Jailer under investigation
Incident with teen girl in Larimer County leads to suspension
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Steamboat Springs — A Routt County Sheriff's Office jailer has been placed on leave following an incident involving the jailer and a teenage girl in Larimer County.
Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden said a man in his mid-20s, who was wearing a black polo T-shirt with "Sheriff" and a badge embroidered on it, approached an 18-year-old woman around 12:30 a.m. at a convenience store in Larimer County asking her for directions to "Club Opulence" and several personal questions such as where the girl went to school and if she had a boyfriend. The man also asked the girl to get in his car, he said.
After the girl refused to get in the man's truck, a gray four-door Dodge pickup, the man reportedly circled the gas pumps twice, watching her, he said.
At the time, police thought the man could have been a police imposter, he said.
The incident was a lead story on several Denver-area newscasts Monday night.
The man, later identified as a newly hired Routt County Sheriff's Office detention deputy, called the Larimer County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday after seeing a composite sketch of himself during media coverage of the incident, Alderden said.
The man's name is not being released by either agency.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is not pursuing criminal charges, Alderden said. But Routt County Sheriff Invest-igator Ken Klinger said the office is conducting an internal affairs investigation.
"Clearly his actions alarmed the young woman enough to call us about the incident," Alderden said Tuesday. "We're very sensitive in Larimer County to these types of cases. At this point, we just want to clear up what he was doing - it might just be an incident of questionable judgment."
Klinger said he has never handled such an incident during his 13-year employment at the Sheriff's Office.
"This is really unfortunate. It's something we're very concerned about," he said. "We've never had anything like this happen at the agency before."
Klinger said the investigation could result in the man facing disciplinary action or termination. "That will all be up to the sheriff," he said.
All Sheriff Gary Wall could offer Tuesday was "we're looking into it."
Klinger said the deputy was a new hire who has been at the Sheriff's Office for less than six months.
The deputy was in a private vehicle at the time of the incident, Klinger said. Klinger said he didn't "have a clue" why the man was in Larimer County.
- To reach Alexis DeLaCruz, call 871-4234
or e-mail adelacruz@steamboatpilot.com
Comments
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
ID- this particular incident has the Deputy basically doing a stalking job on the 18yr old girl. Forgive me if I'm remembering incorrect, but didn't the minor that was involved consent, as far as that goes being a minor? The 18yr old sounded like she clearly wanted nothing to do with this new-hire. I'm not justifying that prior act; I'm only trying to show the difference in cause.
dundalk 5 years, 9 months ago
Hello! This is what might occur when one does not heed the warning signs in a background check and psyche exam.
This couldn't possibly be the "change" that Wall rambled about during his campaigning.
Maybe this little squirrel can be the deputy that mans the wenches, oops, I mean winches, which Wall wants to institute. From the looks of this guy's truck (which can be seen on news footage) he either suffers from a napolean complex or has some shortcomings elsewhere.
Lazy_H 5 years, 9 months ago
At this point, we should let the investigators pursue the matter and we should not make assumptions based on the size of a persons truck. I am very confident that Klinger will get it sorted out and the appropriate action, if any, will be taken.
thalgard 5 years, 9 months ago
Oh dumbsqualk, still trying to get her husbands job back...Dwight is still hiring on his Iraqi torture farm!
bcpow 5 years, 9 months ago
And didn't something like this happen under Warner? Oh wait...there was actually some inappropriate contact with a minor. Were you babbling during that one NUMBERS?
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
bcpow,
Thanks for reminding us.
Dundalk,
The girl was 18. The man looked at her. Since when is looking at a girl a crime? Maybe she was dressed inappropriately, in which case she'd be an accessory to the crime of looking at a girl, wouldn't she?
If the truth be known, I'd bet that every current and former RCSO and SSPD officer has looked lustfully at inappropriately dressed teenage girls when their wives were not looking. Lets post sketches of all those guys, too.
This man did not try to deceive anybody, did not try to conceal his identity, made himself prominently visible in a public place, and just had the bad luck to pick on the wrong girl who just happened to be over the age of consent anyway. Did he offer her drugs or booze to entice her? No, he thought that being a cop was enough. I guess sometimes it is, huh?
Let's not forget that he also turned himself in when he heard about it. Some serial killer on the loose? No, not at all; a deputy with a background check, fingerprints on file, etc. Yes!
And OH MY GOD! He LOOKED at an attractive ADULT girl and tried to pick her up.
Let's make the "copulatory gaze" a crime too. That's where women look at men with lust in their eyes. I could give you a bunch of sketches of women who've done that to me in Steamboat. Might even be some that you know. It's happened to me in the Routt County Courthouse, and the hospital, and various restaurants around town. I'm just SICK of it!
Okay, this man has not hurt anybody, and he did the right thing by coming forward. He probably won't try a similar tactic again. Being a bit emotionally underdeveloped, or eccentric, and not having a girlfriend is not a crime. I've seen young men make comments about my 20 year old stepdaughter while she was walking with me and her mother.
Scrapiron 5 years, 9 months ago
Gimme a break! You cretins will stop at NOTHING to give Gary Wall a bad time! Anyone with half a brain knows that the media will tend to sensationalize ANYthing that has a touch of contoversy about it. This is AMERICA, folks, DIRT SELLS! Let the law do its job, sort this mess out and then judge from that point. It must be really be hard to empanel a jury in Routt County knowing there are such intellectually challenged folks out there. You know who you are; shut up and do something constructive for cripe sake!
kingsride 5 years, 9 months ago
Excuse me, but this has nothing do to with Gary Wall. Could and has happened to other Sheriffs here. The real issue is the fact that this Jail Deputy was in Ft. Collins dressed up as a police officer when he wasnt. To display a uniform as a jail deputy out of town when not acting in official capacity shows some flaws in this individual. The book on Gary Wall in this incident is still open. Lets wait and see how he handles it.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
Kingsride- Hey, it's not like this is the first time this type of thing has happened. Remember just a couple of months ago with a certain Undersheriff took his County vehicle to Vernal? Now, we have a Deputy wearing his "colors" in Ft. Collins. Maybe he was there to pick up more desks. Maybe Wall has told his Deputies to wear as close to a uniform off-duty as possible to "make a pressense." Plus, we all know those shirts with embroidered badges are real chick-magnets! TAG body spray has nothing on a Sheriff's Office Polo!!!
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
Kielbasa,
Your point is reasonable. My point is that driving by someone in a public place and then leaving them alone and not attempting to contact them again is no worse than getting caught rewinding the cake scene in "Under Siege" by your wife. Don't ask me how I know . . .
If this deputy made further attempts to see the woman, or used his super deputy skills to get her name and address from her vehicle registration records, then that would be bad. That would be stalking.
There are plenty of legitimate reasons for driving past the pumps more than once, including looking for a way out of the lot so you can catch the traffic light to avoid having to turn left across a four lane road. Without an objective witness (or a security camera tape) to show what happened, it's her word against his.
Dundalk is looking for a reason to complain about Gary Wall. Apparently, everyone but her husband and Ray Birch are psychos. Right. And this can't be Colorado; Colorado is purple on my map.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
True- Dundalk has personal issues with Wall and I have my issues with him, also. I don't believe this is his fault, per se, but it's more bad ju-ju on his first year tenure.
The stalking part relates to his questioning sequence as reported. Asking if she had a boyfriend? There was no reason to pursue this line of questioning while dressed in a manner to show he was an officer of the law...just out of his jurisdiction. Considering she called the police and this person was then identified as a Routt County officer flying "colors" outside of jurisdiction, along with Klinger's statement saying he didn't know why that Deputy was in Ft. Collins...I'm pretty sure a "He said vs She said" might not exactly play in his favor. I could be wrong, though.
As for Erika Eleniak...I remember that scene well! I actually watch "Charmed" in the mornings before work (with my wife there) and notice certain moments where the cheese'cake' is evident. It's also a great show, but it has...ummmm...moments!
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
Kielbasa,
I see local cops and FD personnel running around in T-shirts all the time. I have seen guys with sheriff T-shirts sitting next to other obvious LE types wearing a Sponge Bob "Bikini Bottom PD" T-shirt.
Somebody probably told this poor kid that chicks like cops, and he wore the shirt to make up for other physical or personality shortcomings. Could be that wearing the shirt out of jurisdiction is a no-no (was he carrying his concealed carry weapon also?) and if so, uh oh.
I guess I'm going on the fact that I see all kinds of T-shirts for all kinds of organizations (Zildjian Cymbals is my favorite; got a bunch of $$ tied up in some nice Zildjians) worn by all kinds of people, and it's usually not a big deal. Maybe this one is.
My 16 year-old, 5' 8-1/2", 140 pound step son came in last weekend wearing a "RANGER" T-shirt he was given by an Army recruiter at a baseball game. I did not mistake him for a Ranger. Neither would anyone else. Does that make it wrong?
Larimer County = Fort Collins = CSU = target rich environment for those seeking the company of college girls. I think our deputy friend may have just run across one of them with some baggage, and wishes he'd stayed home and watched Charmed instead.
corduroy 5 years, 9 months ago
from the article it doesn't seem to me like he really did anything wrong here. He never told her flat out he was a sherriff employee or tried to use that to coerce her did he? It doesn't say here that is what took place. From what I read, he hit on her, she turned him down, end of story. She decided to report it for some reason so now because of his position/job, he's under attack.
Or if he was acting differently, its hard to say since we can't ever get all the facts, or know for sure that they are correct. It's hard to believe everything I read from the Pilot after many people saying they were mis-quoted or that information was just wrong. period.
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
The Pilot usually gets your age right. After my wife was injured in an incident that made the news, she finally called them and asked them to PLEASE stop printing her age every time they printed her name.
Hadleyburg_Press 5 years, 9 months ago
The only issue I have with this story is whether he "told" her to get in the truck ( command) or did he "ask" her to get in the truck (horny request). We will probably never know. He said / she said.
I would fall on the side of innocent until proven guilty.
In my opinion, there may be nothing worse in this life than being falsely accused of a crime.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
Did he do anything wrong or against the law in particular? No. Did he do something extremely suspicious and creepy? Definitely. If this was your 18yr old daughter, would you have been scared for her if she had told you this happened after coming home? Damn skippy!
dundalk 5 years, 9 months ago
Id:
I have yet to assert that little nut boy broke the law, or even did anything illegal.
But, if I were an 18 year old girl, and some weirdo approached me and made me feel uncomfortable, I would hold quite a load apprehension as to how and who hired this little fellow to carry a gun and babysit felons in the jail.
But hey, that's just me.
dundalk 5 years, 9 months ago
"All Sheriff Gary Wall could offer Tuesday was "we're looking into it."
This should become Wall's mantra, as it appears that this is the only soliloquy he utters when put on the well-deserved hot plate.
When will you (Wall) get POST certified: "we're looking into it";
How about winches for the squad cars: "we're looking into it";
Why did you (Wall) dismiss high ranking, well seasoned deputies and replace them with newer, and now questionable behavioral creepies, who get paid less? "We're looking into it".
What happened to the budget when you (Wall) axed the elder watch program, and shut down GRAMNET? "We're looking into it.";
What happened in regards to the "fight" in the jail, where deputies watched and did not intervene immeadiately? "We're looking into it."
Yada, yada, yada!
another_local 5 years, 9 months ago
NUMB3RS, I am impressed by your ability to make any story involving a deputy or the dept into an excuse to attack Wall. It really demonstrates a creative ability that could be constructively applied to something... somewhere.
What do you expect Wall to do? Hang the guy or ignore the situation? "We're looking into it" seems appropriate until real information is available.
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
Dundalk,
We know your history and understand your feelings about things like this, but calling somebody a pscyho and claiming that he failed his eval puts you in the position of delivering a diagnosis in a public forum and could be considered libelous. How about them apples?
We were not there and do not know what really happened. We don't know if this young woman has issues that caused her to over react, or not. The fact is that sometimes, strangers meet in a public place and end up married with kids and a family burial plot. I've had recent contact with young men and women in their late teens and early twenties, and the dating/mating game often includes going out to see and be seen for the purpose of meeting members of the opposite sex.
This incident occurred at 12:30 AM (that's midnight + 30 minutes) in a county full of college kids. College kids stay out late and party. So what's an 18 year old girl doing out at a convenience store at 0030? Emergency stop for Slim Jims, perhaps? Just passing through on her way to visit her ailing grandmother in Salt Lake City?
A young man asking a young woman for directions to a club, her relationship status, etc., at 1230 am may be clumsy, but it's not a crime.
I understand that several of Ted Bundy's victims went with him willingly because he was such a charming fellow, which sadly proves that the direct approach often works. In this case, our boy obviously picked on the wrong girl, but his approach could have worked out just fine with some other woman. You never know where love at first sight may strike.
What this guy really needs to do is put on his cop shirt and go hang around the emergency room where some pretty nurses are working the graveyard shift. We all know that nurses and cops hook up a lot, right? Does that make them crazy?
CoJustice 5 years, 9 months ago
I am kind of feeling bad for this guy. Its not uncommon to use the "cop card" to impress and pick-up girls. Sounds like he may not be very good at it, (but honest) and picked a possible drama queen.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
It's not uncommon to use the "cop card" to pick up girls?? I must know too many old school officers. All the cops I know, including my brother, don't actually advertise that they're cops when off duty.
dundalk 5 years, 9 months ago
Amen Kielbasa.
Id: Of all the police officers I know here, as well as other parts of the country, most don't go around with an advertisement on their chest and empty head. It's not uncommon for cops to lay low given the fact there are many criminals who would love to take a shot at a cop.
As a woman, it is my opinion that if some guy tried to use a pick up line of dressing in an advertisement shirt and cap, just to ask for directions, then circle the parking lot staring at me, I would probably think the guy is a loon.
Id, I presume you are not a woman, thus you might not be able to play the role of a woman in today's dating nightmares. If this girl was 18 or 35 is really of no matter. She felt that something was off about this guy, and she acted in a manner of defense. When someone makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, it's time to vacate and escape. I would have done the same thing.
Can one imagine the self-esteem issues this jailer has, in that the only way he thinks he can get a date is to dress up and pretend?
Another Local: Why would Numbers need to turn any story into a Gary Wall issue? There is an old saying, "give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves". I'd say this is an appropriate statement when Wall buries himself in the paper with the all too frequent comment of "we're looking into it."
But hey, that's just me.
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
Littletonkelly;
You must be the "victim."
Your experience must have been frightening, because this guy could have been a serial killer. Turns out he wasn't. Hopefully he'll take time to get a Google map next time he's looking for a club; as if they'd have let him in wearing a sheriff's badge.
Hmmmm . . . I'm wondering . . . were you holding drugs? Did you think you were about to be busted? Just curious.
littletonkelly 5 years, 9 months ago
WOW! YOU ALL NEED TO GET A LIFE!!! JUST TO READ ALL YOU "ADULTS" MAKING COMMENTS LIKE YOU ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL--THE STUPIDEST COMMENTS I HAVE EVER HEARD--IS AMAZING!! TRY SPENDING YOUR TIME DOING SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE IN NEED INSTEAD OF WASTING YOUR TIME POSTING GARBAGE HERE, AND YOU WILL BE WORTH SOMETHING TO THIS WORLD! THE NEXT TIME I THINK ABOUT READING UP ON THE LITTLE TOWN I USED TO LOVE, I'LL REMEMBER NOT TO READ THE JUNK YOU ALL, WHO ARE TOO CHICKEN TO USE YOUR REAL NAMES, WRITE IN HERE! TRY BEING THE BIGGER PERSON AND DO SOMETHING NICE OR SUPPORTIVE FOR THE PERSON YOU ARE TRASHING IN HERE AND YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT HOW GOOD IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL!!!
whyquestion 5 years, 9 months ago
will the sheriffs minions rationalize away this situation,like the drugs and alcahol in south routt????????if one smokes WEED does one become complacent about BAD situations???? please read the story again???? and check with channel 2 news that carried the story?????? does anyone know someone in the LAIRMER county sheriffs dept ???? appears to be to many LOOK IN TO ITs with no answer provided by WALL?????how about the problem up 129 did someone die??????? wonder if the PILOT can get the tape of that 911 call from dispatch and find out what happened????
innovated 5 years, 9 months ago
Whyquestion: get a life. It's nauseating to always drag our Sheriff through all your negative comments. It's apparent you are sour grapes that your significant other is still disgruntled being fired. It was his own doing and the general consensus of others opinions that he was let go. Move past the anger...it'll make an old woman out of you.
whyquestion 5 years, 9 months ago
innovated :WRONG
CoJustice 5 years, 9 months ago
Innovated: Please remember that Gary Wall made a living at being a professional witness AGAINST law enforcement officers, State, County and City. When you're the one that investigates your friends, neighbors and co-workers to make a buck, no one is safe at the hands of Gary Wall. He does need to be questioned regarding his policies, funding and handling of personnel and citizen affairs. This is the standard that Gary set, not the community.
innovated 5 years, 9 months ago
CoJustice: You have rational concerns. That was Gary's job then, he has a different format now. I trust what I hear, right from the department. The deputies operate in a comfortable environment and have adjusted well. They respect David Bustos and no longer live in fear with their jobs. They got rid of one particular baggage that no one particularly trusted with his forked tongue and his little pencil. Gary Wall was handed a lot of things he needs time to fix. I get particularly annoyed with the continual bashing, the ad nauseam spewed from Whyquestion, Dundalk, JQPublic (who we don't hear from anymore because she accidentally slithered out of the closet) and others that base their venom on rumor, not fact. I shouldn't react to it...I should see it as a desperate cry for attention...remembering negative attention is better than no attention. Can we not all keep our finger on the pulse of Routt County and watch the progress, not the absurd disgruntled comments from a$$holes that didn't get their choice of candidates as our leaders.
fish 5 years, 9 months ago
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Makes you wonder if that is the case with dundalk.
Matthew Stoddard 5 years, 9 months ago
ID- This, I would be interested in seeing. Are you willing to bet Wall does nothing more in your particular instance than anyone else?
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
I have been trying for a very LONG time to put some pieces together and figure out why certain behaviors have gone unpunished in Routt County. It's becoming clear that a certain political party affiliation ties the pieces together. I won't make this a "democratic" or "republican" conspiracy because I don't believe that either national party would condone the things that have happened.
It turns out that certain state employees are barred from partisan office. I don't find a prohibition against spouses engaging in partisan activity, however.
The fact that Gary Wall made a living testifying against sworn officers is absolutely heartwarming to me. For one thing, would there be anything to investigate if there was no wrongdoing? Would Wall have stayed employed if he had never turned anything up?
It's a sure bet that money from national political organizations has flowed around in Routt County, and a verifiable fact that close associates of high-ups in that organization have had a hand in my personal problems with the local justice system.
Gary Wall is not encumbered by the same set of associations. I think it's time to contact him and get on the waiting list for the undoing of some prior injustices.
So, does anybody know how much, if any, money from the national organizations went into the last sheriff's election? Both parties, please. That would be very enlightening.
Stay tuned for more.
id04sp 5 years, 9 months ago
Kielbasa,
I guess we'll see.
I'll only say that the sheriff who could have done something about it before now ran under the same party affiliation as all of the other people who touched my case. Only one attorney's affiliation is still unknown, but he was appointed to a state commission by a member of the same party. Sure looks to me like some political favors could have been going on at my expense.
I'll only say again that Gary Wall does not depend on the same organization for election funding. Fair enough?
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