DENVER – Vice and narcotics officers, conducting an undercover operation, raided a suspected illegal gambling operation last weekend at the Kafeneo, 4665 E. Warren Ave., Denver police said Thursday.
Officers said they made 31 arrests or issued summonses for charges relating to professional gambling, police said. In addition, five others were cited for maintaining a gambling premises, according to a news release.
MORE BRIEFS
ARVADA
Driver, 80, puts car through store window
An 80-year-old woman drove the front half of her car through the window of the Wine and Spirits Liquor store, 9969 W. 80th Ave., on Thursday, Arvada fire officials reported.
The unidentified woman told firefighters she had been pulling into a parking spot in front of the store and then couldn’t remember what happened.
No one inside the store was injured, fire officials said, and the woman was taken to Lutheran Medical Center for observation.
DENVER
Ritter vows to work with Education Board
Gov.-elect Bill Ritter told members of the State Board of Education on Thursday that he hopes to work with them as partners to close achievement gaps, reduce dropout rates – particularly among minority students – and create a climate in which students can compete globally.
Ritter noted that the commissioner of education is the one member of his Cabinet he does not get to select. The state board hires the commissioner.
While he declined to say whether he would like to see current Commissioner William Moloney remain as part of his Cabinet, Ritter told the board he is open to working with “the person who is the commissioner that you select as we go forward.”
Moloney, who was hired nine years ago, said he has no immediate plans to leave his post.
Board members, however, have said that with the new administration, the direction and leadership in the department is something that probably will be evaluated.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Forger gets 8 years
in prison for scam
Sean Thomas Montgomery, 29, of Lakewood was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison for an identity theft and forgery scheme, authorities said.
Montgomery pleaded guilty to theft Oct. 12.
Montgomery, Constance Kay Mathews, 42, and Mathew James Sweeney, 41, both of Denver, stole mail in Lakewood, Morrison and Evergreen in 2005, according to a news release.
Matthews and Sweeney were sentenced to six years in prison, the release said.
The three forged checks and used bank account routing numbers to create phony personal checks on a computer.
Matthews and Sweeney were sentenced to six years in prison, the release said.
A Wyoming state trooper faces felony charges in connection with an incident involving a jail inmate in Wheatland this summer.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol issued a statement Wednesday announcing that Trooper Justin Minard of Wheatland had been placed on administrative leave as a result of the charges.
According to the patrol statement, the charges against Minard arise from a June 17 incident at the Platte County jail in which he “subdued an unruly female prisoner that had been arrested for DUI.”
Platte County Attorney Eric Alden filed a criminal information in Circuit Court last month charging Minard with two felony counts of mistreating persons in institutions. The information also charges Minard with battery and official misconduct, both misdemeanors.
Alden said Thursday that no law enforcement agency presented him with a report on the incident or asked him to file charges against Minard. He said he filed the charges on his own after viewing a video of the incident.
Alden filed a sworn statement to support the charges against Minard and included a disc copy of a video recording of the incident. In his statement, Alden states that the video shows that Minard, “attacks and batters a restrained female inmate.” Alden said Thursday that he’s leaving office at the end of the year and said it would fall to others in the county attorney’s office to handle the case.
“I saw the video and it obviously raises concerns,” he said.
“And it’s something that somebody else is going to have to decide.” Alden said Cheyenne lawyer Gay Woodhouse represents Minard. An attempt to reach Woodhouse for comment Thursday was unsuccessful.According to the statement from the Highway Patrol, supervisors in the patrol investigated the incident last summer after the Platte County Sheriff’s Department informed them of it.
“While the investigation revealed a confrontation between Minard and the prisoner, the Patrol did not feel the incident rose to the level of a criminal violation,” the patrol statement said.
“The Patrol never received a formal complaint from the prisoner or any inquiry from the Platte County Attorney.” Col. Sam Powell of the Highway Patrol stated: “We felt our investigation adequately addressed the issues and are frankly surprised the County Attorney has filed these charges.” In a telephone interview Thursday, Powell said Minard has been serving with the patrol for about eight years. Powell said he was put on administrative leave as soon as the department was notified of the charges.
Alden signed the criminal information on Nov. 21 and Powell said Minard was put on leave on Nov. 23, the day Minard received a summons in the case. Powell said Minard will have an initial court appearance next month.
Powell said he was surprised that Alden never contacted the Highway Patrol before filing the charges. Powell said his agency’s investigation into the incident had included watching the video.
AP-WS-12-14-06 1704EST
