Two Colorado prison wardens remain on paid leave more than a year after they were removed from their positions amid internal investigations.
Warden Jeff Long at the and his brother, Warden Ryan Long at the , were both placed on paid leave on March 5, 2025, and remain off the job amid ongoing investigations, said Alondra Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the .
She has refused to say why the two brothers are under investigation and whether their cases are connected.
The two wardens were placed on leave on the same day as Warden Shane Stucker at the and David Wolfsgruber, formerly the director of adult parole for the Department of Corrections. Joshua Dorcey, a program manager in the parole department, was placed on leave a day later.
The three latter men each returned to work last year, but prison officials have refused to release details of the internal investigations for Stucker and Dorcey on the grounds that their cases are related to other ongoing investigations.
In denying a Denver Post open records request in December, the Department of Corrections cited a state law that allows law enforcement agencies to withhold records of an internal affairs investigation if there is an “ongoing criminal investigation or criminal case against a peace officer related to the subject of the internal investigation.”
Gonzalez declined to offer any details on the cases, “to maintain the integrity of this process and protect the privacy rights of the individuals involved.”
Jeff Long is paid an annual salary of $134,000, while Ryan Long is paid $144,000 annually. Gonzalez noted in a statement Wednesday that “‘unpaid administrative leave’ is not a recognized or permitted option under current rules.”
“The department remains mindful of the prudent use of taxpayer dollars,” she said. “We balance the necessity of a comprehensive investigation with the business needs of the agency to ensure a resolution that is both timely and compliant with state law and State Personnel Board rules.”
Stucker returned to work June 11, while Dorcey returned to work Oct. 1, Gonzalez said. Wolfsgruber was back on the job within a few weeks after being placed on leave, but he left the Department of Corrections in October to take a job with the .
Prison officials did release Wolfsgruber’s internal affairs investigation, though it was heavily redacted.
Those records show an employee filed a human resources complaint against Wolfsgruber on March 3, 2025. That person alleged Wolfsgruber referred to an employee as someone’s “paramour,” made “derogatory comments about needing an age cap” regarding an employee, and failed to support a healthy work-life balance by regularly sending communications to employees after hours.
The investigation found that Wolfsgruber did use the term “paramour,” but did not intend it to be disrespectful, and that he did send communications after hours to employees, but that he did not expect employees to respond to non-emergent matters until the regular workday.
Investigators could not substantiate the allegation that he made comments about “needing an age cap,” according to an investigative report.
Prison officials wrote in a March 31, 2025, conclusion letter that the investigation found no evidence of discrimination or harassment.
Wolfsgruber declined to comment Wednesday.
