News
Elbert Co 9-26-2013
Elbert County
September 26, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 35
Fireman’s sentencing delayed Restitution issues hold up arson case By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews.com
Coach Ted Lipka, far right, and the other Cardinal coaches give some last-minute instructions to the team following the Sept. 19 practice.
PEP talk
The Elizabeth Middle School Cardinals get a pep talk from their coaches following a recent practice. The squads of seventhand eighth-graders have played well this season but both teams are still looking for their first win. “This is a rebuilding year for us,” said head coach Ted Lipka. The team is also coached by Brook Briddle, Alex Morrison and Neil Kuiken.
Photos by GeorGe Lurie
The eighth-grade team prepares to execute a play.
New director leads Emergency Management Lenderink ‘baptized by fire’ amid flooding By George Lurie
glurie@ourcoloradonews. com Depending on your perspective, Brandon Lenderink’s timing could not be worse — or better. The new director of Elbert County’s Office of Emergency Management stepped into his position Sept. 9, just as Colorado’s now-historic torrential rainstorms were taking aim at the Front Range and eastern plains. “Brandon’s been baptized
by fire” in his first week on the job, said Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap. Born and raised in the Denver area and now a resident of Kiowa, Linderink, 32, replaces Cory Stark as department director. Stark, Elbert County’s emergency manager since 2009, resigned in June in order to accept a position as the North Central Regional Lenderink Field Manager for the Colorado Department of Emergency Management.
‘He’s a very good communicator and really seems to have a passion for the community and the work.’ Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap In his new role, Stark will assist 10 counties, including Elbert, in helping to bolster emergency management plans and programs. Stark, together with a handful of other county officials, made up a panel that interviewed and then selected three finalists for the emergency
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management position. Lenderink’s name was then submitted to county commissioners, who voted unanimously to approve the hire. Lenderink will be paid an annual salary of $50,000. According to Board of County Commissioners Chairman Robert Rowland, approximately half of the emergency management director’s salary is funded by grants from the state. “There was a time when it was more optional for counties and local jurisdictions to have emergency managers,” Rowland said. “But in today’s world, it has become a necessity.” Lenderink continues on Page 7
Sentencing has been postponed for the volunteer firefighter who allegedly confessed to starting a fire along County Road 102 that scorched more than 600 acres in June 2012. At a Sept. 16 hearing in Kiowa, the district attorney’s office requested the delay in sentencing Alex J. Averett, whose attorney is seeking to reach a plea agreement that will allow Averett to avoid additional jail time. “Sentencing for Mr. Averett has been continued to investigate some issues concerning restitution,” said Lisa Pinto, communications director for 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler. “We remain steadfast in seeking restitution for all private and public victims of this damaging fire,” Pinto said, confirming that a final Averett court date has yet to be set for Averett’s sentencing. Arrested in February after a lengthy investigation into the cause of the wildfire, Averett has been out of jail since March 17, when he posted a $25,000 cash bond. Prior to last week’s court appearance, his lawyer, noted Denver attorney Thomas Dunn, had reportedly reached a plea deal with the DA calling for a sentence of probation for Averett in exchange for a guilty plea and commitment to pay restitution. “Alex Averett had previously pled guilty to intentionally setting a wildfire,” said Pinto. “As a condition of his plea, Mr. Averett had agreed to pay restitution. However, counsel for Averett has indicated that they do not believe that restitution can be ordered for the Elbert County fire agencies involved in fighting the County Road 102 fire.” Attempts to reach Dunn following last week’s hearing were unsuccessful. “The case is going to be set for a hearing to allow a judge to determine whether restitution to the fire agencies is appropriate,” Pinto explained. A 2011 Elbert High School graduate who was 19 at the time of the incident, Averett had worked for six months as a volunteer firefighter for the Elbert County Fire Protection District when the fire occurred. Fueled by high winds and dry conditions, the fire spread quickly and forced the evacuation of the entire town of Elbert. Averett called in the fire and was among the first emergency responders on the scene. After several hours of fighting the fire, Averett was treated for heat-related injuries and then left the scene. More than 100 firefighters from multiple agencies needed assistance from county road and bridge teams, law enforcement personnel, and two single-engine aircraft tankers to contain the fire, which burned for 18 days at the same time the Waldo Canyon and Hyde Park blazes were scorching other parts of Colorado. During a follow-up investigation in which a supervisor and fellow firefighters reported that he had been acting strangely on the day the fire started, Averett initially denied involvement in starting the blaze. But during a subsequent interview, Averett reportedly confessed, allegedly telling investigators he had set a small grass fire that quickly got out of control and then had called in the alarm to cover his trail. Averett was charged with a number of counts including second-degree arson, Firefighter continues on Page 7