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Safety or politics: Debate grows over Jeffco school resource officers
Fox31, Approved, Local

Safety or politics: Debate grows over Jeffco school resource officers

By: Spencer Kristensen, Brooke Williams | FOX31 Denver DENVER (KDVR) — On Wednesday morning, Jeffco Public Schools and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office released a joint statement addressing the community’s questions about the School Resource Officer program. “Our commitment to safety and security in Jeffco schools is unwavering,” Superintendent Tracy Dorland said in a press release. “Jeffco Public Schools does not employ SROs. Instead, through intergovernmental agreements, our local law enforcement partners, like JCSO, provide SROs to serve in our schools and our district now pays for half of this cost. We are proud of our strong partnership with law enforcement, including our shared commitment to a robust SRO program that supports our students and staff.” The school dis...
Colorado River faces new threat as zebra mussels take hold
Fox31, Approved, State

Colorado River faces new threat as zebra mussels take hold

By: Spencer Kristensen | FOX31 KDVR DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife officially declared a portion of the Colorado River as “infested” with invasive zebra mussels after sampling detected adult zebra mussels in the river and another nearby lake in Grand Junction, CPW announced in a press release on Monday afternoon. “While this is news we never wanted to hear, we knew this was a possibility since we began finding veligers in the river,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis in the press release. “I can’t reiterate this enough. It was because we have a group of individuals dedicated to protecting Colorado’s water resources that these detections were made.” On Aug. 28, the Aquatic Animal Health Lab suspected veligers, the microscopic larval stage of zebra mussels, were collected fr...
Evergreen High secures full-time school resource officer for added protection
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Evergreen High secures full-time school resource officer for added protection

By: Vicente Arenas | FOX31 Denver EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR) — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says a full-time school resource officer will be assigned to Evergreen High School when students return to that campus after a school shooting there. The Evergreen Parent-Teachers-Students Association had been hoping for a full-time officer. “I understand they may not be able to prevent a tragedy, but we need to have some deterrents in place. We need to have somebody that can act who is trained to act in order to minimize any sort of event like this. That’s really what we are looking for,” Evergreen PTSA President Cindy Mazeika said. When the shooting happened last week, there was a part-time SRO assigned to the school. But a Jefferson County Sheriff’s spokesperson said that t...
Deputies sound alarm over risks of ‘Senior Assassins’ student game
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Deputies sound alarm over risks of ‘Senior Assassins’ student game

By: Jacob Factor | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday issued a “public safety announcement” warning the community of the risks associated with a high school tradition after two “alarming” calls of students playing “Senior Assassin.” The game, in which high school students—typically seniors—hunt for at “shoot” each other with sometimes realistic-looking water or toy guns, has been the subject of many law enforcement warnings around the country and has even led to students being shot by police or injured while playing.Police across US issue warnings about ‘senior assassin’ game: What is it? The sheriff’s office, in a Facebook post and video, detailed the two incidents that happened earlier this month related to the game. “...
Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting
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Beau Jo’s Pizza steps up to aid Evergreen High after shooting

By: Nate Belt | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — Days after a shooting rocked Evergreen High School, the community is coming together to rally around the victims and students at the school. Beau Jo’s is already a popular spot for pizza, but guests over the last few days have shown up for a good cause as well, raising money for Jeffco Public Schools. Victim injured in Evergreen High School shooting identified Beau Jo’s employee Nataly Gutierrez loves Evergreen. “It’s a small mountain community, we’re all in this together,” said Gutierrez. An Evergreen High School graduate, she was devastated to hear the news of the shooting this week. “I live down in Golden and I came up here for a safer community, and it’s really sad that had to happen up here,” said Gutierrez. Not everyone ...
Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns
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Evergreen High School shooting victim identified as community mourns

By: Brooke Williams, Phil Rankin | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — One of the two victims hospitalized after the shooting at Evergreen High School has been identified. The family of 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone released a photo and statement through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday afternoon. “The family appreciates the community’s concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved one’s recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead,” the statement said. As of Friday morning, a spokesperson for St. Anthony Hospital said the victim at that hospital was still in critical condition. The other victim, who was transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado, is in serious condition, a step better than critical, a hospital...
Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator
Fox31, Approved, National

Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A 31-year-old man from Colorado pleaded guilty this month in Indiana to dozens of counts related to sextortion of at least 68 children through social media and sex trafficking of at least five of those children. Ryan Austin Lauless, 31, of Colorado, pleaded guilty on Sept. 4 to 21 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of noticing and advertising child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Prosecutors say that Lauless used social media apps between late 2019 and May 19, 2023, to coerce, sexually exploit and threaten at least 68 minor victims into producing thousands of sexua...
Denver explores plans for new Broncos stadium as city grows
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Denver explores plans for new Broncos stadium as city grows

By: Shaul Turner | FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — While the Broncos stadium proposal announced Tuesday will likely boost Denver’s chances of hosting a Super Bowl and other events, economic experts say the greater benefit will be a boost to Denver’s economy. Empower Field at Mile High stadium opened in 2001 at a cost of more than $400 million. The new multi-billion-dollar stadium will be located about a mile south of that location. Construction is expected to be completed by 2031. “It’s an area that was waiting to be redeveloped,” Dr. Andrew Goetz of the University of Denver told FOX31. The 58-acre abandoned railyard is slated to host a state-of-the-art football stadium with a retractable roof. The project is privately funded by the Walton-Penner ownership group. The city will create ...
$12K in tools stolen from Colorado contractor’s van: Reward offered
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$12K in tools stolen from Colorado contractor’s van: Reward offered

By Shaul Turner | Fox 31 WESTMINSTER, Colo. (KDVR) — Sewer analysis and repair tools valued at more than $12,000 were stolen from a business’s van right next to the busy intersection of Lowell Boulevard and 68th Street in Westminster. Security video obtained by FOX31 shows a man boldly unloading the tools from an Our Drain and Sewer Company van in an apartment parking lot. The case is still being investigated, but one employee is hoping someone will come forward with more information. Ron Patin tells FOX31 a maintenance worker notified him that someone had broken into the van just after 3 a.m. on July 28. “You can see the guy hopping out of the van, dropping our stuff on the ground, picking it up like it was no big deal,” he said. Patin says the thief took brand...