DENVER
7 rollovers reported within 24 hours
Denver authorities tallied seven rollover traffic accidents across the city in a 24-hour period over the weekend, none of which resulted in serious injuries.
One rollover tied up traffic on eastbound Interstate 270, shutting down the Quebec Street exit for about 30 minutes about 8:15 a.m. Sunday while police cleared the road. The driver of a Ford Explorer was reportedly swerving before he lost control of the sport utility vehicle, Denver police spokesman John White said.
Alcohol may have contributed to that rollover but was not believed to be a factor in any of the other accidents, Denver Fire Department spokeswoman Heather Green said.
When firefighters and police officers responded to a rollover Saturday night at West Sixth Avenue and Federal Boulevard, the female passenger fled from a red sedan that had flipped onto its roof. The woman, in her 20s, was not found by police, and the car was impounded, White said.
Green said there was no obvious pattern to the accidents, but she did say that Saturday’s inviting evening weather could have played a role.
“It does seem like there were a lot of rollovers for some reason,” she said. “It was a beautiful night. … I think the weather brought everyone out in force.”
DENVER
FBI agent in charge moving to D.C. post
Richard Powers, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Denver, has been promoted to a new assignment in Washington, the Justice Department has announced.
Powers, a 17-year FBI veteran who has overseen the bureau’s operations in Colorado and Wyoming since 2005, has been named assistant director of the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs.
“Rick Powers has served the people of Colorado and Wyoming with great distinction,” Troy Eid, U.S. attorney for Colorado, said in a statement. “Our loss – and I feel it keenly – is the nation’s gain.”
No replacement has been named.
DURANGO
County’s production of methane on wane
Just like in the pioneer days, the value of mineral production is starting to decline. Only this time it is methane.
An analysis by The Durango Herald found that La Plata County methane production declined 4.25 percent last year, the third straight drop since peaking in 2003.
That same year a study warned officials a decline was coming.
Billions of dollars remain to be made, but county commissioners are taking the decline into consideration now, given that methane has been a rich source of tax revenue for the area.
“It’s inevitable. It’s coming. How do we plan for that when we’re still kind of in the fat of it right now?” said Commissioner Joelle Riddle.
There are about 2,700 wells in the county that put out about $2.6 billion in methane last year.
GRAND JUNCTION
Hit-run suspect swims back after 3 hours
A hit-and-run suspect in a motorcycle accident that broke a 16-year-old boy’s leg was captured after allegedly trying to swim away in the Colorado River, The Daily Sentinel reported.
The man eluded police for about three hours Saturday night before swimming to shore, naked, bloody and screaming, the newspaper reported.
Police had been looking for a suspect since about 5 p.m. Saturday, after a man on a motorcycle was accused of rear-ending two teenagers who were riding a bicycle with another teen being towed on a skateboard.
The man apparently crashed his unregistered motorcycle after hitting the teens, then fled.
Police did not immediately identify the suspect.
He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital and could face charges of vehicular assault and fleeing the scene of an accident.
