April 24, 2015 VOLU M E 1 3 | I S SUE 25
ParkerChronicle.net A publication of
D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Chase-case trial gets underway with video Ryan Stone faces more than 20 charges, including attempted murder By Jane Reuter
jreuter@colorado communitymedia.com
HighPointe Centers staff member Tina Baker encourages Amy Robinson during a kickball game at the Parker Fieldhouse last month. The town’s recreation department provides scholarships so those with special needs can get involved. Photos by Chris Michlewicz
Games strive for inclusion Special-needs population is focus of Parker rec program By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@colorado communitymedia.com The moment Terry Bickel takes the field, she is swarmed with hugs. Everyone, it seems, is glad to see her, and for good reason. She is one of the people who makes sure those on the field are included. Minutes later, Bickel is swiftly escorting Brianna Bowland around the kickball bases in her wheelchair. Both seem to be having the time of their lives. Smiles abound and joyful shouts bounce through the rafters at the Parker Fieldhouse. Bickel, the individuals with disabilities coordinator for the Parker Parks and Recreation Department, is spending her Thursday afternoon like she always does. This time around, it’s a group from HighPointe Centers, a Centennial-based group that runs a day program for adults with special needs. Along with Bickel, staff members from HighPointe make sure everyone has the chance to participate. It’s part of a goal to maintain an active body and mind for each person. “It relieves stress, it’s fun, and there are a whole bunch of social interactions that go along with the sports aspect,” said Toby Gerard, director of curriculum for HighPointe Centers. “It’s really holistic and hits everything our clients need.” Rules are an afterthought. It’s the inclusive atmosphere that matters most, and this group knows that more than anyone. Because needs vary widely based on the disability, one-on-one work is essential. But no one seems to mind the necessary game breaks to accommodate everyone. “We work it out. If we’re playing softball or kickball, we have a runner, and we have them run around the bases with the wheelchair, and if they physically can’t kick, we put (the ball) by their foot and help them kick, so we just adapt to what they can and can’t do,” Bickel says. Sideline-sitters are nudged into the game. HighPointe staffer Tina Baker brings Danny Schirmer to his feet and out of his shell. Before long, he is greeted at home plate with high-fives and hugs. The activity changes every week. Sometimes they go to the Parker Recreation Cen-
Patrick Auerbach rolls a kickball toward Christopher Strange, left, as Terry Bickel looks on. Bickel oversees special needs programming for Parker’s recreation department. ter to swim. Other times it’s basketball in the Parker Fieldhouse gymnasium, soccer on a local field, or even camping in the mountains. The Town of Parker applies each year for an “individuals with disabilities” grant from Douglas County — last year’s was around $20,000 — which means many of the athletic activities for people with special needs are free, said Mary Colton, recreation manager for Parker. The local Mountain Pines Women’s Club also has a craft fair every year that raises more than $1,000 for scholarships. Parker sought out the financial resources for people with cognitive deficiencies and physical limitations in part to assist a demographic whose money often goes toward medical bills and care. The town identified
a gap in recreational opportunities for those with special needs and is acting to broaden its offerings, Colton said. The town plans to add a full-time employee who specializes in adaptive recreation. “As a town, we’ve committed and it’s been a high priority of mine since I got here eight years ago,” Colton said. “They are wonderful to work with, and you can just see how much joy and satisfaction and reward they get out of participation.” Even when assisted, sports foster a sense of independence. Parker’s programs make sure that a population that sometimes gets overlooked is included, Gerard said. The hugs and smiles come naturally. “That’s why I do it,” Bickel says. “That’s everything.”
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