Citizen Centennial 6-7-13
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 29
June 7, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
Deputy: Woman feared her son Liggett to stand trial in mother’s slaying By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com
The Aluminum Overcast, a B-17G, is powered by four 1,200-horsepower engines. It was delivered to the Army Air Forces on May 18, 1945.
Storied warbird returns Photos by Deborah GriGsby
Reflecting on his time as a B-17 flight engineer and crewmember, World War II veteran Frank Petrucci takes in the sights and sounds of the cockpit as he stands behind the crew of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s B-17 Flying Fortress fondly known as the Aluminum Overcast. The plane will be the centerpiece of a World War II hangar dance on June 8 at Centennial Airport.
Aluminum Overcast, a famed B-17 Flying Fortress, is making her annual visit through June 9 at Centennial Airport. The vintage plane will also serve as the centerpiece for a World War II hangar dance on June 8. Flights, ground tours and tickets for the dance are available through Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Call 303-360-5360 for more information or visit www.wingsmuseum.org.
innovation officer connects the dots Zelenok aims to maximize dollars for city taxpayers
Slaying continues on Page 12
Liggett denied killing mother
By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com Giving a nod to the corporate world, the City of Centennial has hired a chief innovation officer to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. Dave Zelenok, Centennial’s former director of public works and interim city manager, fills the position created by City Manager John Danielson last fall. Zelenok says he’s on a mission to connect people, ideas and resources that will help maximize taxpayer dollars. “The essence of the City of Centennial is innovation,” said Danielson, who points out that running a city of more than 100,000 people with only 52 full-time employees is something pretty innovative in itself. Zelenok admits his title sounds a bit unconventional, but describes his position as something akin to orchestra conductor, working across multiple departments to “break down information silos.” “It’s my job to help shape and advocate innovative thinking,” said Zelenok. “I look at the big picture and more or less connect the dots to give the city the most value for its taxpayer dollars.”
The Centennial man accused of killing and dismembering his mother is set to stand trial. Arapahoe County Chief Judge William Sylvester ruled June 3 that sufficient evidence exists for Ari Misha Liggett, 24, to go to trial. Sylvester set arraignment for July 15. Liggett was charged with firstdegree murder in the Oct. 14, 2012, death of his mother after law enforcement officials allegedly found him with body parts in the back of his vehicle. Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Craig Clark Liggett testified in Liggett’s preliminary hearing that the victim, 56-year-old Beverly Liggett, had told him she lived in fear of her son, and that she once awoke during the night to find him standing next to her bed holding an ax. Sworn statements given to investigators by family members also said she was afraid of her son’s interest in chemicals and would “never allow them in the house.” Further testimony paints the younger Liggett as a self-absorbed young man who had a love of money and yearned for the “finer things in life.” Clark testified that police reports show in the hours after Beverly Liggett’s death, wire transfers totaling $40,000 had been made from her savings account to a checking account and
By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com
Former interim City Manager Dave Zelenok is now Centennial’s chief innovation officer. According to Zelenok, the newly created position is similar to an orchestra conductor, connecting and blending city activities, like this fiber optic cabling project along Arapahoe Road. Along with connecting new partners, Zelenok’s post is charged with “getting the biggest bang for the city’s buck.” Photo by Deborah Grigsby With degrees in engineering from the Air Force Academy and the University of Texas at Austin, Zelenok oversees multiple public works and telecom projects designed to keep the city “on the cutting edge
of technology.” One such project comes in the form of a fiber-optic cable and conduit project runZelenok continues on Page 12
It made Ari Liggett happy to cook dinner for his mother. One of her favorite meals was spaghetti with red sauce. But was a handwritten change to 56-year-old Beverly Liggett’s will enough to turn her son to murder? That’s what prosecutors are hoping to prove. Liggett continues on Page 12
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