Animal Detraction
In June, a woman living in a suburban, 1,850-home community called the Pinery, near Parker, walked out on her back porch and discovered the remains of a large white-tailed deer that had been shot by poachers and had its antlers removed for a trophy.
Related Content
More About
Car salesmen at Sill-TerHar's Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Broomfield were surprised by an 800-pound moose that wandered into the dealership in September. "He started out at our service department, then ran all the way through, past every single new car, then pulled a U-turn and ran right at us. That's when we ran," one employee told the Rocky Mountain News. "He then ran through all the Aston Martins and Volvos."
A man who answered a knock at his door expecting to see friends instead was greeted by two cops, one of whom immediately shot the man's dog in the head. The police had gone to the home of Scott Schuett after a neighbor complained about loud music there. When Schuett opened the door, an officer felt threatened by Schuett's barking German shepherd, Jake, according to a police report, so he shot him.
Uriah M. Williams, who forced his way into his ex-girlfriend's home and puréed Blue, her pet Siamese fighting fish, in the kitchen disposal, was sentenced to two years' probation and a $500 fine. Williams was also told to stay away from his ex and not to own any pets.
Naked Truth
A sculpture of two naked women and a naked man was moved to a sculpture garden in Loveland's Benson Park in May. "Triangle" had sparked outrage when it was originally installed at a busy intersection in that town; complainers thought it was pornographic. But the artist, Kirsten Kokkin, says the sculpture is a metaphor for how people must rely on other people.
Looking to get buff in the buff, a handful of "body-positive" bicycling enthusiasts gathered in Denver in June for the World Naked Bike Ride, an international underground movement that aims to "stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions." After riding most of the pre-planned course, the cyclists, who ride with the motto "Less gas, more ass!," were stopped by police. Some were ticketed for indecent exposure.
Police in the town of Frederick arrested Catholic priest Robert Whipkey and charged him with indecent exposure after an off-duty cop spotted him jogging naked on a high-school track at 4:30 a.m. one June morning. "I'm a heavy man, and wearing clothing while running makes me sweat profusely," Whipkey allegedly told police. Whipkey, who was later placed on leave by the Archdiocese of Denver, pleaded not guilty on December 19.
In March, several Castle Rock Middle School students were accused of taking nude photos of classmates and forwarding them to other students on their cell phones. Castle Rock police said six girls may have been photographed as part of a dare.
In September, University of Colorado police responded to reports of two naked men running through the campus. They eventually arrested freshman Chandler Ross Wyatt, who was indeed naked, and accused him of trying to sexually assault a woman in a dorm until a group of male students subdued him. Police said Wyatt and a friend had taken LSD, then decided to get naked and run around.
Unnatural Disasters
Thirty-four freight cars were involved in a train accident in downtown Denver. No one was injured, but a tanker car carrying Coors beer spilled its load — sending shivers through beer drinkers across the nation.
Justin Parker, a 24-year-old college student who walked away after his car slid 300 feet down a steep embankment near Red Cliff, died shortly thereafter when he walked off another cliff about thirty yards away. Eagle County authorities determined that Parker had survived the initial crash, but couldn't figure out how he subsequently walked off the cliff.
According to an article in the medical journal Injury Prevention, forty people wearing Crocs or similar shoes reported getting their feet caught on escalators between May and August. The Colorado company that makes the garish clogs has maintained that Crocs are safe to wear.
A 49-year-old Boulder resident was beaten by two men in his apartment complex after getting into an argument with them over the details of the Holocaust. The men, former friends, had been eating pizza, drinking beer and watching TV when the argument started, according to police. The victim was treated for facial injuries, and the perpetrators were arrested.
Talk about mixed messages: Lightning struck the iconic, 22-foot-tall Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, shearing off both arms. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, which oversees the shrine, estimated that repairs would cost about $200,000.
The information above was culled from reports in Westword, along with other local and national news outlets.
