Crime
Colorado man who trafficked boys from California for sex sentenced to 50 years
AURORA, Colo. – A Colorado man convicted in March of bringing boys from California to Aurora so that he could have sex with them will spend 50 years in prison.
Sean Crumpler, 50, received the sentence Monday in 18th Judicial District Court in Colorado. He pleaded guilty in early March to three counts of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, though he originally faces 11 felonies and a sentence enhancer when he was first arrested.
Crumpler, who is HIV-positive, was arrested in August 2015 after one of the boys he trafficked talked to a family member, who alerted authorities in California. The FBI got involved in the investigation, which led to Crumpler and his home in Aurora.
According to prosecutors, Crumpler between 10 and 15 other men and boys all lived together in the home. Crumpler would pay all the bills and buy food to feed everyone who lived there, and would also supply them with marijuana, alcohol and other items in exchange for sex.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office says two of the men involved in trafficking the boys had themselves been victims of Crumpler’s earlier in their lives. Both have already been sentenced to six years of probation after they pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
But one of the accomplices estimated that between 150 and 175 boys had been victimized over a two-year period, according to the DA’s Office.
The judge in the case said Crumpler deserved “very serious punishment” and agreed with Deputy District Attorney Cara Morlan, who asked for the 50-year sentence.
“The defendant has tried to make this a case about an alternative lifestyle,“ Morlan said. “This sentence serves as a notice to all offenders — wealthy or poor, gay or straight, male or female — it does not matter. If you target children, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Colorado Department of Human Services offered a reminder in the face of the sentencing that anybody with tips on child abuse or child trafficking can call tips in to 1-844-CO-4-KIDS. Those interested in learning more can tap here for additional information.
Fetus left in Denver dumpster was possibly stillborn; no current charges for mom
DENVER – Complications relating to prematurity likely contributed to the death of a fetus found left in a dumpster on East 11th Avenue in March, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner determined in the fetus’ autopsy.
But the medical examiners who performed the autopsy said they could not definitively determine the fetus’ manner of death because they had no placenta from the birth, nor could they exclude accidental or non-accidental asphyxiation in its death.
The fetus was a female that was estimated as having gestated for approximately 30-32 weeks, according to the medical examiner’s office. A typical human pregnancy involves a 40-week gestation period.
The fetus’ mother is “possibly developmentally delayed,” the medical examiner wrote, citing the police investigation, and was “reportedly unaware that she was pregnant.” She had a history of neurofibromatosis, according to the report.
The report says that the woman “passed a ‘sac’” into the toilet, then gave birth to the fetus shortly afterward in her bedroom.
The woman gave conflicting statements about if the fetus was stillborn, according to the report, initially saying it wiggled before becoming unresponsive, then said that the fetus was “born still” and “was not moving and made no noise.”
She washed the fetus, wrapped it in a towel, and cradled it for a while, according to the report. She then placed the fetus into a cardboard box, along with a stuffed animal and handwritten card, then put the box in the dumpster. A third party was with the woman at the time, according to the autopsy report.
The fetus went undiscovered until two nights later, when someone discovered the box.
It’s unclear if the mother will face charges in the case, as the medical examiner wasn’t able to determine if the fetus was born still or was alive for any time after its birth. The baby is referred to as a “fetus/infant” in the autopsy report.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office said it was reviewing the autopsy report, but has not filed charges against the mother at this time.
Colorado has a law called the Safe Haven law, which allows parents to hand over newborns to hospital or fire station workers with no questions asked.
State lawmakers have also tried multiple times in the past to make the death of a fetus a homicide, but the measures have failed each time.
2 juveniles charged with first-degree murder in Fort Morgan double homicide
FORT MORGAN, Colo. – Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of two people who had been reported missing and were found dead in April.
The Fort Morgan Sheriff’s Office says the two teenagers were arrested around 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of S. West Street.
Their identities are not being released because they are juveniles, the sheriff’s office said. Both are being held without bond pending their first advisement in Morgan County District Court Friday.
The two face charges in the alleged killings of Santos Macias and Destiny McMinn. The two were reported missing earlier this year.
Macis’ body was found on April 17 in the 19000 block of Highway 34, and McMinn’s body was found a week later in the 9000 block of Road Q in Fort Morgan.
The sheriff’s office says it is working with several local agencies, and that the teams have interviewed “dozens” of people in regards to the case and served several search warrants.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation is active and ongoing.
Drake Middle School teacher dies day after being reported for possible relationship with student
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – A Drake Middle School teacher died Tuesday – one day after it was reported the teacher was having a possible relationship with a Jeffco Public Schools student.
The school district and Arvada Police Department, which is handling the case, are tight-lipped so far, but the teacher was identified as Gretchen Krohnfeldt by the Arvada Police Department.
Arvada police said a school resource officer was first made aware of the possible relationship, and was told at the time it was between a male student and a female staffer.
The police department says the alleged relationship started while the student was in middle school at Drake, though he is now in high school in Arvada.
Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Diana Wilson said Krohnfeldt was “immediately placed on administrative leave” on Monday, when a school staff member reported the possible relationship.
She did not specify the nature of the teacher’s death, nor if it was related to the possible relationship.
“We will continue to investigate this matter and coordinate our efforts with law enforcement. This investigation is in its infancy and the known facts are very limited,” Wilson said in a statement. “Our main focus is supporting our staff and students that have been deeply impacted by this tragedy.”
The police department says it and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are working jointly on the investigation.
Boulder investigators to search out-of-state landfill for evidence in Ashley Mead murder
BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department will search a landfill outside of Colorado for further evidence relating to the murder of Ashley Mead.
Mead went missing, along with her 1-year-old child, in February. Parts of her dismembered body were discovered in a dumpster in Okmulgee, Okla. days after they were reported missing.
Mead’s daughter was found safe with Mead’s boyfriend and the father of the child, Adam Densmore, who has since been charged with first-degree murder and tampering in Mead’s death.
He is accused of taking Mead and their young daughter from their home in Boulder and killing Mead sometime thereafter. He allegedly dismembered her body, put parts in suitcases and scattered them across the country as he made his way to Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The Boulder Police Department said it could not discuss specifics of the planned out-of-state search because it has to protect the investigation’s integrity.
Investigators have been looking for more clues relating to Mead’s disappearance, including purple luggage that may contain some of her body parts. Anyone with information is asked to call Boulder police at 303-441-1974 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Bennet, other Dems ‘very concerned’ about administration’s stances on opioids, marijuana
DENVER – U.S. Sen Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and five other Senate Democrats sent a letter this week to the acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy saying they are concerned about the administration’s “open hostility” to states with legal marijuana and possible budget cuts that they say could exacerbate the opioid crisis.
The letter was signed by six Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and sent to Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Director Richard Baum on Monday.
Baum had previously asked the committee for input on the administration’s new drug control policy, and Monday’s letter was the Democrats’ response.
“We appreciate any sincere efforts to combat substance use disorders. We are concerned that this administration may revert to a policy that focuses on the criminal justice system over public health efforts,” the letter reads.
The senators say proposed 95 percent budget cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the repeal of several Obama-era policies aimed at responding to the opioid epidemic and other illicit drug use would have far-reaching negative effects on addressing drug abuse.
“A meaningful effort to combat substance use disorders must focus on the full implementation of [the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act], adequate funding for [the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration], and improving the Affordable Care Act by expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder services and health insurance,” the letter says.
The senators called the Republican replacement for Obamacare, the American Health Care Act, a “major step backwards in the prevention and treatment of drug addiction.”
“We are very concerned that this administration will exacerbate the opioid epidemic rather than alleviate it,” the letter said.
But the senators said they were also worried about the administration’s stance on how it might enforce federal laws regarding legal marijuana.
“We are also concerned by the administration’s open hostility to state policies legalizing or decriminalizing the possession and use of medical or recreational marijuana,” the senators wrote.
They suggested that the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency target deadly drugs instead of focusing any efforts on legal marijuana, which has never itself killed anyone.
“Particularly given the severity of the ongoing opioid use epidemic, federal resources should be targeted at providing comprehensive substance use disorder programs and cutting off the flow of deadly drugs rather than interfering with state regulatory regimes for marijuana,” the letter said.
The administration and Jeff Sessions-led Justice Department are still reviewing their policies.
Boulder Valley school board fires Superintendent Bruce Messinger amid investigation
BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Valley School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to fire Superintendent Bruce Messinger a little more than a month after he was placed on paid leave amid an internal investigation.
As was the case two weeks ago at the board’s meeting, teachers and parents filled the room, pleading with the board to reinstate Messinger and calling for more transparency in the process.
The district’s board said after firing Messinger that his contract would be terminated effective immediately, and that he will receive severance payments.
“The Board is committed to the mission, vision and goals of the Boulder Valley School District and to continuing and strengthening its collaborative relationships with our employees and our community,” School Board President Sam Fuqua said.
After more than a month, it’s still unclear exactly what prompted the district’s investigation or what led to Messinger’s firing. When he was put on leave at the end of March, the district said that the leave was “pending the outcome of an investigation of a personnel matter.”
But before announcing Tuesday that Messinger had been fired, the board’s president told people at the meeting to “respect the confidential nature of the investigation,” according to the Boulder Daily Camera.
Tina Mueh, the president of the Boulder Valley Education Association, said at the meeting two weeks ago that she and her fellow union members wanted to know what the investigation entailed, and expressed displeasure at the district’s decision to put Messinger on leave during spring break.
“The Board feels comfortable that it has acted fairly and in accordance with District policies,” Fuqua’s Tuesday statement continued. “And, while we cannot share the results of this investigation and acknowledge that this may be frustrating to some of you, we ask that you respect the confidential nature of process now and in the future, and we appreciate your continued confidence.”
Messinger took over as superintendent of the district on July 1, 2011 after 14 years as superintendent of the school district in Helena, Montana. Prior to that, he worked in Weld County School District 6 for 11 years.
Acting Superintendent Joe Sleeper will remain in that role until the board finds a long-term superintendent, who will hold the seat during a national search for a permanent superintendent.
In response to Firestone explosion, bill filed to map and track oil and gas facilities in Colorado
DENVER – Two Colorado Democrats on Friday filed a bill aimed at bringing more transparency and state oversight to the oil and gas industry, in light of a recent deadly home explosion caused by an abandoned, uncapped well.
The push comes toward the end of Colorado’s legislative session, which is set to end next Wednesday.
Gov. John Hickenlooper called for more oversight over the industry in a news conference Wednesday, saying the location of the 54,000 Colorado oil and gas wells and lines “should be a matter of public record.” Continue reading
After slew of anti-Muslim incidents, Council on American-Islamic Relations opening Colorado chapter
DENVER – The Council on American-Islamic Relations will open a new chapter in Colorado as it expands its operation nationwide to include more local chapters.
The Colorado chapter is one of three new ones the organization is opening, bringing its total number of regional office to 30. CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S.
CAIR says its new Colorado chapter will work on civil rights cases, increase community participation within the Muslim community, and build relationships with lawmakers and law enforcement on civil rights.
The chapter will open amid a slew of possible hate crimes against Muslims in Colorado over the past few months.
In January, the FBI joined an investigation into signs left at an Aurora immigrant and refugee center that threatened to “blow up” refugees.
Also in January, a self-proclaimed radicalized Muslim shot and killed a security officer working as an RTD guard at Union Station, though officials have not linked that shooting to being a hate crime.
In early January, an 83-year-old Longmont man was pressured by neighbors and the city to take a sign down that read, “Muslim’s kill Muslim’s [sic] if they don’t agree. Where does that leave you, ‘infidel.’”
On Feb. 7, the FBI was also called in to help El Paso County Sheriff’s Office investigators work to find out whether or not an Indian family in Peyton, Colo. was the victim of a hate crime. Their home was vandalized with eggs, dog feces, bath tissue, and papers scrawled with messages regarding their racial and ethnic background.
In March, CAIR called for a federal and state investigation into a man who was eventually arrested for vandalizing the Islamic Center of Fort Collins, destroying windows with rocks and throwing a Bible through glass doors.
And a lawsuit was filed last month accused three guards at the Sterling Correctional Facility of deliberately letting off a pepper spray bomb into a room a group of Muslims were about to pray in.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified 16 “hate groups” in Colorado that were operating in 2015, including several anti-Muslim and neo-Nazi groups. More on those groups can be found here.
“The addition of these new chapters reflects the tremendous support CAIR is receiving from the American Muslim community and from the larger society in the post-election period, and demonstrates the necessity to challenge growing bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority communities,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
It’s unclear at this time exactly where Colorado’s chapter will be based. Requests for clarification have been made to CAIR-Colorado chapter members.
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Project Unsolved: Decades later, search continues for suspect in CU student Sid Wells’ 1983 murder
One of the most high-profile murders in Colorado’s history remains unsolved after nearly 34 years, but police and prosecutors know who their suspect is and have an active warrant for his arrest.
The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika – or called him by that name, at least – since 1986. Continue reading