Man Sought After Westminster Murder

Police in Westminster say they are looking for a man in connection with a murder at a financial business early Monday morning.

The shooting happened at the offices of Edward Jones Investments, inside the Ranch Reserve Shopping Center near 112th and Federal Boulevard. The woman who died works at the office.

Authorities say a distress call came in at about 7:30 a.m., 30 minutes before the office opens. They say the woman usually came to work sometime before the office opened.

Police say they are looking for the public’s help in finding Richard Paul Stewart, 71, who they described as a person of interest. They said he is her ex-husband and that he should be considered armed and dangerous. He was described as being approximately 5-foot-10 and weighing between 140-190 lbs. with brown/grey hair.

Police said he may be driving a 1997 Buick LaSabre Custom with a Missouri handicapped license plate BX97J.

Stewart has a previous criminal record that includes domestic violence.

Officials say in their investigation they are also looking for a “2009 Chevy Malibu LT, silver ice metallic in color with a possible Minnesota license plate.”

Anyone with more information about the case is asked to call Westminster police at (303) 658-4360.

Parolee From Colorado Suspected Of Killing Police Officer

Chattanooga Police say the ex-convict suspected of fatally shooting a veteran police officer was wanted in Colorado for robbery.

Sgt. James T. Chapin, 51, was shot and killed in the shootout Saturday that broke out when police were responding to a robbery at a pawn shop.

Police said in a statement released Sunday that Chapin was shot in the head, and Officer Lorin Johnston was struck in the back but was protected by a bulletproof vest.

The statement says “hearts are heavy” at the department.

Police were fired upon by Jesse R. Mathews, a parolee from Colorado, the statement said. The release does not list any charges against Mathews, who was also shot. It said Mathews’ condition and injuries were not being released due to his status as a fugitive.

Mathews, 25, became eligible for parole last year, according to the Colorado Department of Corrections website. It said Mathews was sentenced to prison in 2003, though it does not detail the offense.

Johnston was treated and released at a local hospital.

Chattanooga Police Chief Bobby Dodd said Chapin’s fellow officers were shocked at his death. Chapin was the first Chattanooga officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty since 2002.

“It’s probably the most tragic thing you could go through. It’s losing a family member. He’s a super nice guy. Has a family of his own,” Dodd told the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

“I think a lot of the folks out here are just numb at this point,” Dodd said.

Police were called to U.S. Money Shops at 10:24 a.m. Saturday, and the first officer on the scene came under fire, the statement said. More officers responded and Mathews fired on them after exiting a side door of the store.

“One of those responding officers to pursue Mathews was Sergeant Chapin,” the statement said. “Mathews fired into his patrol car and he was subsequently struck by the car but continued to run. Sergeant Chapin gave chase but the suspect produced his weapon and shot Sergeant Chapin in the head.”

Officers firing on Mathews struck him and brought him into custody shortly after. Chapin was pronounced dead at the scene. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Chapin joined the Chattanooga Police Department in 1984. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Gov. Hickenlooper issues disaster declaration for Fourmile Fire burn area in Boulder County

Gov. John Hickenlooper Gov. Hickenlooper issues disaster declaration for Fourmile Fire burn area in Boulder County
issued an emergency disaster declaration due to the imminent threat posed by flooding as a result of the wildfire last fall in Fourmile Canyon.

“The wildfire stripped the burn area of vegetative groundcover and, as a result, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the potential for sudden and destructive flooding and debris flow is dramatically increased,” an Executive Order signed by Hickenlooper says.

The Executive Order also says the Fourmile Emergency Stabilization Team recommends distributing groundcover on the severely burned areas to promote re-vegetation and to minimize erosion and debris flow during spring and summer rains.

“Due to steep terrain in the burn area, aerial distribution of mulch is necessary,” the Executive Order says.

The aerial mulching effort will use no State funds and will be conducted using federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Specifically, the funds will be used by Boulder County to contract for aerial mulching in the Fourmile Fire burn area.

Here is the full text of the Governor’s order:

D 2011-009

EXECUTIVE ORDER

Declaring a Disaster Emergency Due to the Imminent Threat Posed by Flooding as a Result of the Fourmile Fire in Boulder County

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Governor of the State of Colorado and, in particular, pursuant to relevant portions of the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act of 1992, C.R.S. § 24-32-2100, et seq., John W. Hickenlooper, Governor of the State of Colorado, hereby issues this Executive Order declaring a disaster emergency due to the imminent threat posed by flooding as a result of the wildfire in Fourmile Canyon in Boulder County, Colorado.

I. Background and Purpose

On Monday, September 6, 2010, a wildfire (“Fourmile Fire”) broke out in Fourmile Canyon, approximately 12 miles northwest of Boulder, Colorado. By the time the Fourmile Fire was extinguished on September 14, 2010, the fire had spread to more than 3,000 acres, forced the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents, and destroyed 169 homes.

In response to this disaster, Governor Ritter issued Executive Orders D 2010-012 declaring a disaster emergency and Executive Orders D 2010-013, D 2010-019, and D 2011-002, reaffirming his disaster declaration and making additional state resources available. In addition, Governor Hickenlooper issued Executive Orders D 2011-006 and D 2011-007, reaffirming the disaster declaration and making additional State resources available to support the State’s response to the Fourmile Fire.

The wildfire stripped the burn area of vegetative groundcover and, as a result, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, the potential for sudden and destructive flooding and debris flow is dramatically increased. The Fourmile Emergency Stabilization Team recommends distributing groundcover on the severely burned areas in order to promote re-vegetation and to minimize erosion and debris flow during spring and summer rains. Due to steep terrain in the burn area, aerial distribution of mulch is necessary. By letter dated March 18, 2011, Boulder County requested an executive order from the Governor. The request included Boulder County’s legal analysis and conclusion that, notwithstanding statutes authorizing county health department nuisance abatement and local disaster emergency declarations, Boulder County lacks authority to authorize aerial mulching in the Fourmile Fire burn area.

The Governor is responsible for meeting the dangers to the state and people presented by disasters. C.R.S. § 24-32-2104(1). The Colorado Disaster Emergency Act of 1992, defines a disaster as “the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property resulting from any natural cause or cause of human origin, including but not limited to fire, flood, … wind, storm, … or other water contamination requiring emergency action to avert danger or damage….” C.R.S. § 24-32-2103(1.5). Upon a rain event over the burn area, the rate of water discharge will be significantly greater than under pre-fire conditions and will produce destructive flooding and debris flow without established groundcover. The threat of spring rains in Boulder County is imminent and the proximity of burn area creeks to state lands, the city of Boulder, and residences in Fourmile Canyon means an imminent threat to life and property exists and, therefore, constitutes a disaster for the purposes of the Act.

Budget impasse continues, despite talks

Inside an angst-filled Capitol, lobbyists packed the hallways as lawmakers huddled behind closed doors Monday a day that brought no end to a stalemate over next year's budget.

Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, pushed back a scheduled press conference twice, hoping that the six members of the Joint Budget Committee could iron out a compromise that would satisfy House Republicans and Senate Democrats.

The day ended without such a compromise -- but also without Shaffer introducing his own budget bill in the Senate, a strategy he'd been contemplating as a last resort if the current impasse were to lag on.

Last week, Senate Democrats and Republicans agreed on tweaks to the budget that would have restored $100 million in K-12 education funding, Shaffer's top priority, and done away with a fee paid to Colorado businesses that collect and remit sales taxes, which would leave the state with roughly $60 million less in revenue next year.

House Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, has refused to sign off on that agreement and continues to fight for an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Brian Delgrosso, that would allow local governments and school districts the option of making employees put a higher percentage of their pay into their pension plans.

On Monday, lawmakers were also discussing a deal to eliminate just half of the vendor fee while reinstating tax exemptions, eliminated by Democrats during last year's budget balancing process, on agricultural products and computer software.

Shaffer, who's expressed frustration with McNulty for "moving the goalposts" in the budget negotiations, is still hoping to have a compromise in place this week, maybe as soon as Tuesday.

McNulty, who met with reporters later in the day, was also optimistic.

"The House Republicans are continuing to work with the Senate and the Governor to reach a budget that we can all agree upon," McNulty said. "Our bottom line is to create a budget that is both honest and responsible."

Teen Body Is Son On Burlington Official

The dead body found stuffed in a suitcase is the son of an administrator in Burlington. Denver coroners yesterday identified the body recovered Friday as Joshua Churchwell, the 17-year-old son of Bob Churchwell. A cause of death is still pending, but officials say the body showed no obvious signs of trauma when two teens found it in a field near Ruby Hill Park. Police are also unsure how the boy ended up in Denver.