Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Update: MCSO investigates death of two people


CLIFTON, Colo- The Mesa County Coroner’s Office has completed its examination regarding the deaths of two people at a residence on the 400 block of Lois Street in Clifton Monday morning.

The County Coroner’s Office has identified them as Richard Garcia Jr., a 30-year-old male resident of Grand Junction, Colorado and Stephen Summers, a 47-year-old male resident of Clifton, Colorado. Stephen Summers is the step-father to Richard Garcia Jr. 

The County Coroner’s Office has determined cause of death for Richard Garcia Jr. is multiple shotgun wounds of the head and torso and the manner of death is homicide. The cause of death for Steven Summers is shotgun wound of the head and the manner of death is suicide. Toxicology for both are pending at this time.

There are no outstanding suspects and no one is in custody. This is believed to be an isolated incident.

This case is still under investigation by the Mesa County Sheriff's Office.  

To view the previous press release about this case click here. 




Monday, April 29, 2019

MCSO investigates death of two people

CLIFTON, Colo - The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of two people at a residence on the 400 block of Lois Street in Clifton.

Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at about 3:30am Monday morning. A 30-year-old male and a 47-year-old male were found deceased.

This is an active and on-going investigation. MCSO investigators are still in the process of gathering evidence, documenting the scene and interviewing witnesses. At this time, there are no outstanding suspects and no one is in custody. This is believed to be an isolated incident.

The Mesa County Coroner’s Office will determine cause and manner of death, as well as release the identity of the deceased once next of kin is notified.

Documents related to this investigation are under seal by the court.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (970) 244-3526 or contact Mesa County Crime Stoppers at (970) 241-STOP. Information reported to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest can earn you up to $1,000 cash reward and you will remain completely anonymous.

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Four hikers safe after all day rescue



MESA COUNTY, Colo - A group of backpackers were rescued today after getting lost in Dominguez Canyon. 

This morning around 9:15 one of the backpackers called 911 asking for help. The 4 men were on a 40 mile loop, hiking and camping in Dominguez Canyon when they rimmed out on the trail and ran out of water. 

The hikers, all in their 50's, were using maps and plans they had for their trip. They quickly realized all the water sources listed on the maps were dry, so they had been without water since yesterday afternoon. The trail they were on rimmed out and they were now surrounded by deep canyons.  All of the hikers are from the Front Range and not familiar with the area.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office responded, along with 17 members of Mesa County Search and Rescue.  Search teams used ATVs to get within 2 miles of the hikers, then hiked the rest of the way in, which included an elevation change of 1,000 feet. 

The hikers were found safe.  Rescue crews gave them water and helped them hike back out to the waiting ATVs.  The rescue mission lasted 9.5 hours with search team traveling approximately 
20 miles each way.

Do you have a CORSAR Card? 

If you ever need the free services of Search and Rescue, it helps reimburse this volunteer organization for the cost. By purchasing a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card you are contributing to the Search and Rescue Fund, which will reimburse these teams for costs incurred in search and rescues across the State of Colorado. The CORSAR card is available for $3 for a one-year card and $12 for five-year card. Click here to get yours today.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Update: Missing teenager Found Safe

Hailey Black, 17
Missing
Daniel Fawcett, 16
Last seen with Hailey
5:45pm Update: Hailey was found Safe. All parties have been contacted. No further update expected.

Previous:
#Update: Mesa County Sheriff's investigators are seeking to speak with Daniel Fawcett, 16 of Grand Junction. He has been identified as the person the surveillance photo, believed to be the last person seen with Hailey at at C & F Gas Station at 596 25 Road.

Investigators also have information 15-year-old Seth Krieg is harboring Hailey.  Krieg drives a green 1974 Plymouth Valiant with a possible Colorado license plate GOH-271.

If you have information about Krieg, Fawcett or Haiely's whereabouts please call 911 immediately.


Seth Krieg, 15
Believed to be harboring Hailey

Previous:

#AlertMissing: The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to locate a missing teen.

Hailey Black, 17, was last seen around 1:00 this morning at C & F Gas Station at 596 25 Road. She is believed to be with 15-year-old Seth Krieg. Krieg drives a green 1974 Plymouth Valiant with a possible Colorado license plate GOH-271.

Hailey is described as a 17-year-old girl, 5’ tall, 110 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. Hailey was reported missing by family.

Surveillance photos taken from the C & F Gas Station show Hailey and Fawcett together early this morning.

If seen, or if you have information about their whereabouts, please call 911 immediately.


Hailey Black, 17
Missing
Daniel and Hailey
Last seen at C & F
***Please note an earlier release incorrectly identified the person in the surveillance photo. Daniel Fawcett, 16, is the person believed to be the last person seen with Hailey Black.***

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

SVP Community Notification - Stubblefield

Sexually Violent Predator Moves into County

Christopher Stubblefield
MCSO Photo 4-10-19
MESA COUNTY, Colo. -- This public notice is intended to make our community aware that a registered sex offender, classified as a sexually violent predator, is moving into Mesa County. Further details about this offender and his new location can be found on our website. Click here and choose the Christopher Stubblefield Community Bulletin

A 'sexually violent predator' is a term used by the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board, who classifies a convicted sex offender with this additional descriptor. Christopher Stubblefield, 38, of Grand Junction, has served his convicted sentence as ordered by a Judge. Stubblefield registered with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and listed his new residence with our agency, per compliance with registration laws.  Because Stubblefield registered his address as homeless, he is required to check in with the Sheriff's Office every month. He has been and remains current with all his registration requirements.

All community notification bulletins for all current SVPs registered with our agency are on our agency website, to view them, click here. In addition, we highly recommend you watch a 12 minute video that talks about SVPs and all registered sex offenders, resources and other useful information specific to Mesa County. For current information on all registered sex offenders in Mesa County, visit our website.

If you have information regarding current criminal activity of this or any other offender, please call 911 for an emergency.  If you observe this offender engaging in any high risk or inappropriate behavior, please contact the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, patrol units, by calling 911 or (970) 242-6707. If you have questions or need education handouts, please contact Mesa County Sex Offender Registrar LeeAnn Camp at (970) 244-3206, or her direct supervisor Sgt. Henry Stoffel (970) 244-3973.

Most sex crimes are never reported and most offenders are never detected. The greatest risk of sex offense is from people you know. The information provided herein (on the embedded community bulletin) is current and accurate as of the date, but is subject to change.

The purpose of this notification is to enhance public safety and protection. Vigilantism, or use of this information to harass, threaten or intimidate anyone associated with this notification will not be tolerated. 

This law enforcement agency has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may live (however, we make it public information so citizens can be aware and educate themselves). Unless court restrictions exist, they are constitutionally free to live wherever they choose. Sex offenders have always lived in our community, but they were not required to notify law enforcement of their residence until registration laws were implemented pursuant to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. Law enforcement may now share that information with members of the community, and in the case of sexually violent predators, law enforcement must actively notify citizens. This blog posting is only one of the means we are getting this information out to citizens of Mesa County.


Monday, April 15, 2019

SVP Community Notification - Privette

Sexually Violent Predator Moves into County

Willie Privette Jr, 38,
MCSO Photo 4-10-19
MESA COUNTY, Colo. -- This public notice is intended to make our community aware that a registered sex offender, classified as a sexually violent predator, is moving into Mesa County. Further details about this offender and his new location can be found on our website. Click here and choose the Willie Privette Community Bulletin

A 'sexually violent predator' is a term used by the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board, who classifies a convicted sex offender with this additional descriptor. Willie Privette Jr., 38 of Grand Junction, has served his convicted sentence as ordered by a Judge. Willie Privette registered with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office and listed his new residence with our agency, per compliance with registration laws. 

All community notification bulletins for all current SVPs registered with our agency are on our agency website, to view them, click here. In addition, we highly recommend you watch a 12 minute video that talks about SVPs and all registered sex offenders, resources and other useful information specific to Mesa County. For current information on all registered sex offenders in Mesa County, visit our website.

If you have information regarding current criminal activity of this or any other offender, please call 911 for an emergency.  If you observe this offender engaging in any high risk or inappropriate behavior, please contact the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, patrol units, by calling 911 or (970) 242-6707. If you have questions or need education handouts, please contact Mesa County Sex Offender Registrar LeeAnn Camp at (970) 244-3206, or her direct supervisor Sgt. Henry Stoffel (970) 244-3973.

Most sex crimes are never reported and most offenders are never detected. The greatest risk of sex offense is from people you know. The information provided herein (on the embedded community bulletin) is current and accurate as of the date, but is subject to change.

The purpose of this notification is to enhance public safety and protection. Vigilantism, or use of this information to harass, threaten or intimidate anyone associated with this notification will not be tolerated. 

This law enforcement agency has no legal authority to direct where a sex offender may live (however, we make it public information so citizens can be aware and educate themselves). Unless court restrictions exist, they are constitutionally free to live wherever they choose. Sex offenders have always lived in our community, but they were not required to notify law enforcement of their residence until registration laws were implemented pursuant to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. Law enforcement may now share that information with members of the community, and in the case of sexually violent predators, law enforcement must actively notify citizens. This blog posting is only one of the means we are getting this information out to citizens of Mesa County.


Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Update: Additional arrest made in undercover internet sex predator operation

Jorge Yon, 25
MCSO Photo
4/10/19 Update: Mesa County Sheriff's deputies made an additional arrest as a result of last weekend's in undercover internet sex predator operation.

Jorge Yon, 25, of Grand Junction, was arrested Tuesday evening for the charge of Soliciting for Child Prostitution (Class 3 Felony). Yon was booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility.

For updated bond information, visit the Inmate Locator section of our website. All arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.



4/7/19 Previous:

MESA COUNTY, Colo - Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies conducted a three-day operation in an effort to locate internet child sex predators in and around the Mesa County area.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Junction Police Department, Palisade Police Department, Mesa County District Attorney's Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), US Marshals Service (USMS), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrested 10 individuals attempting to have sex with children, or engage in prostitution as a part of this operation.

As a part of this large-scale multi-jurisdictional undercover operation, highly trained investigators posted ads for sex with children on several websites, social media sites, and applications.

The following people were arrested and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility:
  • Aaron Kenneth Tydingco Apatang, 22, of Grand Junction for the charges of Internet Luring of a Child (Class 4 Felony), Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child (Class 4 Felony), Enticement of a Child (Class 4 Felony) and Criminal Attempt of Sexual Assault on a Child (Class 5 Felony)
  • Steven Bruckner, 35, of Grand Junction, for the charge of Soliciting for child prostitution (Class 3 Felony)
  • Jason Gullion, 40, of Grand Junction, for the charges of two counts of Criminal Attempt of Sexual Assault on a Child Victim less than 15 years at least 4 year difference in age (Class 5 Felony), and two counts of Soliciting for Child Prostitution (Class 3 Felony).
  • Michael Duane Jones, 57, of Grand Junction, for the following charges:
    • Two counts of Soliciting for child prostitution (Class 3 Felony)
    • Two counts of Pandering a Child (Class 5 Felony)
    • Two counts of Patronizing a Prostituted Child (Class 3 Felony)
    • Two counts of Criminal Attempt of Sexual Assault on a Child (Class 5 Felony) 
    • Two counts of Possession of Weapons by Previous Offenders (Class 6 Felony)
    • Four counts of Distribution/Manufacturing/Possession with the intent to Distribute more than ½ oz- ½ lb of Schedule I/II or >1/4oz-1/4lb of Meth, Heroin, Ktamine or Cath or >10mg-50mg FLU (Class 2 Drug Felony)
    • One count of Special Circumstance used/displayed/possessed on person or within reach a Deadly Weapon during Offense (Class 1 Drug Felony)
  • Terry Royster, 57, of Grand Junction, for the charges of Soliciting for Child Prostitution (Class 3 Felony) and Criminal Attempt of Sexual Assault on a Child (Class 5 Felony).
  • Robert Louis Woodruff III, 34, of Gastonia, NC, for the charges of Internet luring of a Child with Intent of Sexual Contact Exploitation (Class 4 Felony), and Criminal Attempt of Sexual Assault on a Child Victim less than 15 years at least 4-year difference in age (Class 5 Felony).
  • Austin James Pierce, 20, was arrested on an active warrant for Failure to Appear. The warrant was issued related to on his recent arrest from a Mesa County Sheriff’s Office case where the victim is 14 years old. Pierce was also charged with Violation of Protection Order for having communication with the victim in the sex assault case.
The following people were issued a summons to appear in court:
  • Kimberly Anderson, 40, for the charge of Prostitution (Class 3 Misdemeanor) 
  • Dustin Kelleher, 40, of Fruita, for the charge of Prostitution (Class 3 Misdemeanor) 
  • Jennifer Smith, 49, of Clifton, for the charge of Prostitution (Class 3 Misdemeanor) 
For updated bond information, visit the Inmate Locator section of our website. All arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank our local, state and federal partners for assisting in this operation and helping to protect the youth of Mesa County.

It’s important to know who you and your loved ones are engaging with online. Talking about the dangers of the internet should be an open dialog between parents and kids of all ages. For resources on internet safety visit the Resources for Parents section of our website.

Aaron Apatang, 22
MCSO Photo
Steven Bruckner, 35
MCSO Photo
 
Jason Gullion, 40
MCSO Photo

Michael Duane Jones, 57
MCSO Photo
Austin James Pierce, 20
MCSO Photo


Terry Royster, 57
MCSO Photo

Robert Louis Woodruff III, 34
MCSO Photo

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Crime of the Week: Can you help identify these people?




GRAND JUNCTION, Colo - This week Crime Stoppers of Mesa County is requesting information that will lead to the identification of the subjects involved in a criminal activity.

Shortly after 7:15 a.m. on Monday, January 28th, unknown suspect unlawfully entered a vehicle parked at Little Lambs Daycare located at 550 25 1⁄2 Road. Credit cards taken from the stolen purse were used by a male and female at Tractor Supply, Starbucks, Alta, Smoker Friendly, Office Depot and City Market. The total estimated damage and property loss is over $2,800. A photo of the suspects and the black crew cab truck they were driving were collected.

If you know the identity or location of the suspects involved in this crime, please contact Crime Stoppers at 241-7867. Information reported to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest can earn you up to $1,000 cash reward and you will remain completely anonymous. For more information, visit www.241stop.com.