Police are investigating a possible attempted abduction of elementary-school children by two adults Thursday.
About 8 a.m., an 8-year-old boy and his 11-year-old sister were walking to their school in the area of East Second Avenue and Peoria Street in Aurora when they were approached by a small pickup, police said.
The children reported that the passenger in the truck asked them to help look for their lost dog, while the driver remained silent. The siblings said the passenger then showed them what appeared to be a magazinelike photo of a dog, police said.
Frightened by the men in the pickup, the kids ran to their elementary school and reported the incident to staff, police said in a news release.
The children were able to describe the truck only as a small pickup, possibly with step boards.
LAKEWOOD
Police warn of theft of euthanasia drug
Officials warned Thursday that a drug stolen from a veterinary hospital in Lakewood is highly dangerous and should not be distributed or taken.
The drug, Buthanasia, is an extremely concentrated barbiturate used for euthanizing animals.
An amber vial of the pink liquid was stolen from Stockton Animal Hospital on Wednesday.
Lakewood police said the drug would be fatal even for a large adult man.
MESA COUNTY
Autopsy seeks cause of teen’s death on trip
Authorities were awaiting autopsy results for a Utah teenager who died Wednesday while camping with an outdoor adventure group, the group’s company spokesman said Thursday.
The boy, whose name was not released, was believed to have died from natural causes when his body was found in his sleeping bag, said Bill Palatucci, senior vice president of the parent company of Alternative Youth Adventures of Colorado.
The program takes teenagers referred by state juvenile justice divisions.
It appeared the boy suffered from an underlying medical condition that led to his death, Palatucci said.
A Mesa County sheriff’s spokeswoman could not be reached for comment about the case.
LOVELAND
Fizzy mix could have 3 teens facing charges
Three juveniles at Thompson Valley High School could face charges stemming from an incident Wednesday when a plastic bottle was rigged to explode and cracked a window at the school, police said.
The assistant principal at the school told police that the three juveniles had mixed chlorine tablets with rubbing alcohol and peroxide in the bottle, causing the explosive reaction.
Two of the juveniles were 16 years old and one was 14, police said.
No injuries were reported.
The case is expected to be taken to the district attorney’s office for review next week.
LOVELAND
Statue that sparked brouhaha now in park
The infamous “Triangle” sculpture in Loveland has been moved to its permanent home at the city’s Benson Park Sculpture Garden.
The artwork, which shows two nude women and a nude man, sparked controversy last year when it was installed at a roundabout in east Loveland.
Some protested that the sculpture was pornographic and unsuitable for the area, which included a nearby park and school.
The City Council agreed in November to move the sculpture to the city’s sculpture park.
PUEBLO
Cops identify body found in burning car
The Pueblo County coroner’s office has identified a body found in the trunk of a car as that of Gary Lambert, 45, who lived in Pueblo and Woodland Park.
On Saturday, a 2000 Ford Mustang was found burning on Overton Road , 11 miles north of Pueblo and east of Fountain Creek. Lambert’s body was found in the trunk of the car, which was registered to him.
The cause of death has not been determined. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation into the suspicious death.
GRAND JUNCTION
Clown held in alleged Internet luring case
A Grand Junction man known as “Giggles the Clown” at a local Farmer’s Market Festival faces multiple charges after he allegedly attempted to use the Internet to lure a minor into having sex, authorities said.
Police on Friday arrested Antonio Eric Lazcano, 29, on a warrant from Otero County. He’s accused of enticement, Internet luring, Internet sexual exploitation, and obscenity.
A Rocky Ford mother discovered a photograph of a nude man in her daughter’s e-mail account in November, prompting authorities from Otero County and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to look into the case.
Police said they recorded sexual acts Lazcano sent by webcam to the girl’s mother – who by then was posing as her daughter – along with conversations about meeting for sex. Those conversations took place after the woman told Lazcano, who used the screen name “Tony805,” that she was 12.
A profile page for Lazcano listed his hometown as Santa Maria, Calif. CBI records indicate Lazcano was arrested twice in 2002 in Grand Junction on counts of alleged harassment and stalking.
The outcome of those cases was not immediately available.
Lazcano was being held Thursday in the Mesa County jail on $5,000 cash bail and was awaiting transfer to Otero County.
BOULDER
CU geologist to lead changing Earth study
A Boulder geologist will lead a $4.2 million, five-year effort to develop computerized models of the changing face of Earth’s surface, the University of Colorado announced Wednesday.
CU geologist James Syvitski will lead hundreds of scientists in studying mountain erosion, tracking changes caused by flooding and watching how rising seas change coastlines.
Syvitski has been director of CU’s Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research for 12 years.
“This will give us a better understanding of Earth and allow us to make better predictions about areas at risk to phenomena like deforestation, forest fires, land-use changes and the impacts of climate change,” he said.
