Editor’s note: Because the Bulletin will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s, the Dec. 29 Police Beat will appear online only. See the “ticker” at the top of the website, www.pikespeak
bulletin.com, to read the report, which will be posted there on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Compiled by Rhonda Van Pelt
Dec. 12
Manitou Springs Police officers responded to a report about a suspicious vehicle in the 500 block of Manitou Avenue. The caller believed they were seeing a man in the vehicle smoking some kind of drug. When officers arrived, they observed him smoking an illegal controlled substance while the vehicle was still running. After an investigation, the suspect was cited on multiple charges and released.
Officers who noticed smoke in the 3400 block of West Colorado Avenue contacted a transient burning a fire dangerously close to structures and a heavily wooded area. The man was charged with arson, trespassing and littering.
MSPD responded to an alleged violation of a restraining order in the 200 block of Pilot Knob Avenue. Upon arrival, officers interviewed witnesses, but were unable to develop definitive evidence of a crime.
Dec. 13
Medications were reported as stolen during a charity event at a business in the 100 block of Manitou Avenue.
Dec. 14
At 0541 hours, officers responded to a criminal trespass in progress report from the 300 block of Cañon Avenue. They located a man with a local misdemeanor warrant sleeping in the Post Office lobby; he had been cited previously for trespassing in the same place. The suspect was taken into custody and booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center.
Staffers at Manitou Springs High School received an email from an unknown source suggesting their immediate resignations. Law enforcement officers are investigating.
A juvenile was involved in a marijuana possession case in the 100 block of Pawnee Avenue.
A vehicle was reported as stolen from the 100 block of Spencer Avenue at an unknown time and day. After an investigation, its details were entered into the national and Colorado crime information databases.
At 1601 hours, MSPD stopped a vehicle in the 3400 block of West Colorado Avenue after observing a traffic infraction in the 00 block of Manitou Avenue. The driver had multiple felony warrants and was taken to the CJC.
Officers were dispatched to a business in the 900 block of Manitou Avenue, where a man began fighting while being escorted out. The officers learned the suspect had also broken a window during the disturbance. The other people involved in the fight declined to press charges, so the suspect was cited for destruction of property only.
Dec. 17
Officers stopped a speeding vehicle in the 300 block of Manitou Avenue. The driver was found to be under the influence of alcohol.
MSPD responded to a report of a drunken person walking in the street downtown. The man then got in his vehicle and left the area. Officers located and stopped his vehicle near Manitou Avenue and westbound U.S. Highway 24. He was arrested for driving under the influence, then was taken to a local hospital because an officer was concerned he could not care for himself.
Dec. 18
At 1316 hours, officers responded to a call about drug activity in the 100 block of Manitou Avenue. Large amounts of controlled substances were recovered and suspect information was gathered.