Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — A jury trial has been set for a 46-year-old woman who allegedly harassed Jane Bennett, who is the wife of Steamboat Springs City Council President Kevin Bennett.

On Wednesday, Routt County Judge James Garrecht set a jury trial for Kay Sieverding, who has been charged with harassment. The trial is scheduled for 8 a.m. April 12.

Sieverding was charged with the class three misdemeanor because of an incident that allegedly took place Aug. 29.

Attorney Sandra Gardner, who is representing Sieverding, has said her client is innocent of the charge.

After the August incident, Bennett sought a restraining order against Sieverding that Garrecht granted in September.

Sieverding was ordered by Garrecht not to come within 10 yards of Bennett or to go onto her neighbor's property in the 700 block of Princeton Avenue.

During the September hearing, Bennett testified that on Aug. 29, she was driving back from shopping when she heard a car honking its horn. She said she looked in the rear-view mirror to see Sieverding and her son following closely in their car. Bennett testified she drove straight to her home to avoid contact with her neighbor.

Sieverding allegedly got out of her car and started yelling at Bennett.

Witnesses said Sieverding allegedly stood in the street in front of the Bennett home and "screamed at the top of her lungs" that the Bennetts were violating her constitutional rights and breaking the law.

Sieverding, who acted as her own attorney at the September hearing, called two Steamboat Springs officers to the stand who testified they had not seen Sieverding act in a violent or threatening manner.

For years, the two families have not been on the best of terms. The dispute became heated last summer because of Sieverding's claim that a garage addition and the remodeling of a small log cabin on the Bennett property violated city regulations. The city's planning department has responded to Sieverding's claim and notified her that the Bennetts' construction is in compliance with the city's code. Prior to the summer squabble, the two families signed a mediated agreement that cost the city $4,000. A mediator worked with the two families in hopes of restoring peace to the neighborhood.