A Greeley police officer whose wife was shot to death last month, allegedly by the officer’s former lover, has resigned, the department said Tuesday. Ignacio Garraus had been on leave since his wife, Heather, was shot and killed on Jan. 23.
Shawna Louise Nelson, 35, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the slaying. Nelson’s family members have said she had a three-year affair with Ignacio Garraus and had a son by him.
Nelson was being held without bail. She is scheduled to be in court Friday for a hearing.
The Greeley Tribune reported Garraus’ resignation on its website Tuesday. Garraus had no listed phone number, and the newspaper said he could not be reached for comment.
Garraus, a 16-year veteran of the Greeley force, began work as a street officer in 1991. He had also done undercover investigations as a detective with the Weld County Drug Task Force and had worked with the Police Department’s Crime Prevention Program.
MOFFAT COUNTY
State snowplow hits, kills person on U.S. 40
A Colorado Department of Transportation snowplow driver struck and killed a person Tuesday night who stepped out of a propane truck on U.S. 40 near Maybell, authorities said.
The accident happened about 8 p.m.; few details were available about the death, CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said.
No information was available on the person killed or why he or she was standing on the highway, Stegman said.
Heavy snow in the area made it difficult for rescue vehicles to respond, she said.
ARAPAHOE COUNTY
Indicted ex-deputy arrested in porn case
FBI agents arrested a former Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday indicted by a federal grand jury on child pornography charges.
Douglas Peek, 53, of Centennial, worked as a deputy at the time of the alleged crimes.
The indictment alleges that Peek used a computer to receive a movie containing child porn; that his computer contained porn including images of toddlers forced to engage in sexual activity; and that he distributed child porn via the Internet.
“Children should be protected through the investigation and prosecution of any alleged child predator, especially from those individuals who are held to a higher standard of trust to protect and serve the public,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Powers said.
If convicted, Peek faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Pair get life sentences in 2005 drug slaying
Two men were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without possibility of parole plus 80 years for the 2005 murder of Angel Delgado.
Vincent Ortiz, 27, of Denver, and Mario Rios, 28, of Westminster, were found guilty in January of first-degree murder with deliberation, first-degree felony murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, first-degree assault and four counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Ortiz and Rios forced their way into the home of Delgado, 25, and her boyfriend, Vincent Martinez. After ransacking the house and demanding drugs and money, they threatened Delgado and Martinez for an hour and a half.
Delgado and Martinez were gagged and guns were held to their heads. Testimony showed that Rios put a pillow to Delgado’s head and fired a shot, killing her, while Ortiz did the same to Martinez, who survived.
DENVER
3rd candidate joins clerk & recorder race
Stephanie O’Malley, who is Mayor John Hickenlooper’s appointed clerk and recorder, officially launched her bid Tuesday to become Denver’s first elected clerk and recorder.
Hickenlooper, City Council President Michael Hancock, Councilwoman Carol Boigon and Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey were among city officials endorsing O’Malley. Her father, former Mayor Wellington Webb, also was on hand.
Residents in January voted to overhaul the Denver Election Commission in favor of a single, elected clerk and recorder.
O’Malley faces Jacob Werther and Don Henderson in the race for clerk and recorder.
DENVER
City delays opening soggy athletic fields
The opening of the city of Denver’s soccer, football, baseball/softball, rugby, Lacrosse, kickball and grass volleyball fields will be delayed for organized play or practice until March 5 because of the recent winter storms, officials said Tuesday.
Denver’s athletic fields were originally scheduled to open for organized play on March 1.
However, the athletic fields are still too wet for play, city officials said. Organized play can affect wet turf by damaging the grass and compacting the soil.
DENVER
8 “beacon school” proposals win OK
The Denver Public Schools Board of Education approved eight “beacon school” proposals, officials announced Tuesday.
These schools will receive extra money to rejuvenate the climate and boost student achievement. Teachers will collaborate with principals at the schools. The “beacon schools” are part of the teachers union agreement with the district.
The eight schools chosen are Brown International Academy Elementary, Bruce Randolph School, Columbine Elementary School, Fairmont Dual Immersion Academy, Grant Middle School, Greenwood, Harrington Elementary and Montclair Elementary.
PUEBLO
Lawyer wants out of molesting case
An attorney wants to withdraw from the case of an alleged sex-assault victim who admitted in recorded phone conversations that he never was a victim.
“We’ve decided to withdraw from the case,” Jeffrey Herman, attorney for Thomas Monroe, 53, said on Tuesday.
But Monroe, who claimed a band teacher at former Catholic school Roncalli High in Pueblo molested him in 1968, said he will look for another attorney.
“Absolutely not,” Monroe said Tuesday when asked if he would drop the case.
Monroe filed the lawsuit in September 2005 against the Diocese of Pueblo and the Marianists Province of the United States, claiming band instructor William Mueller molested him during private trombone lessens. But in a series of recordings, he denied being a victim.
“I feel worse being called a victim because I know I’m really not, and I know real victims who are not getting help,” Thomas Roy Monroe said in a phone conversation with family members that he recorded Sept. 22, 2005.
Herman said he did not say why he is withdrawing.
