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."

Crimes and Times

I don't remember when I first heard, "If you do the crime, you do the time," - but I'm pretty sure it was around when I was attending high school back in the early 1970s.   At that time in my life, it usually referred to someone 'borrowing' a parent's car without permission, having an accident, and admitting it to said parents, then taking the punishment in stride.  And I realize that I sound like an 'old fogey,' and that each generation bemoans the fact that the following generation just doesn't live up to the elders' expectations...  I realize, too, that today's extraordinary communications array allows for the world-wide dissemination of news in seconds, as opposed to the relatively slow spread of "news" via letters, newspapers, and news magazines up until the mid-1800s.  It just seems to me that younger generation today has no grasp, or any idea of, the sanctity of life - nor of the widening ripples that flow out from a single instance of violence. 
   Today, I shook my head while reading the local newspaper because last year, a young man, then a teen (now 20), had plead "not guilty" to a felony animal cruelty charge.  He and two friends had beaten a raccoon to death with a baseball bat, a hockey stick and a tennis racquet.  The two friends plead guilty, but this young man was adamant that it was a 'quick blow' gone bad.  (According to neighbors, the boys were dancing around the raccoon that was trying to escape it's tormentors, and yelling, "Get it!"  "Smack it hard!")  Today, 30 minutes before he was due in court to face a jury trial, the young man made a plea deal.  He admitted guilt to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, and got one year's probation, and 6 weeks of Community Service.  Is this just an acknowledgement that "boys will be boys," and that humankind has a built-in lust for "blood sport?"
   Over the weekend, the news was that Zoey Ripple, the CU student who was shot in the hip while she was in a drunken stupor and invaded the bedroom of a couple asleep in their own home, is still seeking a plea deal.  According to the local press, she has a long history of misdemeanor charges, including petit theft and DUI, but has never had to serve any time or perform any community service.  Now having been caught with an alcohol level three times the amount that is legally allowed, having let herself inside a private residence and trespassed on into the bedroom, having been so drunk that she simply couldn't respond to several "Stop or be shot!" warnings, she now doesn't want to face the consequences of her actions.  This is a young woman who, apparently, has needed some type of interventionary help, but who has either (a) not availed herself of such counseling, or (b) just doesn't care about anyone except herself.
    I won't even start writing about the gunman at the Aurora movie theater...  He really upsets me!
   People need to start acknowledging that there is a right and a wrong.  And if they do the wrong thing, they need to readily accept the punishment that the rest of society sets out for them.  All of this pleading down to lesser crimes and sentences is a slap in the face to justice.