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February 7, 2014 Douglas County, Colorado | Volume 12, Issue 15 A publication of
parkerchronicle.net
Former cop gets 4 years
Dozens of children (and a few adults) took advantage of the recent snowfall that covered the small slopes around Parker. The morning of Feb. 1 was particularly busy at a popular sledding hill on the east side of Chaparral High School, off Stonegate Parkway.
Parker resident sold illicit drugs out of his home By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz @coloradocommunitymedia.com
Barely able to contain his excitement, 1-year-old Drew Dieker, of Parker, enjoys his first time sledding on mom Jennifer’s lap.
SLIP SLEDDING AWAY Joshua Helgoth, 5, of Parker, closes his eyes and hopes for the best as he cruises down the snowy hill.
Rocking a dinosaur helmet, ski goggles and a smile, Ryan Dieker, 4, of Parker, blasts down the sledding hill.
PHOTOS BY CHRIS MICHLEWICZ
Town wants $21 million for projects Voter approval not required for agreement By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Parker Town Council has taken the first step toward issuing $21 million in debt to fund two capital projects. Council voted 5-0 on Feb. 3 in favor of a lease-purchase agreement that will use $21 million worth of certificates of participation to build a new public works facility and expand the Parker Recreation Center. COPs, as they are commonly known, do not require voter approval. It was the first reading of the proposal; town council will make a final decision during a meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at town hall. The COPs will be paid from base rental payments made by the town per an annual appropriation lease-purchase agreement with the trustee, Wells Fargo Bank. The leased property will consist of two town-owned properties: the existing Parker Town Hall complex and the to-be-constructed public
An artist’s rendering of the expanded and renovated Parker Recreation Center, which will be done in mid-2015. The project could use $7 million in funding from certificates of participation if council approves a lease purchase agreement Feb. 18. Courtesy image MORE INFORMATION works facility and site. Traditional revenue bonds, such as the $11.4 million worth of sales-and-use-tax bonds used to build the Parker Fieldhouse in 2006, tie up revenue streams, said Don Warn, the Town of Parker’s director of finance. “COPs can be paid from any revenue stream,” Warn said. Projects continues on Page 8
The Town of Parker expects to spend nearly $6.7 million on debt service in 2014, including $3.7 million for the COPs issued in 2009 to simultaneously build the Parker Arts, Culture and Events Center and police station headquarters. It spends more than $1.2 million annually to pay off the bonds used to build the Parker Fieldhouse, including $481,000 in interest. Parker’s total debt payments are expected to rise 23 percent this year because of the issuance of the new COPs.
A police officer will move from the comfortable confines of his Parker home to a federal prison cell for the next four years. Littleton police officer Jeffery Allan Johnston, 46, was arrested in July after it was discovered that he was peddling Ecstasy out of his home. Investigators also found a small amount of cocaine, steroids, hundreds of Johnston prescription pills, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in the residence, along with nine firearms, including an AR-15 and two 12 gauge shotguns. Johnston pleaded guilty in October to one count of being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and one count of possession with intent to distribute MDMA. According to the U.S. Department of Justice website, the penalties for a first-time offender caught distributing a Schedule I drug range from 5 years to 40 years in prison. U.S. Attorney John Walsh said he believes the four-year sentence fits the crime. “As a police officer who violated the public’s trust, a four-year federal prison sentence is just and appropriate given the circumstances,” Walsh said in a prepared statement. “The fact that Johnston was involved in trafficking illegal drugs while also serving as a law enforcement officer is particularly disturbing.” Johnston also was ordered to spend three years on probation upon his release from prison. A source with the Federal Bureau of Investigation attended a party at Johnston’s home last April. While at the party, the source said he observed behavior consistent with the use of illegal drugs. The source traveled to Johnston’s residence in July. Through monitored and recorded calls before the meeting, the source agreed to deliver 75 MDMA pills to Johnston. MDMA is a purified form of the club drug Ecstasy. The exchange of money and MDMA took place in the kitchen of the residence, with Johnston receiving approximately 9.9 grams of MDMA, in the form of 37 pills, and 6.3 grams of powder MDMA. Johnston paid the source $1,300 for the drugs. Littleton Police Department Chief Doug Stephens lamented the impact of drugs on a respected member of the department. “Jeff was a good officer who dedicated 20 years to the Littleton community,” Stephens said. “His private-life choices have cost him greatly and should serve as an example of how drugs ruin lives.”
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