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 (Final); Roll, Tide!

I was a little disappointed in the Gentle Giants episode last night - there was some good footage of the Jackson Fork Ranch Percherons pulling their aubergine wagon in a six-horse-hitch - but the episode seemed mostly concerned with the conservation of Little Jackson Hole by the ranch owner and the owner's bison meat concern, rather than the Percherons themselves. But it was great to see the horses, and I hadn't realized that the champion six-horse-hitch was all mares. The owner of the ranch is joining forces with Windermere Percherons in Pennsylvania for a breeding program - it will be interesting to see the results!
  I'm going to write a bit more about the killing of Edward the Elk today; then, I'll only post updates about the investigations into his death. According to the Boulder Chief of Police, officer Sam Carter told the home owners on Mapleton Hill that he was going to "try to get rid of an aggressive wild animal" and not to be worried if they heard a shot; Carter shot and killed the elk the yard, using his police service-issued shotgun; Carter did not report to anyone, anywhere, in law enforcement or Department of Wildlife of the Fish and Game Commission that he had killed the elk. Officer Brent Curlew had been scheduled to work that Tuesday night, but called in sick. He is the off-duty BPD officer who brought his truck to the site of the elk's demise; he is also a licensed taxidermist, and has a web page stating that he does a "great job at affordable prices." The sheriff's officer who assisted in loading the elk into the truck received a phone call on his personal cell phone requesting his assistance to load the elk. Normally, a county sheriff's deputy would not be patrolling or working inside the Boulder city limits. Sam Carter called in sick the day/night after he killed the elk. The Boulder Police Chief said that if "either employee needs to be fired, be assured, he will be fired." Boulder Mayor Matt Applebaum asked if there would be a change in the BPD's protocol regarding injured wildlife. What Chief Mark Beckner said regarding his officers chilled me to the bone: "If they want to shoot something, protocol is not going to stop them." Doesn't that sound as if we all really do live in a gun-crazed society? - Please don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-gun; I know a lot of people who are responsible gun owners and hunters. I just found that single sentence a frightening perspective of our city, county, state, and country today...
   The Crimson Tide rolled last night... Three national championships in four years... Not bad, 'Bama!

Coyote Bites Jogger; Edward the Elk

Reports have been growing about the number and tameness of the coyotes who live along the eastern part of the Boulder Creek Path - about a mile east of my apartment.  Last week there were several reports of coyotes chasing joggers and bikers along the Path, two days ago, one coyote bit a jogger in the calf of his leg.  The coyote has not been caught, and the jogger will undergo rabies shots as a precautionary measure.  I think maybe the Boulder Police Department should send officer Sam Carter over that way, since he was such a wonderful shot in killing Edward the elk on Mapleton Hill.  The coyote that bit the jogger on the leg is more of a danger to people and society than Edward, a neighborhood mascot, was.  I don't really like to see any animal killed unless there's a really good reason.  If the creature is a livestock killer in fields and pastures, it should be destroyed.  If it's a bear or mountain lion that has lost it's fear of people, it's better that the wild thing is "put down", for it is no longer truly wild.  If a coyote along a heavily used paved pathway is chasing and biting humans that are passing by, it, too, should be destroyed. (I have personally seen small children playing on roll-along bikes and trikes on that area of the BCP.)  If a wild animal is damaged irreparably, and cannot survive in the wild on it's own, it should be (considering the circumstances) put out of its misery, or taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center.  If a wild animal has lost its fear of man and is causing havoc by eating livestock and pets, or chasing people, or attacking a person without provocation, it should be put down. I would support whomever put that animal cleanly and neatly.
   The people who live on Mapleton Hill are, very rightly, upset about the killing of Edward the elk, or "Big Boy", as he was frequently called.  According to the home-owners where he was killed, he was acting normally, and was grazing in the front yard as usual, when officer Sam Carter knocked on their door s little before midnight and told them not to panic if they heard a gunshot.  The home-owners had no idea the officer was referring to killing the elk, who was 50 feet away, grazing in a corner.  This police officer did not tell his commanding officer, supervisor, or dispatch anything about the elk, or about firing his service shotgun, until the home-owners had provided the local newspaper and two TV stations with photos. It also seems highly suspicious that within 30 minutes of the shooting, an off-duty sheriff's deputy and two other men showed up with a pick-up that had a camper shell on the back, and they placed the carcass of the elk inside and drove off to butcher it. Sounds like it was planned to me.   In any event, the local Police, Sheriff, and the Department of Wildlife are each making their own investigation.  Then there's the fact that a shotgun was fired within Boulder city limits to bring down an apparently uninjured trophy elk....  Naughty, naughty!