Trucker accidentally kills brother while backing up
A trucker from Georgia accidentally ran over and killed his brother Tuesday night while attempting to back his fully loaded tractor-trailer down a runaway-truck ramp on Interstate 70 in Summit County.
Petru Byrke, 33, was run over about 8 p.m. when the cab of the truck skidded around quickly as he attempted to guide his brother, Mihai, 37, down the ramp, said Capt. Ron Prater of the Colorado State Patrol’s Frisco office.
“The passenger got out and was going to help guide the driver to back down the ramp, which is very dangerous. No way you should try to back down that ramp,” Prater said.
The men, who were based in Covington, Ga., had been hauling 80,000 pounds of concrete when they lost control of the vehicle and were forced to use the lower runaway-truck ramp about 7 miles west of the Eisenhower Tunnel, Prater said.
Authorities had difficulty communicating with the surviving brother, who is from Eastern Europe, but he was not arrested and is not expected to face charges in the accident, Prater said.
DENVER
Governor outlaws alcohol-vapor devices
Gov. Bill Owens killed the buzz around the so-called “Alcohol Without Liquid,” or AWOL, machines Wednesday when he signed legislation banning the devices.
The devices allow people to inhale alcohol instead of drinking it. Alcohol vapors go straight to the brain, and they can take hours to show up in a blood-alcohol test, complicating roadside sobriety checks, lawmakers have said.
The possession, sale, purchase and use of the machines becomes illegal July 1.
AURORA
Police seek man in child kidnap try
Police have released a composite sketch of a man who attempted to abduct a 13-year-old girl in front of Laredo Elementary School on Friday.
The suspect is described as being in his early 30s, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with a thin, narrow beard and no mustache. His hair was combed forward and “flipped up” in front. The man was driving a black sedan.
DENVER
Bomb squad destroys box used in bank job
The Denver police bomb squad destroyed the contents of a box used to rob a Key Bank branch Wednesday morning.
A man entered the bank at First Avenue and Broadway at about 9:30 a.m. and handed a clerk a note saying that a box he had brought into the bank contained a bomb that he would blow up unless he was given money, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
The man took an undisclosed amount of money and left the box behind. Police evacuated the bank and closed off part of Broadway.
The bomb squad “rendered the box harmless” Jackson said. He said authorities have not determined whether the box contained a working bomb.
DENVER
Suspect who posed as cop charged in assaults
Michael T. Ricks has been formally charged with two counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault, patronizing a child prostitute and inducement of a child prostitute along with three counts of impersonating a police officer.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office said Ricks, 46, sexually assaulted two women in Denver while impersonating a police officer in separate incidents in January and February.
The victims are female, ages 17 and 26.
Ricks remains in the Douglas County Jail, where he faces similar charges of impersonating a doctor and sexual assault.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
Fund established for survivor’s care
The Steamboat Springs man rescued Monday after spending eight nights in the Routt National Forest was in fair condition Wednesday at Yampa Valley Medical Center, where surgeons were expected to repair his shattered right knee.
Charles Horton, 55, had hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration, a fractured rib and a fractured tibial plateau of his right leg from an April 17 skiing accident. He does not have insurance.
The Charles Horton Fund has been set up at Bank of the West in Steamboat Springs. Anyone wishing to contribute can call 970-879-4040 or mail a check to the bank at P.O. Box 772948, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477.
DENVER
Enforcement of ban on pit bulls to resume
The city will resume enforcing its ban on pit bulls and related breeds.
Authorities have mailed more than 150 letters to people they believe may have pit bulls on their property, informing them that the city will restart its enforcement program May 9.
A battle over the ban developed last year between Denver and the state legislature after a law was passed that prohibited cities and counties from passing ordinances banning specific pet breeds. Denver had challenged the law. This week, the state attorney general’s office announced it would not challenge the Denver ban.
