Elk-Killing Cop Has More Restrictions; Home Explosion Body Found

Officials are still examining the ruins and possible causes for the house explosion in Thornton, a suburban area of Denver, that occurred yesterday afternoon.  Three people lived in the house; two were at work when the explosion happened, and the third person was in the basement of the home.  Cadaver dogs found the body early this morning, but the remains cannot be removed due to the condition of the building and the continuing investigation of what caused the explosion.
  Ex-Boulder police officer Sam Carter, who was found guilty by a jury of his peers last month in the 4 felony and 5 misdemeanor charges filed against him for the killing of the Mapleton elk, was back in court this afternoon.  He was arrested for DUI in another county, and his drivers license was suspended.  He drove himself to his trial today, and was arrested again for driving without a license.  When he was arrested in November for the DUI, he kept yelling at the officer who stopped him that he (Carter) was a Boulder police officer and that he was the one who had killed the elk (Big Boy).  His blood alcohol level was 3 times the legal limit.  Following these happenings, and in a sealed motion to a local judge, the Boulder District Attorney asked that Sam Carter's personal recognizance bond of $20,000 be revoked, that the amount be changed to $100,000, and that several other conditions be added.
   Judge Berkenkotter modified Carter's bond, but kept it at $20,000, with several conditions today. They include no alcohol, no drugs, no weapons, no contact with the Boulder Police Department, no contact with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff, no contact with the Boulder County District Attorney's office, and no contact with Judge Patrick Butler (who presided over Carter's trial) and/or Judge Butler's staff.  The conditions also include substance abuse monitoring, electronic alcohol monitoring, and pre-trial supervision.  Carter is scheduled to be sentenced for his crimes on 29 August.
  (It sounds to me like Carter has been getting drunk and saying that he was going to shoot those involved in the trial...  Very bad conduct for an ex-law officer.)

Mountain Rescue, Mudslide, and Elk Trial

The massive mudslide in Mesa County, Colorado is still in an unstable condition.  The three missing men are no longer being searched for.  Small slides continue at irregular intervals.  Some of the residents of the small town of Collbran have been told to be ready to evacuate immediately, and small ranchers have been trucking their horses, cattle, and other livestock to safer areas.  A grand piano was seen being loaded into a moving van yesterday...  A lake of standing water is forming at the foot of Grand Mesa, which is where the slide originated and the lake is expected to break through the mud-formed wall and cause another large mudslide.  Geologists and engineers have determined that the second, largest mudslide was moving around 170 miles per hour Sunday afternoon, when he three local men went up Salt Creek to find what had caused the water to stop running in their irrigation ditches.  My heart goes out to the two families who lost loved ones - and to those who might still lose their homes and livelihoods to further slides.
   A  19-year-old man from Quebec, Canada decided to go mountain climbing with a friend Tuesday.  The young man had no mountain climbing experience, and went along with his friend to climb the east face of Long's Peak in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Wearing light-weight slacks, T-shirts, and sneakers, and carrying a backpack with snacks and water, the guys made it up to the 13,000 foot level.  The Quebec youth became separated from his friend, and called for help on his cell phone, from Broadway Ledge.  A team of 28 people and two helicopters spent almost 24 hours in the search and rescue operation.  A helicopter raised the young man from the ledge, and he was taken by ambulance to the Estes Park Medical Center.  Yesterday morning, with temperatures in the 70s and the sun striking the east face of Long's Peak, the rescuers were fighting falling rocks, falling ice, and melting snow.  he young man says he's feels both "lucky" and "stupid" to have survived the night on the mountain, at 13,000 feet (with temperatures about 30 degrees), wearing summer clothes.  If you are going to climb a mountain, please take along appropriate equipment and survival gear.  I shudder to think about the cost of that rescue.
   Marc Colin, the defense attorney for ex-Boulder police officer Sam Carter, stated yesterday that his client "was not guilty of anything" in the opening statements for Carter's trial, charged with multiple misdemeanor and felony charges in the death of a trophy elk called Big Boy.  Colin stated that Carter as performing his duty as a police officer, to protect the residents of Boulder.  He said that the elk was a menace and danger to society because home-owners in the Mapleton Hill have been feeding the elk during the winter for the past several years.   ....  If you've ever read my blog, and especially my entries about Edward the Elk (aka Big Boy), you know where I stand.  I want Sam Carter to pay heavily for killing a trophy elk out of season - for planning to do so with a friend who has already pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to kill a trophy elk out of season, and to picking up the elk's carcass on the night in question (having called in sick for his night shift work at Boulder Police Department), but being immediately available to pick up the carcass after midnight and take it to his home taxidermy shop.  I believe the friend, Brent Curnow, also received a light sentence for his part in this farce.  or more information, please see:  http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_25850065/boulder-elk-jury-seated-sam-carter

Trial Begins in Death of Big Boy (aka Edward the Elk)

Picking a jury for the trial of ex-police officer Sam Carter was apparently difficult - it took all of yesterday and up until today's lunch break at the Boulder County Court House.  The attorneys agreed upon the choice of 8 women and 6 men for the empanelled jury.  Opening statements are scheduled to begin in one hour.  Former Boulder Police Officer Sam Carter is on trial on charges connected to the 1 January 2013 killing of a trophy elk in the residential neighborhood on Mapleton Hill.
  Carter is facing one count of attempting to influence a public official, a Class 4 felony; one count of forgery, a Class 5 felony; and two counts of tampering with physical evidence, Class 6 felonies.  He is also facing misdemeanor counts of first-degree official misconduct, illegal possession of a trophy elk with a Samson Law surcharge, conspiracy to commit illegal possession of wildlife, unlawfully taking of a big game animal out of season, and unlawful use of an electronic communication device to unlawfully take wildlife.
  Big Boy, also known as Edward the Elk, wintered in the Mapleton Hill neighborhood of Boulder for many years.  He was known to enjoy corn and sweet feed that neighbors provided for him during heavy snows.  In the two months before his death, a US Post Office mail man, who delivered on foot in the area, complained twice about Big Boy.  Both times, the large bull was standing on the path to the front porch and refused to move away, so the mail could not be delivered.  The last time, the mail man decided to continue his approach and Big Boy shook his rack at the mail man.  So the elk was reported for "bad behavior."  Residents have stated that if the elk was in front of their porch entry, all they had to do was open the door and the elk would move away.   The morning that Big Boy was shot and killed by Sam Carter, Carter had told the people in residence that the elk was injured and needed to be killed "humanely."   A necropsy showed that the elk was in excellent health.
   They'd never let me on that jury!  I'd want to shoot the ex-officer myself!

Sam Carter posing with Big Boy after shooting him

Police Arrested for Killing Elk

After almost three weeks of investigation and community unrest, two Boulder police officers were arrested Friday on nine charges -- including three felonies -- in the shooting and disposing of an elk in the Mapleton Hill area after investigators say texts between the officers revealed officers planned the trophy kill almost a day in advance of the actual shooting.
  Boulder police officers Sam Curnow, 35, and Brent Curnow, 38, turned themselves into the Boulder County Jail Friday morning and were booked on suspicion of forgery, tampering with physical evidence, attempting to influence a public official -- all felonies -- as well as unlawful taking of a trophy elk, conspiracy, a Samson surcharge, killing an elk out of season, unlawful use of an electronic device to unlawfully take wildlife and first degree official misconduct -- all misdemeanors.
  Carter and Curnow could face prison time and the loss of their official police certification. Both men were released on $20,000 personal recognizance bonds, and a formal filing of charges could happen as soon as January 23, according to Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett.
  "Over the last two-and-a-half weeks, my lawyers, investigators and staff have worked closely with the excellent investigators of Colorado Parks and Wildlife to make sure that no stone was left unturned in determining what happened here," Garnett said.
  According to an affidavit, Carter told police the day after the shooting that he encountered an elk while on patrol near Mapleton Avenue and Ninth Street late Jan. 1 that he said was injured and needed to be put down. Carter then shot the animal with a shotgun, and Curnow -- who was off-duty -- came to pick up the carcass with the help of an on-duty Boulder County sheriff's deputy, identified as Jeff George.
  Carter did not report the incident or notify his supervisors he fired his weapon that night, though he told investigators he called in the incident and did not know why dispatch did not have any record of it, according to the affidavit.
  But according to an arrest affidavit, cell phone records obtained from phone carriers for Carter, Curnow and George show the shooting was premeditated. In the texts, Carter can be seen referring to the elk as early as 2:56 a.m. Jan. 1 -- almost 20 hours before the shooting.
  Carter also applied for a road kill permit for the elk with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, saying the elk had broken an antler off, while investigators believe Curnow had sawed the antler off.
During the investigation, no neighbors who saw the elk in the hours leading up to the shooting noticed it was injured and also said it never appeared to be aggressive. In addition, a necropsy of the elk performed at Colorado State University found no signs of any significant trauma, and investigators never found evidence of a car strike at the scene.
  In addition to the criminal investigation, the Boulder Police Department is conducting an internal personnel investigation into Carter and Curnow. They had both been on paid leave, but Boulder police Chief Mark Beckner said in light of the charges he was now placing them on unpaid administrative leave.
  "Boulder police fully supports the decision of the District Attorney's Office," Beckner said. "It's the right decision."
  Beckner said the personnel investigation will still take a couple weeks, but did add the consequences for the type of untruthfulness depicted in the affidavit would, "typically be termination from employment."
  "I think the affidavit speaks for itself," Beckner said.
  At the moment, George is not facing any criminal charges, according to Garnett, though that could change if more evidence comes to light.
  "Certainly, on a case like this, the various investigations will continue and if the state of the evidence changes we will reevaluate," Garnett said.
  Boulder Sheriff Joe Pelle said George never denied texting Carter about killing the elk, and thought Carter had been told by Boulder police to put the elk down.
  "His story from the very beginning was that he knew Carter was looking for the elk," Pelle said. "The text messages don't change the presumption of innocence or guilt." But Pelle said George is still subject to an internal probe, though he has not been suspended from duty.
  "We're still unhappy we were involved in this at all," Pelle said. "At a very minimum, the deputy wasn't where he was supposed to be or doing what he was supposed to be."
  Friday's arrest comes after a tumultuous few weeks, as residents of Mapleton neighborhood where the elk was often seen expressed outrage over the shooting. The elk's death sparked everything from vigils and marches to Twitter accounts and even a ballad.
  Jennifer Churchill, the spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said the investigation took time due to the enormous amount of interviews and electronic evidence to go through. "We take wildlife crime allegations very seriously," said Churchill. "We really appreciate the public's patience with this."

Edward Elk (aka Big Boy on FB) Update

The Boulder Police Department has now said that one of their on-duty police officers shot and killed Edward the Elk with a shotgun Tuesday night.  The officer, identified in  a local home-owner's enlarged photo, as S. Carter posed with the elk and then called another off-duty officer, who loaded the elk's body into a pickup truck and took it off to hang and butcher as game.  The on-duty officer did not tell his supervisor that he had shot the elk, which is why the Boulder PD denied knowledge of the act.  The officer now claims that he had watched the elk moving about in the neighborhood, and had made the decision that it was injured and needed to be put out of it's misery.
    Edward had returned to the Mapleton Hill area where he was killed every winter for the past 10 years - the neighborhood was used to his presence, and he was used to the people, dogs, and traffic.  Several points of one horn had been broken off while fighting other bull elk this year, but those were the only things the usual neighbors noted about the elk's appearance. S. Carter apparently reported that the elk was limping, and that was what he based his decision upon.  (Heck, I don't want that officer around our neighborhood!  Old Tripod, the 10-point buck, would be shot by him immediately.  Tripod had a hind-leg broken when he was 2 years old; it didn't heal correctly, and it dangles as a much shorter leg than the others.  Tripod leaps and runs and jumps fences with ease, so there's no need to shoot him.)
  The Department of Wildlife is investigating this killing, as Edward qualified as a "trophy specimen" along with the fact he was killed within the city limits.  There could be a fine levied of up to $10,000 and jail time might also be recommended.  At least his body is being processed for consumption,  It would be a terrible shame to waste that magnificent animal's life...  But that doesn't replace the annual winter visits of Edward the Elk to his neighborhood haunts on Mapleton Hill.

Boulder police officer S. Carter poses with Edward after killing him.