Jeffco judge lets sex-assault suspect return to Pa. home
Vincent Margera, who is known as “Uncle Don Vito” from the MTV series “Viva La Bam,” was allowed Monday by the Jefferson County judge to return to his Pennsylvania home.
Margera, 50, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child. He was arrested Aug. 18 by Lakewood police at the Colorado Mills mall skatepark for allegedly inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl during an autograph session.
He remains free on a $50,000 bond and will be supervised by pretrial services, which includes checking in twice a week by phone, random urinalyses, no contact with children under 18 and no drugs or alcohol. If he travels on business, Margera is required to give his itinerary to the pretrial supervisor.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 31.
AURORA
Three-year-old boy killed in street by car
A 3-year-old boy was struck and killed by a car in Aurora Monday evening.
The boy was hit near the 800 block of Newark Street by a car traveling northbound around 5:30 p.m. , said Bill Revelle, traffic sergeant with the Aurora Police Department.
The boy apparently darted into the street before the car had time to stop, Revelle said.
By the time police arrived the boy was already dead, Revelle said.
Police do not suspect alcohol to be a contributing factor in the accident.
The accident is still under investigation to determine if speed or other factors may be involved, Revelle said. Police did not release the driver’s name.
FORT COLLINS
Prowler incident puts man in hospital
A 28-year-old man was listed in serious condition Monday after being shot by a homeowner who suspected he was a prowler, leaving police to determine if the shooting was warranted.
David Ebner was in Poudre Valley Hospital’s intensive care unit after being shot with a .45-caliber handgun.
Steven Ray, 58, told police barking dogs woke him up about 1:50 a.m. at his home on High Pointe Drive in south Fort Collins.
Ray said he tried to turn on the house lights and call police but the power was out, said police spokeswoman Rita Davis. An unrelated power outage struck the area from 12:29 p.m. until 3:56 a.m., officials said.
Ray confronted the man in his backyard and struggled with him, according to police. Ebner was shot as he tried to flee the area.
By late Monday, police were still waiting to talk to Ebner to get a better idea of what happened. “We still have more questions than answers,” police spokeswoman Rita Davis said.
She declined to speculate whether the incident could fall under Colorado’s “make my day” law, which says a shooting is justified in some instances if a resident feels endangered by an intruder.
DEBEQUE
Feds weigh protection for rare wildflower
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has until October 2007 to decide whether a wildflower that grows exclusively near DeBeque warrants protection, according to a recently approved settlement.
The settlement stems from a federal lawsuit, filed last June by a coalition of environmental groups, to force the agency to declare the DeBeque milkvetch an endangered species.
The groups say the milkvetch, a white wildflower found within 30 miles of the town of DeBeque in Mesa County, is threatened by oil and gas development on the nearby Roan Plateau.
“This unique wildflower’s habitat is being impacted by oil and gas development right now, and more is on the way, so protections need to be put in place immediately,” said Dave Anderson, vice president of the Colorado Native Plant Society.
The groups, which include the Society and Center for Native Ecosystems, petitioned the wildlife service more than a year ago to list the wildflower as an endangered species.
Fish and Wildlife Service officials said at the time the petition was filed they didn’t have the money to evaluate listing the wildflower.
Since then, the agency has had informal discussions with the federal Bureau of Land Management and energy companies about protecting the habitat for the milkvetch and other rare plants, said agency spokeswoman Diane Katzenberger.
DENVER
Fire safety agency names new director
Boulder resident Kevin R. Klein has been named director of fire safety with the Colorado Department of Public Safety.
Klein, 44, earned a master’s of public administration degree from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado.
The appointment, effective immediately, was announced Monday by public safety Executive Director Joe Morales.
The Division of Fire Safety provides training and certification programs for the state’s firefighters, fire inspections for casinos and maintains a statewide inventory of fire equipment and fire incidents.
Klein replaces Paul Cooke, who resigned in July.
DENVER
Kohl’s gives $400,000 to help protect babies
A foundation to educate parents and caregivers about shaken baby syndrome received a $400,000 gift from Kohl’s Department Stores.
The gift to the Children’s Hospital fund for the Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Campaign was announced at a news conference Monday.
The campaign offers tips on calming a crying baby and coping with the frustrations an adult caregiver may experience when caring for a fussy baby or toddler.
To learn more about shaken baby syndrome and effective prevention measures check www.dontshakeababy.com.
BOULDER
China group lists CU as 11th-best university
The University of Colorado at Boulder was ranked the 11th-best public university in the world for the fourth straight year by the Institute for Higher Education in Shanghai, China.
The 2006 survey ranked 500 international private and public universities.
Harvard University ranked first overall, followed by the University of Cambridge, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ranking criteria included Nobel prizes; Fields Medals, the highest scientific award for mathematicians; and the number of cited researchers in several categories.
