Sunday, May 27, 2018

Critical Incident Response Team investigating an officer involved shooting

MESA COUNTY, Colo – The 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred Sunday at 2:46 p.m. in the desert off of 27 ¼ Road.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting are still under investigation. The following information is preliminary and is subject to change as the investigation continues.

Two Bureau of Land Management (BLM) officers went to contact a white van in the desert near the Bookcliffs and 27 ¼ Road. An officer involved shooting occurred.

One BLM officer was shot in the vest and was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but is expected to be OK. Preliminary information indicates a BLM officer was able to return fire and the suspect was killed in the incident.

The suspect’s identity will be released once it is confirmed by the Mesa County Coroner’s Office and next of kin has been notified.

The CIRT is seeking information about the white van and suspect involved in this incident. Anyone who saw or had contact with a white van in the area of the desert and 27 ¼ road in the last few days is asked to call the MCSO Witness Tip Line at (970) 244-3526.

The Critical Incident Response Team is comprised of the following agencies: Grand Junction Police Department, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Fruita Police Department, Palisade Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and Colorado Bureau of Investigation. It is generally activated when a law enforcement agency is involved in a critical incident to ensure a complete and accurate investigation.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

No Charges in Bear Attack Incident

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo – Mesa County Sheriff’s deputies have concluded their investigation into the incident on May 13th where a 5-year-old girl was attacked by a bear in the backyard of a rural home. No charges are being sought.

At 2:39 am deputies responded to the 3400 block of D Road in East Orchard Mesa for a report of a child attacked by a bear. The child was transported to St. Mary’s hospital where she is expected to recover.

Deputies learned the family went to bed around 1:30 am after having waiting up for their father to return home from a trip. Around 2:30 am, the little girl heard what she believed to be her dog "throwing a fit" and went outside to check on it. She sat down by the back door and a bear came around the front of the house and sniffed her. When she got up to come inside, the bear grabbed her and "ripped her from the door." Her mother heard her screaming and went outside. When the mother started screaming at the animal, the bear dropped the girl.

Initially, the father thought his daughter had been camping outside in their backyard when the attack occurred. He reported that information to dispatchers when he called 911 and to deputies who responded. The father later reported to deputies that information was incorrect. He told deputies once he spoke to his daughter, he learned she was not camping in their backyard like he initially guessed, but rather inside the home when she went to investigate a noise. The girl’s mother also reported the child was inside the home when she went to investigate a noise.

The parents’ actions leading up to this incident are not criminal nor negligent. No charges are being sought.

Any questions regarding the bear involved in this incident please direct to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Two arrested after standoff with SWAT Team


Justin Edwards, 41
MCSO Photo 6-19-17
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo – Mesa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Justin Edwards, 41, after a standoff at a home in Grand Junction Thursday.

Around 8:30 this morning wanted subject Justin Edwards was located at a home the 500 block of 29 ½ Road. Edwards refused to listen to commands and barricaded himself inside the home.

A community notification was sent to 82 homes in a block radius advising residents to shelter in place. The Mesa County Community Services Campus also went into a shelter-in-place out of an abundance of caution. No schools were affected.

Members of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Junction Police Department SWAT Team obtained a warrant, and surrounded the home. Multiple loud hail commands were given ordering Edwards to leave the home. Edwards did not comply. Ultimately less lethal munitions were deployed. Edwards surrendered without further incident shortly before noon.

Edwards has 3 active warrants from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. The warrants are for the following:
Vehicular Eluding (Class 5 Felony), Reckless Driving, Driving Under Revocation stemming from an incident on 2/23/2018.
Failure to Appear stemming from a 2016 charge.
Ivy Hansen, 34
MCSO Photo 4-28-18
Failure to Appear stemming from a 2016 charge.
Edwards also has 2 active warrants from the Grand Junction Police Department. Additional charges from Thursday’s incident are still pending.

Ivy Hansen, 34, was also arrested for in Attempt to Influence a Public Servant (Class 4 Felony), Accessory to Crime (Class 6 Felony), Obstructing a Peace Officer (Class 2 Misdemeanor), and Resisting Arrest (Class 2 Misdemeanor).

Edwards and Hansen were booked into the Mesa County Detention facility. For updated bond amounts on any inmate currently in our jail, visit our Inmate Inquiry System webpage.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Correctional Officers Honored

Correctional Officers' Week May 6-12th

Mesa County Board of Commissioners
proclaim this week Correctional Officers' Week
MESA COUNTY, Colo. — Today the Mesa County Board of Commissioners officially dedicated this week to Correctional Officers of Mesa County.

Sheriff Matt Lewis and Captain Art Smith joined the Mesa County Board of Commissioners in recognizing the professionalism and dedication of our detention deputies and staff during National Correctional Officers Week. May 6-12th.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan created National Correctional Officers Week to honor the work of correctional officers and correctional personnel nationwide. In Mesa County, this group of professionals are known as detention deputies.

Local jails, like the Mesa County Detention Facility, are complex organizations. On a basic level, a jail must provide its inmate population a number of services, including three meals a day, medical and mental health care, clothing and linens, visitation,  recreation, religious programs, as well as access to courts and attorneys. Complicating this task is the diversity of needs within the increasing inmate population while maintaining the safety and security of the 24-hour facility. In 2017, the Mesa County Detention Facility processed 6,465 people and provided more than 630,000 meals. On March 18, 2018 the Mesa County Detention Facility housed a record high 604 inmates.
Deputy Edward Innes
EOW 9/27/1906

“Our detention deputies and staff play a critical role in keeping the detention facility and our community safe,” said Capt. Art Smith. “They do a difficult job that not a lot of people want to do nor have the compassion to do. That’s why it’s important for us to stop and say ‘Thank You.’”

Being a detention officer can be a dangerous job. The names of 707 correctional officers are engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. One of those names is Deputy Edward Innes, who was killed by an inmate escaping the jail in 1906. A wreath first displayed in the Mesa County Sheriff's Office lobby, will be placed on Innes' grave this week to honor and remember his sacrifice.

Please join us in thanking all detentions professionals for not only what they do, but more importantly the personal sacrifices they make to ensure our community remains a safe place to live, work and play.