Auman exits halfway house, but supervision to continue
Lisl Auman, who pleaded guilty last year to burglary and accessory to first-degree murder in the 1997 fatal ambush of Denver police officer Bruce VanderJagt, has completed the residential component of her 20-year sentence to the community corrections system, Tom Moore, director of Denver Community Corrections, said Tuesday.
Auman also no longer lives at Tooley Hall halfway house, Moore said.
Although the 30-year-old Auman can now live independently, Moore said she will initially report to the halfway house two or three times a week. She will be required to supply urine and breath samples.
Moore said that Auman will remain under supervision for at least 75 percent of the 20-year community corrections sentence. She can reduce the sentence by a maximum of 25 percent for good behavior.
DENVER
Botanic Gardens chief quitting in August
The chief executive of Denver Botanic Gardens is stepping down in mid-August, the gardens’ board announced Tuesday.
John P. Scully, who was appointed CEO in April 2004, is leaving for health and personal reasons, according to a statement from Harold Logan Jr., chairman of the board of trustees at Denver Botanic Gardens.
A special committee of the board of trustees has begun a national search for a successor, Logan said.
“John Scully has served Denver Botanic Gardens well, bringing a businesslike approach to an institution recognized as one of the top 10 botanic gardens in the U.S., installing management processes that have increased effectiveness and accountability,” Logan said.
COLORADO
Governor hopeful unveils energy policy
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter unveiled an energy policy Tuesday that he said would combat rising gasoline and home-heating costs, as well as create new jobs.
His plan emphasizes energy self-sufficiency by promoting alternatives, encouraging cleaner ways of extracting and using fossil fuels, and rewarding efficiency and conservation.
Ritter also proposed forming a “Colorado Clean Energy Coalition,” to advise and guide his administration on advancing energy technology and investments in energy opportunities.
LAKEWOOD
Pair rams store with truck, hauls off ATM
Lakewood police are looking for two men who stole an ATM after their pickup truck rammed a convenience store.
The burglary happened around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday at a U-Pump-It station, 11800 W. Colfax Ave., said Steve Davis, a police spokesman.
The brawny burglars didn’t make it far, abandoning the truck, which was stolen Monday in Arvada, and the teller machine at a nearby park.
The ATM was not broken into, and no suspects were arrested Tuesday.
DENVER
Program gets illegal drag racers onto track
The Denver Police Department is participating in this year’s Take It to the Track program sponsored by the Colorado State Patrol.
The program is designed to prevent illegal street racing by giving drivers a chance to race police officers at Bandimere Speedway every Wednesday evening through October.
Last year, the Denver Police Department seized 97 vehicles related to drag racing.
Police impound not only vehicles used in street racing but vehicles that belong to spectators.
Of the vehicles seized, about a third were returned to owners with conditions that the person caught racing could not drive the car.
COLORADO SPRINGS
Man killed by crane was 8-year employee
A 30-year-old man who died Sunday when a crane tipped over while he was working on Cosmix – an Interstate 25 improvement project – had worked for Sema Construction since 1998.
Humberto Rodriguez, born and raised in Durango, Mexico, will be buried in Mexico. He is survived by his wife and three children.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, which occured at 11:40 p.m. Sunday near I-25 and North Nevada Avenue.
COLORADO
Committee censures courts over access
A national journalism organization has called on the Colorado Supreme Court to revise rules that led nearly half of the state’s judicial districts to restrict public access to court files.
The Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press issued a statement Tuesday censuring Colorado courts for the rules intended to protect privacy in divorce and probate cases.
“While we sympathize with state courts that have financial difficulty managing the case files, the fact is the law presumes that citizens have a right of access to civil and criminal court records,” said Reporters Committee executive director Lucy Dalglish. “Colorado officials must act swiftly to ensure the public maintains its ability to oversee the operations of the publicly funded system.”
The Supreme Court released a directive last year requiring the state’s court clerks to remove several types of information from court files. Ten districts claiming they don’t have the necessary staffing to protect that information are now restricting public access to divorce and probate files.
LIVERMORE
Pair found dead in home are identified
Ronald Magness and his wife, Margaret, were identified Tuesday as the couple found dead in their Livermore home Monday.
The Larimer County coroner says the deaths were a murder- suicide with Margaret Magness, 55, identified as the murder victim.
The couple lived at 61 McKenna Court in the Glacier View area of Red Feather Lakes.
The coroner’s report says the couple died Friday or Saturday.
