Man and his dog die in nighttime fire
A 43-year-old Thornton man and his dog died of smoke inhalation Friday night when the man’s house caught fire, officials say.
Norman Milihram II, 43, was found in an upstairs bathroom of his home, 11783 Elizabeth Circle West, said Chad McCollum, Thornton Fire Department spokesman.
A passer-by called for help at around 1 a.m. after the fire started in the living room, McCollum said. Four fire engines and three medical units responded to the blaze within five minutes, he said.
The divorced computer technician lived alone, said his uncle, Gerald Milihram of Manassas, Va.
Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire, McCollum said. No foul play is suspected, he said.
Climber killed in fall at Garden of the Gods
A 22-year-old Silver Cliff man was killed Friday when he fell 150 feet from a ledge into a crevice while climbing at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, authorities said. He was identified as Christian Fink, who attended the Colorado Springs campus of the University of Colorado.
The victim, who was not using safety equipment, was climbing with three friends on the Keyhole Window formation along Juniper Way, police Sgt. Scott Schwall said.
Just before 2:25 p.m., he slipped off a ledge and fell into a crevice as rocks also gave way and fell on top of him, Schwall said.
He was dead when rescuers arrived. He had to be extracted and carried to a waiting coroner’s vehicle.
“If you climb over 10 feet anywhere in Garden of the Gods you have to register and have required safety equipment, because of things like this,” Schwall said.
Fraud-scheme leader gets jail, restitution
A federal judge sentenced the Broomfield-based leader of a mortgage-fraud scheme to more than eight years in prison Friday and ordered him to repay $37 million to financial institutions he defrauded.
Gerald P. Small, 43, pleaded guilty in October to three counts of fraud and making false claims. Prosecutors said Small and five associates, who also have been convicted and sentenced, used newspaper classified ads to solicit job applicants. They used the applicants’ personal identification information to obtain the fraudulent mortgage loans.
U.S. District Chief Judge Lewis Babcock deferred entry of Small’s judgment and restitution for 10 days so that disputed issues in the related forfeiture proceeding may be resolved.
Mayor may run for Rep. Hefley’s seat
Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said Friday he is “leaning toward” running for the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Joel Hefley.
Rivera, a Republican who is the city’s first Hispanic mayor, was elected mayor in 2003. He was elected to the City Council in 1997.
Rivera said he expects to make a formal announcement about his decision to run for the six-county 5th Congressional District in mid-March.
Curtis Imrie, a Democrat from Granite, said he is “testing the waters” and will soon decide whether to seek the office. Imrie ran against Hefley in 2002.
Four Republicans – John Anderson, a former El Paso County sheriff; Duncan Bremer, a former El Paso County commissioner; Jeff Crank, a former vice president of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce; and state Sen. Doug Lamborn – are vying for the seat.
Air Force veteran Jay Fawcett is the only announced Democrat in the race.
Plane crashes on way to Colo. slopes; 2 die
A small plane crashed during takeoff Saturday from the Georgetown, Texas, city airport, killing two of the four people on board, authorities said.
Federal investigators were searching for the cause of the crash that killed the pilot, who was flying the group to Colorado for a ski trip, city spokesman Keith Hutchinson said.
Two passengers suffered burns and were taken to a San Antonio hospital, Hutchinson said.
The Cessna 182, registered in Mexico, appeared to have engine problems on departure and crashed near the end of the runway, said Roland Herwig, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman.
The National Transportation Safety Board was to investigate the site today, Hutchinson said.
Georgetown is about 30 miles north of Austin.
