Sheridan – City officials were left scratching their heads Sunday after a city councilman was beaten unconscious near his home, allegedly by a neighbor.
Councilman R. Landau DeLaguna, 60, was out of the hospital after the Saturday evening attack. But friends and neighbors said he is hurt and bewildered.
Neighbor Michael Denoyer, 54, was arrested and faces charges of assault, robbery and harassment, police said.
Sheridan Mayor Mary Carter said it appeared to be an isolated incident over nothing specific. She said DeLaguna told her he had no idea what provoked the altercation. Both men are typically mild-mannered, she added.
Police said Denoyer made remarks about DeLaguna’s performance as a councilman. Officials also said Denoyer may have been intoxicated at the time of the assault.
DeLaguna, an artist, and Denoyer, an electrician, are neighbors on South Clay Street. DeLaguna was parked near Denoyer’s home Saturday evening, waiting to pick up a friend for dinner, when Denoyer came up to his car and started hitting him, said Carter, who also lives nearby.
The mayor said she couldn’t think of any contentious council votes, and there has been little controversy recently in the small city, which borders southwest Denver and has about 5,200 residents.
“It doesn’t make any sense at all,” Carter said. “If Mr. Denoyer had a problem, he could have run against (DeLaguna) in the election.”
PUEBLO
Condition of teen hit by lightning upgraded
The condition of a 13-year-old Pueblo girl hit in the head by lightning was upgraded Sunday.
Janae Montes was in serious condition at Children’s Hospital in Denver. She had been listed as critical.
The girl was hit about 6 p.m. Friday during a softball scrimmage at East High School in Pueblo. Fire department officials said the bolt burned her head and leg.
COLORADO SPRINGS
Young man slain after altercation
A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in Colorado Spring early Sunday morning, apparently after an argument, according to police.
Kyle Shannon was found dead by police in the Gold Hills neighborhood. He was hit at least once after someone fired several shots.
Police responded to calls about a disturbance in the 800 block of East Vermijo Avenue just before 4 a.m. Reports of gunshots came in as officers responded. Shannon was dead when officers arrived.
Police said it appears Shannon got into an argument with an undetermined number of people he knew. An autopsy is scheduled this morning.
ST. GEORGE, Utah
Fire threatens town, forces I-15 closure
A fast-burning fire that quadrupled in size Sunday was threatening a small southwestern Utah town, while firefighters made progress on a separate wildfire, holding the state’s largest blaze to near 60,000 acres.
Causing the most concern Sunday was a fire burning about 20 miles north of St. George, one that shut down a portion of Interstate 15.
Officials said the fire, which is burning along the west side of the highway, grew from 2,000 acres to 8,000 acres in less than 12 hours. By late Sunday afternoon, it was within 5 miles of the Iron County community of New Harmony, population 190.
TORRINGTON, Wyo.
Hospital plans Alzheimer’s wing
A 21-bed Alzheimer’s center will be built onto the Care Center at Community Hospital.
Operated by Banner Health Care System, it will have up to 25 employees and a staff-resident ratio of 1-to-7, the Torrington Telegram reports.
Land for the center has been bought and plans drafted. Planners say the next step will be to seek state funding on top of $100,000 from Torrington and $500,000 from Goshen County.
MONTICELLO, Utah
Despite signal, no sign of plane wreck found
No downed airplane has been located in San Juan County, even though an aircraft’s emergency beacon began sounding late last week.
Officials could not pinpoint the beacon’s location, which was possibly emanating from Canyonlands National Park, and subsequent searches failed to locate any downed craft.
Deputies also checked with aviation authorities and found no reports of overdue planes. Then, just as suddenly as it started, the beacon’s signal abruptly stopped transmitting.
“It started a couple of days ago, but we lost the signal,” Sheriff’s dispatcher George Rice said Sunday. “It could be anything.”
