Park County commissioners on Thursday approved with Undersheriff Monte Gore that includes a lump payout of $131,000 and the acceptance of his resignation.
The decision comes roughly a month after Gore was suspended at the county sheriff’s office as part of a shakeup in the wake of an eviction attempt that left one
Sheriff Fred Wegener said Gore was placed on leave because of issues surrounding the Feb. 24 shooting’s aftermath, but not directly because of the incident itself.
Gore’s separation agreement, after 16 years at the sheriff’s office, including the last decade as undersheriff, stipulates that he not discuss his departure with the media. It also includes a letter of recommendation from Wegener for future employment.
An explanation for the split was not outlined in the deal’s legal documents. County officials are barred, per the agreement, from discussing the situation.
Gore and Sgt. Welles Tonjes were disciplined after Cpl. Nate Carrigan was killed while trying to serve an eviction notice at the Bailey home of
Wegener has stressed Gore and Tonjes were not involved in the planning or execution of the eviction. The sheriff said unspecified issues with the two had to be addressed to ensure “continued smooth operation of the sheriff’s office.”
, an anti-law enforcement political activist, opened fire on the deputies and died in the shoot-out at his foreclosed home. .
The shootout is under investigation by Eleventh Judicial District Attorney Thom Ledoux.
Ledoux said he will analyze the case as if it were any other officer-involved shooting in order to determine if there was any criminal wrongdoing on the part of the sheriff’s office.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said last week it is close to completing its probe of the shootout.
The sheriff’s office has said it knew Wirth had animosity toward law officers and was proceeding with caution when they approached the home he was living in at 36 Iris Drive. Nevertheless, Wegener said there was no reason to believe Wirth was going to greet deputies with gunfire.
Wegener has not responded to multiple Denver Post requests for an interview on Gore’s suspension and said in a statement last month that he would not comment further about the personnel matters.
The sheriff, however, was quoted by Denver television station as saying he was upset with how Gore handled news releases after the shooting and that problems surfaced with how Tonjes interacted with subordinate officers.
Also, reported that Wegener indicated there were concerns raised about how Gore notified Carrigan’s family about the corporal’s death.
Gore wrote several news releases after the shooting that described the confrontation with Wirth and officials’ actions in the days following.
“During his tenure, Undersheriff Gore demonstrated consistent professional skill in law enforcement, administration and management,” said Wegener’s letter of recommendation per the separation agreement. “… You will benefit from Undersheriff Gore’s outstanding professionalism and expertise.”
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
