Mesa County Sheriff Blasts Phil Weiser for Politicized Lawsuit Against Deputy

By Luige del Puerto and Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette

The decision by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to sue a deputy is “demoralizing,” Mesa County’s sheriff said on Wednesday, arguing it sends the message that the state’s top law enforcement office is selectively enforcing a state law barring cooperation with federal immigration agents — and for “maximum political effect.”

Sheriff Todd Rowell said Attorney General Phil Weiser knew of officers from another law enforcement agency who also shared information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faced no consequences, while his deputy is the subject of a lawsuit from Weiser’s office.

“As it stands, the lawsuit filed by the Attorney General’s Office sends a demoralizing message to law enforcement officers across Colorado — that the law may be wielded selectively and publicly for maximum political effect rather than applied fairly and consistently,” Rowell said in a news release.

In a statement, Weiser’s office acknowledged getting information about other potential violations by other agencies — and it is investigating those, as well.

“The attorney general was presented with facts that showed blatant violations of state law. As the attorney general said last week, other law enforcement agencies are under investigation for a pattern or practice of civil rights violations,” Weiser’s office said in a statement to The Denver Gazette. “The Mesa County sheriff has a job to do to investigate and discipline his employees. The attorney general has a duty to enforce state laws and protect Coloradans and will continue to do so.”

When pressed for any update, Weiser’s office only said the inquiry is ongoing and it has nothing else to share for now.

In a statement, Colorado State Patrol Chief Matthew Packard confirmed that an administrative review by the attorney general of the State Patrol is underway. He reiterated that the State Patrol no longer shares information on a multi-jurisdiction Signal chat following the incident.

“We respect Mesa County Sheriff Rowell’s corrective actions, but believe his judgments regarding the Patrol are misinformed and premature. The Patrol remains committed to transparency in this process,” Packard said.

Weiser’s lawsuit alleges that Deputy Alexander Zwinck improperly shared information with ICE about a 19-year-old nursing student who was the subject of a traffic stop and later detained by federal agents.

The officer had shared the individual’s information with a Signal drug interdiction communication group, which included a number of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that focus on the highways of western Colorado.

Weiser claimed that, by doing so, Zwinck broke Colorado laws that forbid Colorado state and local government employees…

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