Sentinel Lakewood
May 16, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlakewoodnews.com
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 89, Issue 40
County crunched in courts Prosecution’s hands full with Sigg, other death-related cases By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Jeffco Stadium manager John Sears adjusts hurdles between heats of the boys 110-meter hurdles event at the preliminaries of the Class 5A Jeffco League championships Tuesday, May 7, at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. Photo courtesy of Jeffco Public Schools
Crossing the finish line State track meet brings fans to Lakewood By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews.com The Colorado state track meet is coming to Jeffco Stadium May 16 through 18, bringing along with it thousands of athletes, families and sports fans to the Lakewood area. The stadium, located at 500 Kipling St., used to just host the 4A and 5A classifications over two days, but in 2009 it started hosting all classifications over a three-day period. A total of 306 schoools will be represented at the meet. “We decided to have all the classifications under one roof, not only because of efficency, but because these are the best of the best and we wanted them in one place,” said Ezra Paddock, manager of stadium operations. “There are a lot of small towns that come to see athletes compete from all over, especially since a lot of these communities don’t see many of the top-ranked athletes.” Prior to being the manager of stadium operations, Paddock was the Jeffco Sta-
dium manager, and has first-hand experience at the stadium at how crowded it becomes for the state meet. According to Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, assistant commissioner with the Colorado High School Activities Association, more than 200 workers — many of them volunteers — are required to help put the event together and keep it running smoothly. “Jeffco (Stadium) is a great venue, and everyone works really hard during the meet,” she said. “We have people helping with everything from the press box to referees - pretty much anything and everywhere. These people live for track.” The athletes and families are not the only beneficiaries of the single location for the meet — nearby businesses, particularly hotels and restaurants, see an increase due to travelers. The Hampton Inn, Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott are the “host hotels” for the event. Hampton’s Denver West Federal Center and Golden locations and both the Residence Inn and Courtyard have special rates for teams and parents. Neil Marciniak, economic development specialist with the city of Lakewood, said the city doesn’t keep specific track of any increases during the weekend, but one can assume that there is an uptick in food and
State track StatS WHAT: All-Classification State track meet WHERE: Jefferson County Stadium, 500 Kiplin St., Lakewood WHEN: May 16 through 18 TiMEs: May 16 - 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. May 17 - 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 18 - 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. lodging in the area. “The location of the stadium and surrounding facilities really drive any extra visits businesses have,” he said. Visitors really do come from all over the state, Paddock said, adding that there will be RVs with cars attached so families can go to some of their favorite restaurants that they get to visit once a year while they’re in the area. “The community is really unbelievable and welcoming,” he said. “It’s so encouraging to see how many people in the Lakewood and Jeffco sports community — many who don’t have any kids competing, but just want to watch — come together to support the event.”
Stoned-driving limit passes Legislature Governor expected to sign measure into law By Vic Vela
vvela@ourcoloradonews.com It’s been a long and winding road, but the Colorado General Assembly has finally passed a driving-stoned standard for motorists. The measure — which is expected to be signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper — establishes a marijuana blood standard by which it is illegal to operate a vehicle. “Smoke and walk. Smoke
and take the bus. Smoke and grab a cab. Smoke and call a friend. Smoke and ride a horse. Smoke and take the light rail,” said Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, a bill sponsor, during a recent Senate debate. “Just don’t smoke and drive. Your life and every other citizen’s life on the highway is at risk. The bill passed the Senate May 7 on a 23-12 vote, after it had previously cleared the House by an even wider margin. The bill limits drivers to five nanograms per milliliter of blood for active THC, marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient. But that limit would be known as a “permissible infer-
ence” standard by which a person is considered to be under the influence of the drug. However, a defendant can rebut in court whether he or she was actually impaired. That’s different from a strict “per se” standard, such as the 0.08 percent blood-alcohol concentration used to prosecute drunken drivers. Opposition to the bill knew no party lines. Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, voted no on the legislation, arguing that there are laws already on the books that make it illegal for people to drive while impaired. “What’s the problem we’re trying to solve here?” Steadman said.
And Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, cautioned that a driving-stoned limit could lead to “too many false positives,” due to residual amounts of the drug being in the bloodstream of a person who regularly smokes the drug, but may not have been stoned behind the wheel at the time of arrest. “We should not be convicting people who are not guilty of driving while impaired,” Lundberg said. Sen. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, had voted no on setting stoned-driving limits in the past, but voted yes on this “reasonable” piece of legislation, Stoned continues on Page 7
A rise in serious crime — including prosecuting Austin Sigg for the murder of Westminster 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway — is taxing the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office and draining the department’s resources. “We’re strapped as an office,” Jefferson County District Attorney Pete Weir informed the Board of County Commissioners last week. In a May 7 staff briefing, Weir told the three county commissioners that the Sigg murder trial, along with a recent spike in serious crime offenses, has left his department spread thin. His office is currently involved in 13 death-related cases. “We will get it done. All cases are important for us. But it has stretched us to the max,” Weir told the commissioners. A gag order regarding the Sigg case kept Weir from discussing very many specifics, but he did go over the case timeline. Westminster 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway was walking to school on Oct.5, 2012, when she disappeared. On Oct. 12 the media reported that remains of Ridgeway’s body had been found in the Leyden area. Austin Sigg, 17 years old at the time, would later contact police and turn himself in for the crime. He made his first court appearance on Oct. 25. District 3 Commissioner Don Rosier asked the DA if the types of murder cases in Jefferson County were presenting particular challenges. Weir said he was not asking for additional staff funding for the Sigg case at this time, but that he may have to in the future. For comparison Weir referenced the Brunco Eastwood case that created $90,000 in court costs to prosecute. Eastwood, who opened fire on students at Deer Creek Middle School in 2010, plead not guilty by reason of insanity, which required the DA’s office provide psychological experts to counter that claim. Weir said an insanity defense was a possibility in the Sigg case as well. The state had offered some financial help — up to $75,000 allocated for expert and special witness expenses. Weir, who took over the DA’s office in January, said high-profile cases, complex mental health prosecutions, and heavy caseloads all make it more important for him to retain experienced and skilled staff.
Graduation
2013
Special Edition
See high school features and commencement information on
Pages 9-11
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.