Highlands Ranch
Herald
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 26, Issue 2
November 29, 2012
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourhighlandsranchnews.com
Crash leaves two workers dead Misdemeanor charges filed against driver By Ryan Boldrey and Chris Michlewicz Staff writers
A fatal accident at the intersection of C-470 and Broadway took the lives of two construction workers shortly before noon Nov. 20. According to Trooper Nate Reid, public information officer with the Colorado State Patrol, a blue Subaru Tribeca was exiting westbound C-470 onto Broadway when the driver lost control on the exit ramp. The vehicle traveled into the grassy area between C-470 and the ramp, then rolled off an embankment, where it struck the two workers, killing them instantly. After striking the construction workers, the Subaru ran into a Honda Pilot that was northbound on Broadway. The accident remains under investigation. Authorities identified the victims as Joseph Schwartz, 47, of Morrison, and Jesus Villalobos, 27, of Brighton. The Subaru was driven by Thomas Garrity, 74, of Bellevue, Neb. Garrity was trans-
ported to Littleton Adventist Hospital with moderate injuries, but released the same day as the crash. The Subaru was also occupied by a 72-year-old female passenger who was transported to Littleton Adventist Hospital with moderate injuries. The Honda Pilot was driven by Lara Mooney, 39, of Highlands Ranch. Mooney was uninjured in the crash. Garrity was issued a summons for two counts of careless driving causing death, a Class 1 misdemeanor; his first court appearance was not announced before press deadline. Reid said a vehicle inspection was scheduled for Nov. 26 to determine whether mechanical failures could have led to the crash. He said the charges could be “rescinded” if failures are found to be a factor. The inspection is a standard part of fatal accident investigations and police are still trying to find out why Garrity lost control. Garrity was driving a vehicle owned by the people he is visiting, Reid said. Schwartz and Villalobos were employed by Concrete Works of Colorado, which was performing work beneath the C-470 bridge over Broadway. The $5.1 million project involves widening South Broadway between Dad Clark Drive and County Line Road by expanding into the existing concrete slope
A construction worker is overcome with emotion as he hugs a friend after a crash on South Broadway at C-470. A Subaru driven by a Nebraska man went out of control and killed two men working at the site. Photo by Chris Michlewicz beneath the C-470 bridges. The planned improvements are expected to help reduce congestion and improve traffic operations between Dad Clark
County takes step to prevent pot businesses Commissioners move to nail down prohibition By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
Mountain Vista High School junior Bailey Roby is looking forward to this year’s basketball season. Roby, a double amputee, will be trying out a new pair of prosthetic legs this year. For high school basketball previews, turn to page 26. Photos by Courtney Kuhlen
Double amputee inspires teammates
Mountain Vista junior makes JV hoops squad
By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
If you happened upon a Mountain Vista High School basketball practice, you might wonder who the tall, quiet junior was knocking down shot after shot from beyond the 3-point arc during shoot-around. And if he was wearing sweatpants, you likely wouldn’t even notice that there was anything different about the 6-foot-5 Bailey Roby. But Roby, who was born with just three toes on each foot, had both of his legs amputated as a baby. As he grew older, sports didn’t look like much of a possibility for him, yet that never stopped him from try-
Drive and County Line Road, and provide increased left-turn lane area for the C-470 eastbound and westbound on-ramps, according to Douglas County’s website.
ing. Fit for his first pair of prosthetic legs at age 3, he picked up golf and baseball while he was in elementary school and started playing basketball in the eighth grade. And with a strong outside touch, it’s no wonder Roby calls basketball his “main game.” The Mountain Vista junior was recently fit for a pair of Ossur Flex-Run legs - similar to those of South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius - and now finds he can run faster and jump higher than he ever has before. He also finds himself with a secured spot as a player/manager for the Golden Eagles’ junior varsity basketball team. “He has pretty good skills, especially at shooting the ball,” said Mountain Vista head coach Robert Wood. “He works hard. It’s a real challenge. You can imagine what he’s going through just to try to run and Amputee continues on Page 23
Douglas County commissioners are getting a jump on prohibition of marijuana, crafting an ordinance intended to ban all commercial marijuana activities in unincorporated parts of the county. The ban is to guard against any other action that could result from the passage of Amendment 64 — the statewide vote to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults — and reflects the wishes of county residents, commissioners said. The first reading to adopt the ordinance, approved unanimously on Nov. 20, would prohibit the operation of marijuana cultivation facilities, marijuana product manufacturing facilities, marijuana testing facilities and retail marijuana stores within the unincorporated areas of Douglas County. Amendment 64 has a provision to allow local municipalities and governments to adopt such an ordinance, said Lance Ingalls, county attorney. “If we establish this before (the amendment) takes effect in early December, there leaves no question what our position is,” Ingalls said. Douglas County voters have gone to the polls on more than one occasion when it comes to the matter of marijuana, and each time have turned away commercial marijuana activities in Douglas County, said Commissioner Jack Hilbert, District 1. County residents voted 54-46 against Amendment 64, according to the county’s election results, which were last updated Nov. 21. In 2010, residents voted to prohibit medical marijuana centers by a 61 percent marMarijuana continues on Page 23
Mountain Vista junior Bailey Roby shoots around in practice on Nov. 19.
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