S O U T H
M E T R O
VOLUME 36 • NUMBER 41 • AUGUST 30, 2018
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Kids raise funds for injured CHVPD officer First CHVPD officer shot in the line of duty recovering. Suspects still at large.
BY BECKY OSTERWALD MANAGING EDITOR Cherry Hills Village police officer Cory Sack was shot Aug. 20 when he responded to a report of a home invasion. This is the first time a CHV officer has been shot in the line of duty. According to CHV Chief Michelle Tovrea, a 911 call was received by Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, and when Sack entered the home, he was confronted by one suspect who opened fire. Sack was shot in the left leg above the knee and the right foot. He has had two surgeries on the leg to repair the shattered femur and will possibly have another surgery at the end of this week on his foot, Tovrea mentioned. A GoFundMe account has been set up for Sack and Tovrea said approximately $52,000 has been raised and an additional $900 was raised by area kids that set up a lemonade stand over the weekend. CHVPD is working with other agencies to apprehend four suspects currently being sought, but Tovrea did not have a description outside of two were black men. Anyone with information should contact the CHV Police.
A group of kids in Cherry Hills Village had a lemonade stand recently to raise money for Officer Cory Sack who was shot during a home invasion Aug. 20. The kids presented approximately $900 to the CHV Police Department Aug. 27. Courtesy photo
Englewood city council member Barrentine faces recall election BY FREDA MIKLIN STAFF WRITER
Ballots are being sent out this week to Englewood district 3 residents, due back to the city clerk by Sept. 18. They contain one yes or no question: “Shall Laurett Barrentine be recalled from the office of City of Englewood City Council member district 3?” Two former mayors of Englewood, Randy Penn (2011-2015) and Jim Woodward (2007-2011), and other citizens are leading a recall effort to remove Barrentine. The website, englewoodrecall.
com, levels accusations that Barrentine is a “bully,” “unprofessional” and “obstructionist.” It also refers to an incident at a May 7 city council meeting, at which it says that “Barrentine attempted to intimidate fellow council member Cheryl Wink so that Wink wouldn’t do her job.” Reached by The Villager, Wink, elected in 2017, disavows anything to do with the recall, saying “it is a citizen-driven process.” Of the May 7 incident, she says, “It is completely independent of the recall, and now everyone on council is getting along far better.”
A review of recent Englewood city council meetings, which are videotaped and available to anyone to watch on the internet, bears out Wink’s statement that the Englewood council is working together, with most votes being decided unanimously. As to the recall effort, Wink says, “It will be positive for the city when this is behind us.” Mayor Pro Tem Rita Russell told The Villager that, “The recall has no basis. There were problems when Steven Yates and Rick Gillit were on city council. That’s why they were voted out (in November
2017). This is the best city council Englewood has had in decades.” Barrentine, elected in 2015, told The Villager, “The recall is name-calling and mudslinging to stop me from exposing what’s been going on in Englewood. I have many people who are proud that I’m standing up for their concerns.” She believes that the motivation for the recall is evidence uncovered by a 2017 investigation by the 18th Judicial District Office of the District Attorney alleging possible misuse of city funds. The 23-page (redacted) report is contained on her barren-
tineforenglewood.com website. It includes numerous allegations of failing to follow city policies in the area of contracts and payments, however the investigator’s conclusion states that, “the overall review determined there was no evidence to support a criminal investigation and no further investigation is warranted.” Barrentine believes that a request for a forensic audit of the information contained in the district attorney’s investigator’s report, at the suggestion of the Englewood city attorney, is the real impetus for the recall. fmiklin.villager@gmail.com