Golden – Jefferson County authorities illegally raided a ranch in June and seized 26 horses that officials said were sick and malnourished, a judge has ruled.
Judge Charles Hoppin issued the ruling in the case of John McCulley, who was not home during the raid at his ranch at 12601 W. 82nd Ave. on June 1.
Jefferson County animal-control officers did not have a search warrant when they seized the horses. But they felt they had probable cause to do so because the animals appeared to be in bad shape.
District Attorney Scott Storey can still take McCulley to trial on the 28 counts of animal abuse, but he can’t use evidence seized related to the horses. He can, however, tell the jury about the condition of a pig found there. “We still have a dead pig,” Storey said.
Jeffco teens killed in crash on Co. 93
Jefferson County – Two teens were killed early Saturday when their Subaru station wagon drifted into oncoming traffic on Colorado 93 near Rocky Flats and smashed head-on into another car, officials say.
Zachery Broderius-Kowalczyk, 17, of Lakewood and Hilary Mabry, 16, of Aurora were killed in the accident, said Ryan Sullivan, spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol.
Justin Nikle, 25, of Lakewood, who was driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, was taken to Boulder Community Hospital with moderate injuries, Sullivan said.
Broderius-Kowalczyk was headed north when the Subaru crossed the center line and collided with the southbound Chevrolet about 6 a.m., Sullivan said.
Broderius-Kowalczyk was a student at Golden High School and Mabry was a student at Wheat Ridge High School.
The accident is under investigation, he said.
Officer without seat belt injured
Greeley – A Greeley police trainee who was not wearing his seat belt was thrown from a squad car during an early-morning emergency call and slightly injured, officials said.
The accident happened at 1:23 a.m. Saturday when a vehicle ran a flashing red light and the police car swerved, trying to avoid a collision, said Sgt. Joseph Tymkowych, Greeley police spokesman.
Authorities are trying to find the driver of the dark sport utility vehicle that ran the red light at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Reservoir Road, Tymkowych said.
The patrol car spun and then slammed into a light pole, causing the passenger door to swing open and throwing the trainee out, he said. The officer who was driving bumped his head and received minor injuries. Department staff will investigate why the officer was not wearing his seat belt, Tymkowych said.
“We require our guys to wear those things,” he said.
Sun Microsystems files paperwork for layoffs
Boulder – Sun Microsystems Inc. has notified 129 people at its sites in Broomfield and Louisville that they will be laid off before the end of the year.
Sun announced layoffs of 108 people at its Broomfield campus and 21 people at its Louisville site last week, according to paperwork filed with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
The layoffs were related to a company wide restructuring plan announced Aug. 7 that involved cutting program dollars and cutting employees, Sun spokeswoman Kristi Rawlinson said. Sun will have about 3,100 employees remaining in Broomfield and about 900 assigned to the Louisville site, which Sun has entered a contract to sell, company officials said Friday.
Fire flares in El Paso County
Colorado Springs – A wildfire pushed by strong wind gusts in El Paso County burned one structure, and sheriff’s officials were evacuating nearby residents Saturday night.
Sheriff’s officials say the fire was burning south and east of Colorado Springs, near Ellicott. The number of homes being evacuated was not immediately available.
An estimate on the size of the fire was not yet available, and the cause had not been determined.
Cool weather helped firefighters get control of another fire near Pikes Peak. Only hot spots remained Saturday evening.
