, Weld County Assistant District Attorney Michael Rourke wrote that he had reviewed the investigation. He noted that all reports of possible criminal conduct had been properly forwarded to the appropriate authorities. Rourke said the investigation was “comprehensive, complete and thorough,” and would not result in any new criminal charges.

Medina says he is looking for work but believes the state has blackballed him in the corrections industry, making it hard to find employment.

Area Employers Say Some Jobless Residents Trying To Double Dip

Area employers say some jobless residents are double-dipping when they get jobs. Ed Sleeman, who owns Colorado Drywall Supply, told KUSA-TV some job applicants say they will work for him if he pays them cash under the table so they can keep getting unemployment benefits. Sleeman says he knows other industrial businesses are also encountering double-dippers, but he would never allow double-dipping. Colorado Department of Labor officials say it's difficult to determine how big an issue this is because the double-dippers don't report the additional income.

Attorney General Sues Businesses, Individuals Who Allegedly Defrauded Homeowners

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has sued three businesses and five people suspected of defrauding homeowners using foreclosure rescue plots. Named in the suits were Jason L. Lynn and his company, Superior Financial Group, and Patrick Brunner and his company, Platinum Financial Group, Jerry Ohu and his company, Fortune Financial Group, plus Gregory Hoffman and William J. Schultz. The civil suits claim the defendants approached the homeowners with plans to save their homes from foreclosure. Suthers said the homeowners were told to transfer their property titles to investors, who would lease the homes back to them with an option to buy their homes again but none were allowed to repurchase their homes.