I finally opened my Christmas package from my friend in Florida - I received it a week before Christmas, but my friends' package was late in arriving at her home. This morning, I was like a small child - I was giggling as I ripped open my wrapped gifts. There were several packages, and the first I opened was labeled for Nedi and Lovey - 12 new toys, that they have already played with and marked as their own. Then a package of note cards, a magazine about the making of The Hobbit, and then, a beautiful nightshirt with matching socks. Carolyn, you always seem to know exactly what I need. My thanks for being my friend for such a long time. I am truly blessed to be friends with you and Greg! Thank you for the wonderful gifts; they will be treasured.
It's gorgeous outside - sunny sky, no clouds, and temperatures in the upper 40s. I have my patio door wide open, and I'm sitting here in a T-shirt and jeans, and am very comfortable. The kits have been running in and out for most of the morning - and I've had breakfast, my medications, and a nice,long phone conversation with Carolyn. I am content. Lovey is lying on the cat tree, and looking out the window. Nedi is lying across the patio threshold, watching leaves move in the slight breeze. I head over to Tugger and Sasquatch's this afternoon, to begin 10 days of feeding, medicating, playing, reading and grooming. I also need to remind myself to take my camera, as I don't have photos of those two. They are nice, loving kitties.
I was upset to read that someone has shot and killed four bald eagles in Snohomish County, Washington. Apparently the person who shot them was just out for the joy of killing - nothing was removed from any of the birds, and all four were thrown into a semi frozen lake, where they were found, floating. All four bald eagles had been killed by a small calibre rifle. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Native American Stillaguamish tribe are offering a combined reward of $13,750 for information regarding the killings. The criminal penalty for killing a bald eagle without a permit was increased from a maximum fine of $500 and six months imprisonment to a maximum fine of $5,000 and one year's imprisonment. Furthermore, in the second case of second conviction, the penalty was increased to $10,000 fine and two years imprisonment. The maximum amount of a misdemeanor offense was increased $100,000 under the Criminal Fines and Improvement Act of 1987. In addition, $250,000 will be fined for an individual for a demeanor and a felony conviction. Respectively, $200,000 and $500,000 will be fined in case of an organization for a misdemeanor and felony conviction. The civil penalty was added, stating anyone who takes, posses, transports, sells, barters, or purchases any dead or alive Bald or Golden Eagles will be fined $5,000 for each violation. In addition, he or she who violates or disturbs any egg or nest will be fined under the civil penalty act. The act allowed the taking, possession, or transporting of the Bald and Golden Eagles in areas where they were endangering wildlife and livestock.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
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."
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."
The Hobbit
What is happening? Another woman was shot and killed early this morning in Aurora (part of the Denver metro area). And a few miles to the northwest, in Lyons, a woman's pet miniature donkey was killed by two shots from a high-powered rifle. The sheriff's office has looked at sight-lines and said the shots that killed Kaitlyn came from one of two possible points, from a hillside above the donkeys' nine acre pasture. Tucker, Kaitlyn's brother was not harmed in the attack; but as he has always had his sister for company since birth, he too, is bereft. I simply cannot understand the need to kill someone or something with a gun - to save yourself, yes. To put food on the table, yes. But wantonly shooting human beings and defenseless pets is the absolute lowest depth that a person can sink to. It's just plain old sick; and that person needs to be imprisoned for life and/or put down themselves. Sick. Just sick.
It's a beautiful day out - the sky is a fantastic shade of blue, with just a few high clouds, the sun is shining, and it's already 50 degrees. The kits let me sleep in today, and I didn't crawl out of bed until 8:30 this morning... Since then, I've showered, fed and medicated myself, fed the kits, let them out, cleaned their litter boxes, fed the birds and the squirrels, read the news, and checked my e-mail. Once again, I'm playing the '60s Revolution music channel as background, but it is almost drowned out by the raucous cries of the ravens in the back yard. Either they believe they deserve more to eat, or Nedi and they are playing. I might take my reading chair out onto the patio and relax for a while in the sun, myself.
Today and for the weekend, the Native American Expo is taking place in Denver, and the Stock Show still has 10 days left to run. When I saw The Hobbit yesterday, I found that walking two and a half blocks is just about my top capacity at the moment. I was exhausted after walking there, and then was very happy to sit in the dark, put my feet up, and watch the movie. It was pretty good. It didn't follow the book precisely, but it was OK and didn't change too many things too radically. I've been in love with Fili and Kili and Thorin Oakenshield for the past 41 years, and yesterday, I had to add Bofur to the list. Of course, I loved Bombur just because he was so nice to Bilbo from the outset... and his portrayal in the movie is genius. The movie certainly fleshed out Radagast the Brown, and I really enjoyed him, as well. The trolls were nicely creepy and gross; and, of course, Gollum was ... well, Gollum. Now I have to wait a year to see Beorn and Bard... hmmmmmmmm....
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Places
Bali Hai, Kaua'i, Hawai'i
Yellow-bellied marmot on top of Half Dome
View from Tahiti, French Polynesia
San Antonio, Texas River Walk
This 'n' That
It's a nice sunny day out - the squirrels and the birds seem to be happy. My kits have been having a ball, running in and out, chasing each other, but Jim, the maintenance man, just walked by, picking up trash, and both kits skedaddled back inside. Since I'm not walking the Rs again until Monday, I think that I may go and, finally, see The Hobbit this morning. I've taken all regular meds, plus my stuff for the bronchitis/pertussis, and I'll take a dose of migraine meds and anti-vertigo prior to heading over to the theater. Currently, the movie is only showing twice a day, so I'll go to the 11:10 showing...
I understand the new head coach for the Chicago Bears is the guy who prepared both Jay Cutler (current Bears quarterback, and known as a "coach killer") and Tim Tebow for the NFL combines, and that the coach really liked Tebow... Some sports figures are thinking that Tebow may be heading to Chicago. If that's so, I'll root for the Bears; but I'll never root for Cutler again. He totally alienated me when he was a Bronco.
We've had several more people killed in gun fights in Denver recently, and I'm beginning to feel as if I live in the old wild west... A woman was shot in the back and killed by a spurned ex-coworker; a woman was shot in the head while crossing a street; and yesterday a Denver policeman was shot, and three other folks were in the hospital due to a strange rampage. Then, too, the Adams County Sheriff's department has shot and killed two pet dogs, without provocation,in the past couple of months; one of those incidents was caught on video, the other happened when a friendly dog ran out to greet the officers, and was shot 3 times from a distance of 15 feet. Add the killing of the elk here in Boulder, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't move away. (By the way, the Boulder District Attorney said he'll have an announcement about killing of the elk tomorrow.)
When I saw the advertisement for a lighthouse for sale yesterday, I was quite keen to look at it. It's three miles off the shore of Matthews County, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay;the Wolf Trap Light. It hasn't been lived in since 1971, and is listed as a "fixer-upper" - it has five floors, including the light, three bedrooms and two baths. The price is $288,000, which includes a waterfront lot on the Bay, for the parking of your land vehicle and the pier for your much needed boat. If I had the money, I'd dearly love to purchase that place and make it my own!
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