Man in court over shooting of pit bull victim’s mother
Charles Thomas Taylor was formally advised Tuesday in Arapahoe County Court that he is under investigation for attempted murder and assault in the shooting of Reneé Denise Muniz and her boyfriend, Johnnie Leon Coleman III.
Muniz, 37, is the mother of 10-year-old Gregg Jones, who was mauled by his family’s pit bulls on Nov. 2.
Taylor, 25, claims he was defending himself when he fired shots at Muniz, Coleman and ex-girlfriend Erica Tolliver at his apartment Saturday morning, according to court records.
However, the victims told police that Taylor lost control when they went to retrieve Tolliver’s belongings after a fight she had with Taylor, the record shows.
Muniz was shot in the chest. Coleman was shot in his right arm and hand.
After prosecutors argued that Taylor has a criminal record out of Wisconsin that could indicate a history of domestic violence, Judge Christine N. Chauche set bail at $150,000.
Formal charges are expected to be filed today.
Muniz is recovering at Medical Center of Aurora, where she remains in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.
COLORADO
Cattlemen win beef with prison officials
Beef! It’s what’s for dinner at Colorado’s finest prisons, at least for the near future.
The Colorado Department of Corrections responded to economic concerns of the state’s cattlemen and put beef back in its sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce and tacos, said department spokeswoman Patti Micciche.
Turkey is back in a holding pattern.
State Sen. Ken Kester protested a November decision by the Corrections Department to replace about 170,000 pounds of beef quarterly with turkey for nutritional and cost reasons – as well as the fact that the department has lost several lawsuits regarding religious diets.
Kester said most of the beef was purchased from Colorado cattlemen, and the change meant significant economic loss.
Micciche said the department is sensitive to the concerns raised by Kester, and Joe Ortiz, executive director of the department, ordered a temporary moratorium on the new menu while options are explored in meeting the diverse dietary needs of the inmates and remaining a good consumer of Colorado products.
ASPEN
X Games injure hospital’s budget
After attempting over-the-top stunts like jumping a motorcycle off a 100-foot snow ramp for ESPN’s Winter X Games in Aspen last year, some of the athletes who didn’t quite pull the tricks off left Aspen Valley Hospital with $5,000 in unpaid bills.
That debt could be an issue when Pitkin County commissioners consider renewing the land-use permit needed for the games at their meeting today.
“We don’t want high-risk events to overtax the community by leaving debts and leaving everyone wiped out,” said Pitkin County emergency management coordinator Ellen Anderson.
Dave Ressler, hospital chief executive, said he thinks events like the X Games are fantastic for the community. He also said the hospital doesn’t keep track of unpaid bills from athletes.
“To us they are just individuals,” he said.
LOS ALAMOS
Feds to name lab contractor today
The Department of Energy plans to select a contractor today to run the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for the next seven years. Contenders for the $79-million- a-year project include one team led by Lockheed Martin Corp., based in Bethesda, Md., and the University of Texas; and a second led by the University of California and Bechtel Corp., based in San Francisco.
The Lockheed team includes the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines among 19 university partners that would be involved in collaborative research projects with national laboratory staff.
Some students have protested the potential collaboration because of the weapons research taking place at Los Alamos. The CU administration has insisted faculty would not participate in weapons work but that stronger collaboration with Los Alamos would bring prestige and research money to the state.
The University of California has run the laboratory since 1943, when it was opened to house the secret Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb.
COLORADO
Rancher resigns from state education board
Clair Orr, the senior member of the Colorado State Board of Education, resigned effective Tuesday, the board announced.
A Kersey rancher, Orr, 52, is a Republican who had represented the 4th Congressional District since 1994. His resignation was expected.
Bob Schaffer, former U.S. representative from the 4th District, has been selected by the Republican vacancy committee of the district to replace Orr for the remaining year of his term, the board said in a statement.
AURORA
Murder suspect to be extradited from La.
Sir Mario Owens, who is wanted on murder charges out of Aurora, is to be extradited from Louisiana to Colorado, authorities said Tuesday.
For security reasons, the Arapahoe County district attorney’s office declined to say when Owens is scheduled to return.
Owens requested the extradition hearing after he was arrested in Shreveport, La., following a police chase.
Aurora police say Owens was one of the shooters who killed Gregory Vann, 21, at a July 4, 2004, party in Lowry Park. Javad Marshall-Fields and Elvin Bell were injured in the shooting.
Robert Keith Ray, 20, is scheduled to go to trial in March in the same crime. Police believe Ray is connected to the June 20 double homicide that killed Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe.
Marshall-Fields was to testify against Ray.
ENGLEWOOD
Union group protests at Beauprez office
The Colorado AFL-CIO labor union organized a protest outside the Englewood campaign office of Rep. Bob Beauprez on Tuesday, part of its national “Who’s on Our Side” campaign for the 2006 elections. Beauprez, a Republican candidate for governor in 2006, has not represented working families while in Washington and wouldn’t as governor, either, said the 12 demonstrators who turned out.
“We’re losing our middle class in this country,” said Jody Weant, president of a local chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants. “If we get Bob Beauprez as governor, we’re not going to have any workers’ protections in this state.”
John Marshall, Beauprez’s campaign spokesman, dismissed Tuesday’s demonstration as the act of “a desperate organization grasping at straws.” The AFL- CIO lost two member unions earlier this year.
