Good Work Or No Work?

Have You Had Business Dealings With Black Magic Asphalt?

Mesa County, Colo. -- In 2013, the Better Business Bureau in Southern Idaho issued a warning to residents about a business offering discount paving jobs. The business, Black Magic Asphalt, has recently been in the Mesa County area and investigators are asking the public to contact them if you have had either positive or negative interaction with them.

The business name may have been Black Magic Asphalt or a variation to including the name or parts of the name...Black Magic Paving, etc. If you have had any interaction with this "business" or a similar business, sales pitch and in the last 12 months, please call Investigator Craig Tyer, at: (970) 244-3919. 

When choosing a business to use, be cautious of: 

• Solicitors at your front door
• Pushy salesmen/sales pitch
• Sales ends immediately/Limited time only sale (must buy now)
• Little or no business identifiers (uniform, vehicle markings, business cards, etc.)
• Don't encourage or support you doing your own research about them or contacting references

Resources to research a business, include:

• Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
• Fruita Chamber of Commerce
• Palisade Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau, Colorado Division
• Google Search/Internet
• Colorado Attorney General
• Colorado Secretary of State

Man Arrested For Meth Possession

Clifton Man Arrested With More Than 9 Grams Of Meth

Billy Cooper, 48, of Clifton

Mesa County, Colo. -- Patrol deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle near 32 and C 1/2 Roads, yesterday afternoon, for multiple defective vehicle violations. 

The passenger, a 19-year-old male, retrieved a marijuana pipe from the floorboard of the vehicle for deputies and an additional marijuana pipe and more than 9 grams of suspected marijuana were located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Under Colorado law, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess and/or use marijuana.

Additionally, the driver, Billy Cooper, 48, of Clifton, was arrested after deputies located 9.1 grams of suspected methamphetamine under his feet, in the driver's compartment of the vehicle. Billy was booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility one charge each of:

• Possession of a Schedule I/II (meth)
• Operating an Uninsured Vehicle on a Public Roadway
• Driving Vehicle Where Glass Equipment is Obstructed
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Excessive Tinting on Windows

For information on any inmate currently in jail facility, visit our Inmate Inquiry webpage.

Christmas & New Year Office Closures

Holiday Closures For MCSO

Mesa County, Colo. -- For the upcoming holidays, the non-emergency functions at the Sheriff's Office will be closed to the public on Christmas Day, December 25, 2014. Regular business will operate on Christmas Eve and December 26.

The non-emergency functions will again be closed on New Year's Day, January 1. However, regular business will be conducted on December 31 and January 2, 2015.

Emergency functions will not break for the holidays and anyone with a genuine need for deputies, should call 911 or (970) 242-6707, to connect with dispatch. For other Mesa County office closures, visit Mesa County News.

For those of you traveling over the holidays, be safe. Don't drink/drug and drive, and CHEERS TO 2015!

Keep in touch with us via Facebook, Twitter @SheriffMesaColo, Instagram @SheriffMesaColo and by enrolling your email in our agency's news blog, www.MCSONews.com. 

Fourth Global Police Tweet-a-thon, Dec. 19th

Join Us For On-Line Dialogue, Tomorrow

Mesa County, Colo. -- Tomorrow starting at 8 a.m., locally, the fourth Global Police Tweet-a-thon will kick-off with our agency and the Grand Junction Police Department jumping into the on-line dialogue. 

According to a LaWsComm news release and the creator of the Global Police Tweet-a-thon, Lauri Stevens, "The main purpose of this tweet-a-thon is to connect officers from around the world and help build relationships between police and the citizens they serve because public safety is a shared responsibility for all members of a community."

Law enforcement agencies and individual officers/deputies are encouraged to tweet all calls, tweet about specific topics to educate citizens or simply tweet the beat. The only rule is that all tweets must include #PolTwt, the official hashtag for the Global Police Tweet-a-thon.

This isn't the first time both local agencies have participate in this global event and we look forward to continuing it in the future. It always provided ideas to better engage our citizens, to connect with our law enforcement partners around the world and brings global attention to the many positive interactions we have with citizens in #MesaCounty. 

If you are on Twitter or simply want to see the dialogue, follow along by searching #POLTwt and following us @SheriffMesaColo and @GrandJunctionPD.

At-Risk Adult Man Missing **LOCATED SAFE**

Courtesy photo of
David Ramsey, JR.

At-Risk Adult Man Missing, Needs Meds

Mesa County, Colo. -- Deputies received a call from a medical facility in Nevada notifying our agency that David Ramsey, Jr., was in their care. He apparently checked himself into the facility with abdominal pain and was being treated accordingly.

He is considered located and safe, and is no longer classified as a missing/endangered person. Thank you to everyone who reported tips and sightings, shared his photo via social media, etc. This case has been closed as of December 16, 2014.

Previously Released on December 9, 2014...

Mesa County, Colo. -- David Ramsey Jr., 27-years-old, is a white male who walked away from his assisted living facility near 33 Road and Lombardy Lane, in Clifton.

David has brown hair and is approximately 6'1" tall and weighs about 135 pounds. He is most likely wearing a Bronco jacket or Bronco shirt with jeans. David is an at-risk adult and takes medication on a scheduled basis. He has a gait disturbance and walks on the tips of his toes. His teeth are noticeably discolored and decayed. Also, he may be with an older gentleman in a wheelchair.

Since David is an at-risk adult and needs his medications, there is an immediate health and safety concern, according to the Mesa County Department of Human Services. Anyone with information about his location or sees him, should call 911 or non-emergency dispatch at (970) 242-6707.

David sports facial hair in this photo but, he may be clean shaven.

Pennsylvania Parolee Wanted & Other Arrests

Parolee Arrested & Woman Booked For Meth Possession

Stephen Hoffman, 43

Mesa County, Colo. -- Late last week, deputies were notified of a Pennsylvania parole absconder who had known associates in Mesa County, Deputies checked the address(es) of possible locations for Stephen Brian Hoffman, and he was located in the 2900 block of Orchard Avenue, Grand Junction.

Stephen was serving a Pennsylvania prison sentence for receiving stolen property, and had been placed on parole November 14, 2014, according to the Pennsylvania Parole Authorities. A no bond warrant was issued for Stephen on December 4 (by PA authorities), and deputies arrested him on the same day in Mesa County.

Dawn Murphy, 41, of Clifton

On December 5, deputies conducted a traffic stop in the area of 32 Road and Hall Avenue, Clifton. The driver was unable to produce proof of insurance, and was sited for following too closely. The driver, Dawn Murphy, 41, of Clifton, was also arrested and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility on one count of possession of a controlled substance for less than one ounce of methamphetamine. Deputies located the meth in her purse after a drug sniffing K-9 was used around the outside and inside of the vehicle.

For bond information or any information on a current inmate in our jail, visit our Inmate Inquiry System webpage.

Scam Season, Mystery Shopper Scam In Area

Looking For Extra Work This Holiday Season? Choose Wisely

If they send you a check and ask for
money back--it's a scam. Also, if
it sounds too good to be true--it's
a scam.

Mesa County, Colo. -- In as many days, two County residents have become victims of the commonly known mystery shopper scam. The local victims were scammed by accepting mystery shopper employment positions, posted on Craigslist.

In both cases, the victims have deposited a phony cashier's check (per the instructions of the scammer) and in return, have MoneyPaked/Green Dot their own (good) money away before learning the cashier's check fake, returned to sender and charged against their personal bank accounts.

Both victims stated they took jobs to earn extra money for Christmas. Click here to read more details about this scam.

Man Arrested On Multiple Sex Assault Charges

Man Serving Time For Drugs, Charges With Sex Assaults

Eric Kenneth Lynn, 23

Mesa County, Colo. -- The victim recalls sexual incidents dating back to 2004, with the suspect, Eric Kenneth Lynn, 23, of Grand Junction. In 2004, the victim was 6-years-old. Investigators first learned of the victim's allegation when Eric was jailed on drug related charges.

Since the arrest for drugs, Eric has been convicted and was serving his sentence in Community Corrections when he was arrested on two warrants related to the sex assault of the female victim outlined above. Eric was booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility on the following charges:

• 7 Counts -- Sexual Assault on a Child as part of a pattern of abuse, Class 3 Felony
• 5 Counts -- Sexual Assault, Class 4 Felony
• 7 Counts -- Unlawful Sexual Contact, Class 4 Felony

He is currently being held on a Community Correction hold and can not post bond. For information about any inmate currently in our jail facility, visit our Inmate Inquiry System webpage.

Search & Rescue Recruiting New Members

Search & Rescue currently accepting applications

Mesa County, Colorado—The Mesa County Search and Rescue Ground Team is currently accepting applications for new members. All prospective members must first complete an application. Applications can be picked up at the front counter of the Sheriff’s Office during business hours or printed off our website.

Please note, anyone interested in becoming a new member must pass a background check and will have to go through an interview process. The deadline for turning in applications is Wednesday, December 31, 2014.

Completed applications can be returned to--

Email Bernice at: Bernice.Stogsdill@MesaCounty.us (subject line: SARC Application);

or, dropped off at the front counter of the Sheriff's Office, Attention: Bernice
The front counter at the Sheriff's Office is open Monday through Friday (holidays excluded), from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., located at 215 Rice Street, Grand Junction;

or, snail mail your completed application to:
Mesa County Sheriff's Office
Attn: Bernice
215 Rice Street
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(Make sure we receive it by Dec. 31st)

Prospective members should be outdoor enthusiasts with a high level of physical fitness and have the ability and willingness to walk many miles through rugged terrain while carrying a heavy pack.

The training class is a 5 week course, beginning Tuesday, February 03, 2015. Training topics include search methods, land navigation skills, personal survival and rescue techniques. The classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings and every other Saturday morning. Prospective members are required to attend all classes to become a new member and ongoing trainings are mandatory to attend.

For more information, questions or inquiries, please contact Doug Sieckert by calling (970) 234-0763 or email dls63@yahoo.com