HAPPY CATTLE: Open space grazing is a win-win solution P12
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August 3, 2017
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Agate man convicted of killing Parker resident BY TOM SKELLEY TSKELLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Cassidy Lenhart, Ashley Rhinehart and Catherine Rose ride into the arena at the 2017 Elizabeth Stampede.
TY STOCKTON
Drill team does some fancy footwork Blazing Saddles squad began 11 years ago BY JODI HORNER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
For the 24 young riders of the Blazing Saddles drill team, having the opportunity to ride their horses and perform at rodeo events throughout the region means a commitment to once-a-week practices, riding in all weather conditions (except lightning), and learning to manage a half-ton animal in a variety of situations.
The riders practice steering their horses into formations and carrying large flags mounted on poles of wood or aluminum while riding their horses at high speed. The flags bear the logos of business sponsors and rodeos, along with military flags. The all-female drill team was started 11 years ago when coach Cindy Adams harnessed momentum from a grassroots drill team that had begun with the Little Britches Rodeo in Kiowa. “We got together and wanted to do an opening for the Tuesday night rodeos for a couple of years, and the kids that were doing it wanted to
start their own team,” said Adams, who lives in Elizabeth. Adams is assisted by Madeline Wagner, also from Elizabeth. “Being a member of the drill team is so much more than getting dressed up and showing everyone how fast and well you can ride a horse,” Wagner said. Wagner said she finds volunteering with the Blazing Saddles to be very rewarding. “I feel that I gain more from being involved with the girls than the girls get from me,” Wagner said. Wagner said she gains a sense of SEE EQUESTRIAN, P14
An Elbert County jury convicted Agate resident Shawn Geerdes, 48, of killing former Parker resident Jason Dosa, 44, whom authorities determined was Geerdes’ partner in a marijuana grow business. On July 19, the jury found Geerdes guilty on three counts: second-degree murder, a Class 2 felony; setting a wildfire, a Class 3 felony; and seconddegree arson, a Class 4 felony. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 96 years in prison if he is found to be a habitual offender during his Sept. 5 sentencing hearing. The case began Sept. 20, 2015, when Jefferson County Sheriff ’s deputies discovered a wildfire ignited by a burning car. Investigating officers found a body in the trunk, later identified as Dosa. He had been shot five times. “When reviewing a case, our office always evaluates the applicability of affirmative defenses, such as self-defense or defense of premises, commonly known as ‘Make My Day,’” Senior Deputy District Attorney Douglas Bechtel said. “However, the defendant’s actions in this case… (show) that the defendant knew this was not a justified shooting.” Investigators traced Dosa’s movements and found his last location at a marijuana greenhouse in Agate on land owned by Geerdes. Dosa and Geerdes were former partners in the grow operation. Authorities found bloodstains and spent shell casings at the grow house, indicating Dosa had been killed there and his body was later transported to Jefferson County.
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
‘I think about what makes people laugh, like, why are you going to a comedy club? Me, I don’t want a 15-minute speech about politics.’ Sam Adams, comedian | Page 16 INSIDE
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