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April 8, 2021
JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
JeffcoTranscript.com
VOLUME 37 | ISSUE 39
Gun thefts rising in Lakewood Can proposed state law help lower the number of stolen firearms in Jeffco? BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
plus people love to volunteer — get out and do good in their own communities, and it goes to benefit youth in their own neighborhoods.” She said a lot of the folks helping out are repeat volunteers. They also attract a lot of interest and reach volunteers through social media. Arneson said most of the donations go to Title One schools, and they do bike and skateboard events pretty much every month of the year, although not always in Colorado. Can’d Aid does events across the nation. Jennifer Lockhart works for SM Energy. She heard about the event through a volunteer group at her office. This was her first time
The higher-than-normal crime rates Lakewood saw in 2020 haven’t dropped, at least not in the case of stolen guns and ammo. According to John Romero, Public Information Officer, Lakewood PD., in 2020, the city had a total of 260 cases where firearms and or ammunition was stolen. For comparison, for the period of Jan. 1, 2020, through March 29, 2020, there were 37 cases of stolen guns / ammo. In the correlating timeframe in 2021, there have been 54 cases — a 46% increase. The rise in stolen guns hasn’t been limited to just Lakewood. Mike Taplin, Public Information Officer, Jeffco Sheriff ’s Office, said in 2020 the county saw a total of 108 cases involving stolen guns in unincorporated Jeffco. Of those cases, 28 were vehicle trespasses (breaking into a vehicle) and five involved guns being left inside vehicles that were stolen. Though there are no available numbers to indicate how many crimes may have been committed with the hundreds of guns stolen from Lakewood and Jeffco in 2020, the fact that so many criminals are now in possession of these lethal weapons is reason for concern.
SEE BOARDS, P11
SEE GUN THEFTS, P2
Joe and Madison Carpenter show off their creations in Arvada.
PHOTOS BY BOB WOOLEY
Joy on four wheels for Arvada students Beers and boards make for a fun way of giving BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On a recent sunny afternoon on the back patio of Arvada’s New Image Brewing, a skater named Azamat sipped a cold beverage and built skateboards to donate to underserved youth at Lawrence Elementary School in Arvada. The volunteer event was organized by Can’d Aid, a nonprofit that rallies volunteers from all walks of life to distribute water, provide access and opportunities for underserved youth to experience music,
arts and the outdoors; and protect and restore the environment. They like to call it spreading Do-Goodery. Abbi Arneson, Program Coordinator, Can’d Aid, said 81 new skateboards would be donated from the event, part of their Treads and Trails program that encourages kids to get outside and lead healthy, active lifestyles. She said skateboards and bikes (which they also regularly donate) are great tools, not just for getting kids outside, but also for helping them better their mental, emotional and physical health. “We rally volunteers in public spaces to help us build the skateboards and bikes,” she said. “So, it’s a full-circle type of event where we have volunteers building them,
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 21
REGAINING FITNESS Some tips to shed those quarantine pounds P14