1-Color
March 19, 2014
75 cents Teller County, Colorado | Volume 53, Issue 11 A publication of
pikespeakcourier.net
Tamarac scores county offices By Pat Hill
phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com Goodbye Manor Court and the Cobblestone building, hello to the Tamarac Business Center. With the stroke of a pen, Teller County commissioners agreed to combine the county offices in Woodland Park into one site on N. Colo. 67. The move ends a tradition of conducting county business in both buildings. From Aug. 1 on, Teller County residents will renew their drivers’ licenses, check in at the building/planning department, visit Social Services or the extension office in the Tamarac Center. “One of the first things I got involved with as a commissioner was looking for efficient and inexpensive ways to get out of leasing those two buildings,” said commission chair Dave Paul, speaking at the meeting March 13. Originally owned by the county, the two buildings were traded to the State Land Board. “We’ve been renting them at what was a very favorable situation,” Paul said. “But as the market began to reduce rates, the rent became average.” Two years ago the county tried to buy back the two buildings, expecting to save around $30,000 a year, Paul said, adding that the land board directors were not interested in discussing a deal. Under the current lease the county is responsible for maintenance. “And those buildings are getting old and have had issues,” he added. “Tamarac will provide a much more professional environment.” There’s a bonus involved in the move. “This is going to save us about $57,000 a year over what we’re paying now,” Paul said. “Had we been able to buy those buildings we would have seen a savings but we are not going to be responsible for the maintenance of Tamarac - we will have some responsibilities for cleaning and general upkeep.”
Teller County offices in Woodland Park will be combined in the Tamarac Business Center. As a result, Manor Court and the Cobblestone Building will no longer be the place to renew driver’s licenses or visit Social Services. Photo by Pat Hill
Local SWAT team honored by FBI By Pat Hill
phill@coloradocommunitymedia.com In the zenith of gratitude ceremonies three FBI agents paid tribute to the SWAT team, a volunteer unit that includes lawenforcement officers from the Teller County Sheriff’s Office and Woodland Park Police Department. The team helped capture the fugitive Timothy Vigil who fled to Teller County Dec. 27 in an attempt to escape arrest in Colorado Springs. Sheriff Mike Ensminger introduced the ceremony at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. “The team works hard at what they try to achieve, whether it’s emergency call-out, partnering with our community members or educating our citizens,” Ensminger said. “I watched the operation from beginning to end. It was probably the smoothest errorfree operation I’ve ever had a chance to witness.” Special Agent Jon Cronan addressed the team. “I came out here with one other guy on Dec. 27; three people had kidnapped two men, tortured and held them for ransom, tied `em up inside the house,” Cronan said. “They had every intention of killing them after they got the ransom.” But the captives escaped and reported that the three men had left the house in POSTAL ADDRESS
Teller County Sheriff ’s deputies and Woodland Park Police Department, members of the Emergency Response Team, were honored by Sheriff Mike Ensminger along with three representatives of the FBI in a ceremony March 10. The team, along with the FBI, captured Timothy Vigil Dec. 27 in Teller County. Vigil was on the lam for kidnapping, torture and ransom in Colorado Springs. Photo by Pat Hill Colorado Springs. “The men said that Timothy Vigil was the one to watch,” Cronan said. “We were just following leads and told Commander (Jason) Mikesell that we’d be in the area.” From tips, the FBI learned that Vigil was holed up in a house in Divide. Mikesell called in the SWAT team. “There’s no way in the world we were going to be able to extract this guy inside this house with all his buddies, their guns and all the other things they had inside this house where they had bar-
ricaded themselves,” Cronan said. While the team’s detective worked on a search warrant other detectives canvassed neighborhoods trying to develop probable cause for the warrant. “The team went out in this field and it’s freezing cold, dogs are barking, people are coming outside their houses and we’re sitting out there shivering for hours,” Cronan said. “These are volunteers; I was struck at how professional these guys were. This is not anything out of the ordinary for these men and women; they did
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their job they volunteered to do it. And we need to take moment to appreciate them.” Vigil was held at the Teller County jail and subsequently transported to the El Paso County detention center. Officers received a certificate of appreciation from the FBI. Along with Cronan, FBI agents Steve Smith and Eric Jergenson congratulated the team. Woodland Park Police Chief Bob Larson was also present. Some SWAT officers are members of the county’s Emergency Response Team: Commander Jason Mikesell (TCSO), Sgt. Roger Sandefur (TCSO), Sgt. Miles DeYoung (WPPD), Sgt. Greg Couch (TCSO), Cpl. Chris Moeller (WPPD), Cpl. David Moorhead (TCSO), Sgt. Josh Miller (TCSO), Cpl. Chad Davey(TCSO), Cpl. Andy Leibbrand (WPPD),Deputy Conrad Stoll(TCSO) and Deputy Nick Pieper(TCSO). Others are members of the Patrol unit: CPL. Jeff Sanchez (TCSO), Deputy Derek True (TCSO), Deputy Sean Bow (TCSO) and Deputy Reid Rebb(TCSO). The Detective is Steve Hellman, (TCSO). “Collectively they are a group of law-enforcement professionals who do their job about as good as anybody I know in this line of work,” Ensminger said. The ceremony concluded with a reception for the officers, their families and friends.
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