Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Mae Kuroki possible homicide victim, son David Kuroki hospitalized with self-inflicted injuries

Only a few hours after Jeremy Wilson was killed near the intersection of 26th and Bryant, another possible homicide victim was discovered on the 8600 block of East Dry Creek Road in Arapahoe County. The woman who died has just been identified as Mae Kuroki, age 81. And the person who's been taken ... More >>

Suicidal man shuts down C-470 at I-25 during Monday morning rush

When most of us are stuck in a traffic jam -- particularly during a Monday morning commute after a snowfall that left potentially icy pavement in its wake -- we tend to think about the inconvenience to us before we think about the story behind the stoppage. But this morning's shutdown of C-470 at I ... More >>

Grindr, Manhunt, Blendr: Police say predators are using apps to lure kids into sex

"Strangers are using smartphone apps with GPS to track down children and have sex with them." That's the word from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, which want to warn parents about the dangers of smartphone apps such Grindr and Blendr, which allo ... More >>

Videos: Gallon Smashers prank pisses off grocery stores -- "F#ck the Harlem Shake"

Harlem Shake videos went from funny to irritating in record time -- which is why the clip of the Minnesota Timberwolves mascot taking a bat to a Harlem Shaking Lebron James stand-in rings so true. But a new trend has already popped up to replace them: Gallon Smashers, in which pranksters "accidental ... More >>

Marijuana: Andrew Walton busted in free-pot delivery scheme

Last month, we reported about the proliferation of free-marijuana giveaways on Craigslist, with respondents getting weed at no charge if they offered a donation or bought something else. Participants insisted that such offers were authorized under Amendment 64, which allows Colorado adults 21 and o ... More >>

Marijuana: Amendment 64 blasted by Douglas County sheriff, Mason Tvert responds

The powers-that-be in Douglas County really, really oppose Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act. Yesterday, the Dougco commissioners passed a strongly worded resolution against the measure, while Sheriff David Weaver launched a salvo that paints a world in which Amendment 64 is law ... More >>

Photos: Chris "Birdman" Andersen cut by Nuggets, child-porn investigation a factor?

Update: The Denver Nuggets have reportedly cut Chris "Birdman" Andersen and signed free agent Anthony Randolph, most recently of the Minnesota Timberwolves, to fill his slot on the roster. Andersen was once among the most popular Nuggets. However, that was before he was embroiled in what was initia ... More >>

Photos: Twenty faces of accused child-porn fans

Yesterday, we told you about Jesse Evans, an alleged child pornographer -- and unfortunately, he's got plenty of apparent peers. The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children website assembles photos and descriptions of accused creepazoids from across the state -- most of them white men, with only a ... More >>

Aimee Whitchurch denies false reporting about "Kill the Gay" graffiti

Hate crime, attention-getting fraud or something else entirely? That's the question surrounding the Douglas County Sheriff's Office decision to charge partners Aimee Whitchurch and Christel Conklin with painting "Kill the Gay" on their residence and then reporting it to authorities as a potential a ... More >>

Chris "Birdman" Andersen lawyer alleges blackmail re: child-porn case

Update: After news broke yesterday that Chris "Birdman" Andersen's Larkspur home had been searched in relation to a child-porn investigation, we've heard from authorities, but not from representatives of the inquiry's target. Now, however, Andersen's attorney has stepped forward, asserting that his ... More >>

Deborah Sherman: Ex-9News reporter working with Dougco sheriff's office

Deborah Sherman, the former 9News reporter whose departure from the station this past November powered up the rumor mill, has resurfaced as a spokesperson for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. And what timing! Sherman says she started a part-time media consulting and media relations job there two ... More >>

Eight-year-old abducted from Castle Pine Safeway? Don't worry -- it was only a test

Yesterday, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about a missing child: An eight-year-old had been abducted from the Safeway on 560 Castle Pines Parkway. Patrol deputies and detectives promptly retrieved a video of the abduction from a Safeway surveillance camera, and both the vict ... More >>

Strange but true news stories from the past year

Also read: 2011 Hall of Shame

Father Richard James Kurtz, Jesuit priest, busted in alleged 2001 sex assault on minor

The arrest in Chicago of Father Richard James Kurtz, a Jesuit priest, for alleged sex assault on an underage male victim in Colorado is disturbing, obviously, but also puzzling. After all, the crime was reportedly committed and reported to authorities in 2001. So why did it take a decade to make th ... More >>

Marijuana seizure in Pike National Forest: Were the 3,000 plants really worth $9 million?

Big pics below.​In its first announcement about the seizure of more than 3,000 marijuana plants from a plot in Pike National Forest, an ultra-popular place for illegal grows (more on that later), the Douglas County Sheriff's Office estimated that the weed was worth $900,000. However, that was ... More >>

Ronald Eugene Miller: Imagine finding him in your house -- naked

Big pic below.​There's nothing like a good neighbor -- and according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Ronald Eugene Miller is nothing like one. Or at least he wasn't earlier this month, when he decided to get comfortable in a nearby house. Really comfortable.

Matthew Plake, Megan Cassidy, busted in Amara Wells/Robert Rafferty murders: Into bondage?

Big pics below.​The Keene Ranch murders of Amara Wells and Robert Rafferty Jr. in February resulted in the arrests of several alleged conspirators, including Matthew Plake. Then, in April, Krystal Kurcz and Megan Cassidy were charged as accessories -- but authorities declined to reveal their c ... More >>

To protect and swerve: a drag-racing Aurora cop

Greased Lightnin'!​Police officers get to drive fast when the sirens are wailing. But they are supposed to slow down once they change out of their uniforms and get into their own personal cars. Aren't they? On Thursday, 9News reported that both the Aurora Police Department and the Douglas Cou ... More >>

Thomas Howie charged with starting Crystal Fire, 15-year-old suspected in Pinery blazes

Big pic below.​As the Crystal fire in Larimer County was finally winding down last week, authorities announced their suspicion that it was human-caused -- and now they think they've got the human who did it: Thomas Howie, 36. Meanwhile, Douglas County officials believe a fifteen-year old start ... More >>

Krystal Kurcz, Megan Cassidy latest arrests in Amara Wells, Robert Rafferty homicides (56, 57)

Big pics below.​The alleged conspiracy that led to the Keene Ranch murders of Amara Wells and Robert Rafferty Jr. has just grown larger. Already arrested were Christopher Wells, Amara's ex, plus a trio of his co-workers from a Colorado Springs car dealership. Now, Krystal Kurcz and Megan Cassi ... More >>

Top 25 most violent fugitives in Denver: A mug shot and offense gallery (PHOTOS)

"I'm only No. 20?"​The Denver Police Department has trimmed its fifty most wanted fugitives list by half but multiplied the mayhem via its roster of the city's 25 most violent fugitives. The mug shots of those who follow first target Robert Juan Gee stand out thanks to the best neck tattoo (No ... More >>

Spruce Mountain Open Space becomes canvas for lamest graffiti ever (PHOTOS)

Big pics below.​Graffiti can be artistically fascinating or it can be simple vandalism. This is a post about the second kind. At least 33 different spots in the Spruce Mountain Open Space area have been tagged by folks with a skill mainly for despoiling nature. And the Douglas County Sheriff's ... More >>

Burning Tree Fire near Franktown: 95% contained, livestock can't return yet (VIDEOS)

Videos below.​Update: Wow, that was fast. Almost as quickly as the Burning Tree fire near Franktown flared up, crews supplemented by aircraft borrowed from the Indian Gulch fire in the Golden area have knocked it down. According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, containment currently sta ... More >>

Christopher Wells, 3 others charged in killings of his ex, Amara Wells, & Robert Rafferty (56 & 57)

Fox 31​Update: Christopher Wells may have been in custody at the time the bodies of his ex-wife, Amara Wells, and Robert Rafferty were discovered -- but the Douglas County Sheriff's Office still believes he played a key role in their deaths. Along with Josiah Sher, Matthew Plake and Micah Wood ... More >>

Jeff Egnor, aka Abu Mybutt: Douglas County lieutenant takes Shmuckery online

Abu Mybutt.​Have you always wondered about the juvenile idiots who post hateful screeds in the comments section of newspapers, TV stations and blogs? Have you wondered if they were twisted gun nuts living in mountain cabins or douchey frat boys living in their parents' basements? Did you wond ... More >>

Phillip Abernathy & Connor Greenwall: Teens allegedly just old enough to distribute child porn

Big pics below.​There's something more than a little creepy about suspects barely beyond childhood accused of distributing child pornography. But that's what the Douglas County Sheriff's Office accuses Phillip Abernathy and Connor Greenwall of doing in separate cases. Below, see full size boo ... More >>

Roohallah Mobarez, Highlands Ranch dental assistant, charged with sex assault on four kids

Big pic below.​The last thing a parent wants to worry about when sending a child to the dentist is that an assistant will do terribly inappropriate things while the young patient is drugged or defenseless. But that's one possible interpretation of info released thus far about Roohallah Mobarez ... More >>

Suicidal man prompts standoff with SWAT team on 9600 block of Maribou Court in Littleton

Near the scene.​Last night, residents living on or near the 9600 block of Maribou Court in Littleton were asked not to leave their houses for several hours -- except for those police escorted out. The reason? A standoff between the Douglas County SWAT team and a suicidal man who barricaded hi ... More >>

Are these your stolen family photos & property?: See gallery o' stuff possibly traded for meth

Large photos below.​Last month, Araphaoe County Sheriff's Office reps discovered a storage unit full of presumably stolen items that may have been traded for meth; Ali Samei was busted on drug-related charges. The weird collection ranges from a slot machine to family photos that may show victi ... More >>

Ron Rocha, Regis coach, part of 20-kilos-a-week cocaine-ring bust: See mug shots & drug photos

Large photos below.​Last month, Ron Rocha, a volunteer baseball coach for Regis University, was on the losing end of an intra-squad matchup dubbed the Fall World Series. But he suffered an even greater defeat yesterday, when he was among 35 people named by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the bus ... More >>

Fifteen-year old allegedly robs convenience store at gunpoint to steal... a pack of cigarettes?

Flickr​Cigarettes are extremely pricey these days -- but has the cost gotten so high that they're worth risking an armed robbery beef? That's one way to interpret the story of a fifteen-year old from Castle Rock, who avoided paying for smokes by pulling a gun.

Richard Anderson identified as gunman in officer-involved shooting in Douglas County

Richard Anderson.​Yesterday, we told you about an officer-involved shooting on Bayou Gulch Road in Douglas County that left a deputy slightly wounded and a suspect in critical condition. The latter has now been identified as Richard Anderson, 51. He's likely to face charges of attempted first ... More >>

Officer-involved shooting in Douglas County leaves suspect in critical condition

The Stagecoach.​Thus far, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is sharing only the barest details about a Saturday afternoon shooting outside the Stagecoach, a Franktown watering hole -- other than the fact that both a deputy and the suspect were shot in an exchange of gunfire, with the former ... More >>

Michael Tesman: No kidnapping charge in case of text-message-aided bust

Michael Tesman.​A week ago today, Michael Tesman was arrested in what a Douglas County Sheriff's Office release described as a second-degree kidnapping. Authorities reportedly coordinated the bust with help from Tesman's alleged victim -- his ex-wife, whose text messages about her location wer ... More >>

Michael Tesman: Text messaging victim, stun gun help lead to alleged kidnapper's arrest

Michael Tesman.​The arrest of Michael Tesman on charges of second-degree kidnapping came together like the law-enforcement equivalent of aligning planets. Credit goes to the reported victim, Tesman's ex-wife, who was able to text message her son about the situation, plus a helpful bartender a ... More >>

Jay DeVaughn, Aurora librarian: Guilty pleas, powder mailings, lotsa weirdness

Jay DeVaughn: Maybe not the best pen pal...​In March, we told you about the strange case of Jay DeVaughn, a librarian for the Community College of Aurora, who at that point had been accused of mailing a single threatening letter. But the criminal complaint filed against him at that time conta ... More >>

Limping Latex Bandit has premature explosion in his car

No, not that kind of latex.​Update, 4:32 p.m.: Just notified by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office that Merle Allison, who's believed to be the Limping Latex Bandit, has been captured. Look below the original item to get all the details. As the number of Denver area robberies continue to cap ... More >>

David Dolan likely first-ever Colorado State Patrol trooper caught driving drunk on duty, spokesman says

David Dolan during a more sober moment.​Colorado State Patrol Trooper David Dolan spent 21 years on the job without getting nearly as much attention as he did yesterday, when Douglas County Sheriff's Office personnel pulled him over and arrested him on suspicion of drunk driving. It was certa ... More >>

David Dolan, Colorado State Patrol officer, arrested for investigation of driving drunk in squad car

A 9News image of CSP's David Dolan getting busted.​Usually, Colorado State Patrol officers respond to reports of erratic driving. But this morning, things worked the other way around. Motorists complained about problems relating to a CSP vehicle, leading to a stop by Douglas County Sheriff's O ... More >>

Jay DeVaughn, librarian, likely to be charged with using mail to send white powder, bizarre threats in Spanish aimed at "dirty fascists"

Jay DeVaughn, in an image broadcast on 9News.​Jay DeVaughn, a librarian for the Community College of Aurora, has been accused of mailing a threatening letter -- a fairly straight-forward charge. But the criminal complaint filed against him in U.S. District Court hints at future counts based on ... More >>

Let us prey: Volunteer youth minister charged with sexual assault on a child, detectives investigating possibility of more victims

William "Bill" McLaughlin is accused of ministering in an especially sick way.​Volunteer youth minister William "Bill" McLaughlin has been in Douglas County jail since mid-December on a $500,000 bail thanks to multiple charges of sexual assault on a child. But the Douglas County Sheriff's Offi ... More >>

Another marijuana-grow operation is uprooted in Pike National Forest

Assorted agencies took down a marijuana-grow operation on Sugarloaf Mountain in July.​As smoke continues to gather over medical-marijuana operations in Colorado, local law-enforcement agencies continue to find weed-growing operations in remote locations -- and Pike National Forest appears to b ... More >>

Mile High Murder, No. 34: Dominick Wilmer charged with vehicular homicide in deaths of Jonathan Richardson and Grace Cruthers

View Larger Map The crash that took place during the wee hours of August 15 on Titan Road near Rampart Range Road, an area captured in the graphic above (if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map"), certainly qualifies as a tragic accident. But according to the Douglas County She ... More >>

Colorado Crimes: The disadvantages of robbing someone you know

Brandon Gaitan. According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Brandon Gaitan and Keith Paris II, both 19, had what must have seemed like a good idea at the time: break into the apartment of someone on vacation and do whatever for as long as they wanted. Problem is, said vacationer returned home ... More >>

Panhandle With Care

We're all just a home away from homeless.

Teachers Fret

Are educators about to go postal?

Off Limits

Can't we all just get along?

Off Limits

Fortress of Solitude

Two new county justice centers are high-tech, high-security--and designed to keep prisoners and the public in their place.

Off Limits