A civilian employee of the Arapahoe County Jail, who allegedly exchanged calls and letters with convict Robert Ray, has been suspended after being accused of bringing a knife into the jail, authorities said Tuesday.
As first reported by 9News, sheriff’s investigators found a knife on 23-year-old Nicole Sue Beal as she was being investigated for corresponding with Ray. He was sentenced Feb. 8 to 108 years in prison after being convicted of being an accessory to the murder of Gregory Vann at an Aurora park in 2004.
Ray was held at the county jail prior to his sentencing but was later moved to state custody.
Sheriff Grayson Robinson said he didn’t know why Beal and Ray began exchanging calls and letters.
Investigators do not believe Beal knew Ray before going to work at the jail two years ago, the sheriff added.
Beal’s duties included checking jail electronic monitors to see whether doors were locked. She had limited contact with inmates, Robinson said, and investigators don’t believe the pair ever had any physical contact.
Beal was arrested and posted a $200,000 bond. She could be charged with introduction of contraband, a felony, Robinson said.
DENVER
Armed guards to ride East Colfax buses
RTD plans to have armed, private Wackenhut security guards ride East Colfax Avenue’s route 15 and 15L buses on a random basis to improve security for riders.
Regional Transportation District officials plan to release details of the security program at a meeting today.
The guards, who will be armed, will be able to help drivers assess possible cases of fare evasion, said RTD security chief Dave Genova.
The East Colfax bus routes are among RTD’s busiest.
LAFAYETTE
Teen’s bail reduced in woman’s slaying
One of four teens being held in connection with the killing of a Lafayette woman had his bail reduced Tuesday to $50,000.
But Jared Guy’s attorney said that is not low enough to allow Guy to get out of jail.
Guy, 18, is accused in court documents of helping his best friend, 17-year-old Bryan Grove, twice attempt to dump the body of 52-year-old Linda Damm, whom Grove is charged with stabbing to death. Damm’s daughter and Grove’s girlfriend, 15-year-old Tess Damm, is charged with conspiracy and being an accessory to the crime.
Prosecutors have charged Guy with being an accessory to murder and tampering with evidence. His bail had been set at $500,000.
LONGMONT
Police release photos of woman’s attacker
Longmont police released surveillance photos Tuesday that they say show a tattooed man who lured a developmentally disabled woman into a bathroom stall at the Longmont Recreation Center and sexually assaulted her.
Police said the 28-year-old victim identified one of the men in the photos as her attacker.
In the photos, taken from surveillance video shot at the recreation center, the suspect is seen wearing black pants, a black long-sleeve shirt and a dark-colored hat.
The victim told police the attack happened on Feb. 25.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
Driver killed after car flips on Santa Fe
A motorist was killed early Tuesday when he lost control of his car on South Santa Fe and Blakeland drives, the Colorado State Patrol said.
The victim’s identity was withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
The man was driving a silver 2001 Volkswagen Golf north on Santa Fe about 3:55 a.m. when he lost control in a right-hand curve, ran off the right side of the road, rolled and crashed into a traffic signal light pole, authorities said.
DENVER
School set for closure files appeal with state
A charter high school that was shut down by the Denver Public Schools Board of Education last month has filed an appeal with the state board to stay open, officials said Tuesday.
The DPS school board in February yanked the contract for Life Skills Center of Denver because of the school’s chronic poor performance on state CSAP tests and its low attendance rate.
Life Skills administrators submitted paperwork Tuesday to the state board to keep its doors open. They also sent letters of support from state Sen. Peter Groff, and state Rep. Terrance Carroll, both D-Denver.
The state’s “Charter School Institute” can override school districts and authorize charter contracts. The state board has 60 days to hear the case.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Missing nurse’s girl to stay with grandma
The 20-month-old daughter of missing Air Force nurse Nonnie Dotson will remain with the child’s grandmother, at least for the time being, a Texas judge ruled Tuesday. The judge rejected the father’s request for custody.
Dotson walked away from her brother’s Jefferson County home Nov. 19 and hasn’t been seen since. Her daughter, Savannah, has been staying with grandmother Candace Dotson in California. A judge in San Antonio granted the grandmother continued custody of the child for 45 days, 9News reported Tuesday.
Savannah’s father, Edward Vehle, who was Nonnie Dotson’s ex-boyfriend, had filed for custody, but Dotson’s family has complained that he showed little interest in the girl.
Vehle was granted visitation rights in Tuesday’s ruling and can file again for full custody after the 45-day period, 9News reported.
BRECKENRIDGE
N.C. teen skier killed after striking tree
An 18-year-old skier from North Carolina died after striking a tree Tuesday morning, officials said.
Logan Bastedo, of Charlotte, N.C., was traveling quickly on the advanced trail Dukes when he hit the tree, according to Summit County coroner Joanne Richardson.
He was skiing while on a high school senior trip with a group from a church school, she said.
The ski patrol reached Bastedo just after 10 a.m. and transported him to the Breckenridge Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to a resort spokeswoman.
