April 23, 2015 VOLU M E 1 4 | I S SUE 1 4
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Chase-case trial gets underway with video
WHAT GOES UP...
Ryan Stone faces more than 20 charges, including attempted murder By Jane Reuter
jreuter@colorado communitymedia.com
Highlands Ranch’s Greg Woodrow executes his first effort during the diving competition at the April 18 Cherry Creek Invitational Swimming and Diving Meet finals. Woodrow finished 12th in the event standings, helping his team take runner-up honors in the team standings. For more coverage, turn to page 16. Photo by Tom Munds
County property values on rise Notices to be mailed; first round of appeals due June 1 By Mike DiFerdinando
mdiferdinando@colorado communitymedia.com Home values in Douglas County are on the rise across the board, which will mean higher property taxes for many. The county will be mailing out newly calculated notices of property value May 1. The largest percentage of homes in the county falls into the $300,000-$450,000 range. Those homes, on average, have seen an 18.5 percent increase in value since the last valuation period two years ago, according to the county. Home in the $150,000-300,000 range show an average increase in value of 22 percent and homes under $150,000 have shown an average increase of 28 percent. “Condominiums and townhouses have seen the greatest increases,” said Lisa Frizell, county assessor. “That makes sense because they saw the greatest decreases during the recession, so they had the furthest to come back up.” According to recent data by the Douglas El-
bert Realtor Association, the median price of a single-family home in Douglas County in 2014 was $375,000 and the median sale price of a townhouse or condo was $224,000. Colorado state law requires that each county reappraise property values every two years, and 2015 is a reappraisal year. The state requires that appraisals by the county examine data from a specific two-year period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2014. According to Frizell, the biggest drivers of value are square footage, location and the construction quality of the house. “I encourage all property owners to review the sales in their area,” Frizell said. “When they get their notice of value, I would want them to double-check their property characteristics. We have a number of tools on our website for them to look at the sales in their area and make sure that their value makes sense. We want it to be right. That’s the most important thing.” Property owners can look up their homes and compare and review at douglas.co.us/assessor. If property owners find a dispute in their valuation, they can appeal to the county. Values continues on Page 9
HOW INCREASES STACK UP, BY VALUE LESS THAN $150,000: 28 percent increase $150,000-$300,000: 22 percent increase $300,000-$450,000: 18.5 percent increase $450,000-$600,000: 15 percent increase $600,000-$1 MILLION: 14 percent increase OVER $1 MILLION: 11 percent increase Source: Douglas County Assessor’s Office
The trial of a man suspected of leading police on a 75-mile chase and injuring a state trooper began with testimony from 850KOA radio’s traffic reporter, who witnessed most of the March 2014 morning rush-hour flight on metro-area highways. Ryan Stone faces 25 counts in the 90-minute pursuit that started in Longmont with the alleged theft of a car that contained a 4-year-old boy and ended in northern Douglas County with a multi-car crash and foot chase. A Colorado State Patrol trooper Stone also was seriously injured when he attempted to stop a car Stone allegedly was driving — which brought about the most serious charge against Stone, attempted first-degree murder. Other charges include first-degree assault and second-degree kidnapping. John Morrissey broadcast most of the chase live from the KOA helicopter, with television stations picking up the story. “It’s just amazing to me no one was hurt — other than the trooper — or killed because there were so many instance when the vehicle was so close to other traffic, either in a head-on situation or driving on the shoulder or median, (going the) wrong way,” Morrissey said in court April 21. “We don’t see that sort of thing in Denver. To see a vehicle doing that kind of maneuvering in traffic was crazy.” Stone, 29 of Centennial, who has previously appeared in court wearing a striped jail uniform, wore a gray suit, tie and a fresh haircut for the first day of the scheduled two-week Douglas County District Court trial. The jury heard from Morrissey, and firefighter Mike Major, among others. Major, who works for the City of Longmont, said Stone approached the fire truck on which he was an officer at about 5 a.m. March 12. Stone appeared cold and looked as though he’d been out all night, Major testified. He asked the firefighter for a ride, and Major offered to take him to a city warming station. “I remember him saying something about having issues with his girlfriend, having been kicked out,” Major said. “He was very talkative. It seemed like he had a lot of energy for five o’clock in the morning, was my thought.” En route to the warming shelter, Major testified Stone asked instead to be dropped off at a convenience store. Firefighters dropped him off at the Bradley gas station, from which the first of several vehicles Stone allegedly stole was taken less than an hour later. That Ford Edge, left running while the female driver went inside the store, contained the woman’s 4-year-old son. Major said he connected the man he’d picked up with the auto theft and kidnapping when the call about the incidents came into the fire station at about 6:30 a.m. Jurors also spent about an hour April 21 watching the video of the chase. Prosecuting attorneys emphasized the video evidence and the driver’s repeated Stone continues on Page 9