A Colorado Department of Corrections investigator is facing a felony forgery charge over allegations he falsified a law enforcement report, court records show.
Gary Spangler, 60, was charged with a single count of forgery in November, according to a one-paragraph criminal complaint filed against him in Fremont County District Court.
He is accused of attempting to defraud the Office of the Inspector General, a division of the that handles the agency’s internal affairs and criminal investigations. The complaint alleges he made or altered a law enforcement report on Oct. 20 with the intent to defraud the office.
The brief complaint did not include additional details about the circumstances of the alleged crime. Alondra Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, declined to answer questions about the case except to say that Spangler was on paid administrative leave pending an ongoing internal investigation. She directed The Denver Post to file a formal open records request for Spangler’s title and hire date and declined to otherwise provide that information.
Spangler said during a Wednesday appearance in Fremont County District Court that he was “waiting to be terminated.” He told the magistrate that he was “trying to figure out what the charge stems from” and was hoping to speak directly with prosecutors from 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley’s office about the case the allegations.
“I’m not going to change my story, I’m going to be honest and upfront,” he said in court. He did not return a request for comment Thursday.
Spangler is certified as a law enforcement officer by the state’s Police Officer Training and Standards board, state records show.
The prosecutor handling Spangler’s case did not return a request for comment Thursday.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.
