Sterling Teen Hospitalized in Crash

A one car crash sent a 17-year-old Sterling teen to the hospital. Police say the driver lost control of his vehicle and struck a utility pole, Thursday, on Pioneer Road near Plainview Avenue. The vehicle struck a fence, then the utility pole, before coming to a stop with extreme damage to the passenger side. Xcel Energy quickly made repairs to the pole, restoring power to nearby residents. The teen was taken to Sterling Regional MedCenter with a possible broken rib.

Holmes' Ruling

The judge in the Colorado theater shootings case says prosecutors can use evidence from defendant James Holmes' cellphone, which included eerie self-portraits taken before the attack.  Defense attorneys argued the warrant used to seize the phone was overly broad and unconstitutional.  Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the 2012 attack. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.  Holmes' attorneys acknowledged that he was the shooter. The case now hinges on whether he was insane.

Pot Poll

A new poll suggests Colorado voters believe the law they passed legalizing recreational marijuana is hurting the state's image.  51% of Colorado voters in a new Quinnipiac University Poll say legal pot is bad for the state's reputation. Only 38% say it's helping. Young voters see the measure as a net positive, while older voters view it negatively.  A majority of respondents, however, still support both the measure and how Gov. John Hickenlooper is implementing it.  According to the poll, 10% of voters say they've gotten high since the law took effect, and 51% say they'd tried pot before.

Pot Meeting

A month into Colorado's experiment with recreational marijuana sales, the state's top pot regulators are gathering Monday to discuss how the legal weed business is going. The state's top marijuana regulator is joining state lawmakers, the governor's lawyer and some law professors to discuss what lessons Colorado has learned in the last few weeks of allowing anyone over 21 to stop at marijuana dispensaries. It's too soon to know how much tax the marijuana sales have produced. The stores don't report January sales taxes until Feb. 20, after which Colorado will have the first estimate of the recreational pot market. Anecdotal reports from dispensaries indicate sales have been strong, though long lines and pot shortages seen the first few days have died down.

Sterling's New Police Chief

Sterling's new police chief is gettin' busy. Community policing and the legalization of marijuana were two of the topics Tyson Kerr touched on when he spoke to the Rotary Club, Wednesday, telling the group that building trust with citizens and bridging the “us versus them” gap is among his top priority as Sterling's new police chief. Kerr also talked about the COPPS/Community-Oriented Policing and Problem Solving strategy, the department is using to promote proactive problem solving and police community partnerships to address the causes of crime. It stresses public engagement, crime prevention, early identification and timely intervention, to deal with issues before they become larger problems. Some of the biggest issues that Sterling is facing right now, he said, are increased drug problems and identity theft/fraud. SPD is coming up with ways to combat those issues, including the introduction of a new canine program that is being funded with money from drug arrests.