November 28, 2011

SandBox Comments: KREX News 5 "More Information Released in Home Invasion/Murder Case"

(See updated story here.  Over on the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. )

Can this story and case actually get any worse?

A young man is murdered.

Everyone is in shock thinking it was a home invasion and the man of the house is a hero protecting his family.  Tremendous concern outpours from the community as he fights for his life.

We then find out the young man who was killed is a member of a gang that is at least four years old and known by locals as  a gang that's been around that long.  Commentators start to fire up asking questions.  After all, they've been listening to Chief Camper and Sheriff Hilkey pump out the news that there are no real gangs in Grand Junction and they don't have a real problem.  What's up with that and now what's up with this news?

We then find out that the alleged killer is known all over town and hiding out in various homes eluding capture.

And now we find out that the brave hero protecting his family is actually a major enough hard drugs dealer that he had the nerve to keep what sounds like meticulous books and records like any good small business does? 

We now learn that his wife, with a young child in tow, came out to watch and help a drug transaction with known gang members.  Is she the bookkeeper?  Is it standard practice to let their child attend drug buys with known gang members?  Does the baby go along when they go out to buy from their source?  Does the shocked and frightened grandmother who was commenting in local forums and speaking of how wholesome her family is have any idea what her daughter believes is great childcare?

We now learn that the deceased young man's uncle drove them to this drug buy?  After sitting around the family table for Thanksgiving dinner?  Did he stay in the car just waiting for his drugs?  Or was he just the wheelman long enough for these kids to score and then was headed back to the family home for some Thanksgiving football?

Can this story and case actually get any worse?

(Read the article by clicking the title.  Comment to discuss)
"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

10 comments:

staple said...

This is unbelievable.

If the cops don't have the baby in the hands of social services, the mother in jail and the drug dealer hero in jail as soon as he is able then something is seriously wrong here.

Where's the getaway driver uncle of this now deceased young man? Back home munching on a turkey sandwich and waiting for Monday Night Football?

Unbelievable.

Anonymous said...

Another gang murder in junction, armed gang members stealing cars in garfield. Where is old ted hess and brendon green screaming we have no gang problem and the cops and ICE are just making it up. Seems to me the cops new what they were talking about all along. But the public keeps letting these idiots convince them that maybe the cops are overreacting or worse profiling inocennt people. why just because they scream the loudest, it doesn't make them right.

Ben said...

The places we need to clean house on are the leaders we've got.

If we had strong elected leaders our local newspapers would be community not crony. Non-partisan and not solid liberal mainstream. We wouldn't have to police their every word and put up with our cops getting slammed right and left by them.

These aren't just obvious gang incidents. These guys are so smart about their work and recruiting they're infiltrating into our school athletic events, things like XGames and Sunday drives up to Aspen. Do any of these leaders of ours really believe for a minute that these guys aren't capable of dressing to blend in and talking the talk to blend in?

Where is the BOCC and Martin? Where is Beeson and prosecutor power to send a big statement? Where is Mayor Steckler? Where is Jeff Hecksel?

Where are all of our hotshot community business leaders?

I'll tell you where they are.

Standing back and letting the boots on the ground take the heat of all of it and letting the public they serve sit out here feeling pretty shook up by all of it.

No it's not right.

glenwoodsprings22 said...

you can tell a lot about communities when you pay attention to the agendas and minutes of their public mtgs.

can find out exactly where the people are in their thinking by talking to them and listening to their comments.

pretty telling to look at gj's city council and commissioner records and agendas.

pretty damning to look at glenwood springs agendas and priorities. both city and county.

pretty stunning to look at aspen and pitkin everything.

money. power. politics.

instead of heroin.

instead of gang murder and noticing that the other victims are our own home-grown legal american kids who got sucked in. you can't fix dead.

instead of deadly deceptions like the worst dope disguised as bath salts.

no.

it isn't right.

sent from my verizon blackberry

MR said...

Glenwood Springs has a city council tonight sitting there talking up charging more money in an attractions tax on everything locals and tourists touch.

Now, that might not be exactly a fair statement because to their credit they were sharp enough to go pretty quick to that bottom line that they better go get some opinions of the folks.

But even in general speaking terms.

Our leaders are sitting around talking about bringing people to town and making money off them.

When reality in town is that we have heroin. 14 yr. old bangers armed and stealing cars. Meth. Coke. Pot dispensaries talking it up on the phone to dole it out without a card. Cops in real danger out there because we've got cartels coming to town. Gang murders of our own local kids and community members. Drug dealers hauling kids to the sale.

No. It just isn't right is it?

staple said...

nanny. will you please post these up on the blog? tx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wU5PCwBseQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otKI3_Rp5Lc

SandBoxBlogs said...

Sure, 'staple'.

I think I know what you're trying to say, but do you want to tell me a specific group to aim this to?

Hug to you--these are very cool videos.

Anonymous said...

Here is the thing I know I am super thankful for Lou and his crew for seeing the writing on the wall years ago and getting ahead of this thing. I think that many times they do not tell use everything because you have to balance informing the public and giving publicity to the gang. Many times too much coverage aimed at a certain gang will inflate their egos and actually cause them to commit more crimes, because they think they are the toughest thing out there. Also many times active investigations keep them from commenting because they may compromise a current investigation. So do your best to keep us in the loop and keep kicking butt and taking names.

WingMan said...

No doubt we'd be way behind in Garco on all this without the work of Lou and the SO. The thing a lot of people out here appreciate the most is all the cooperation between multiple agencies. From the looks of the news all over the state the sweep of law's arm is in the south, front range, north and west. Garco sits a lot in the center of it. I agree with everything you're saying anon. Except not so much with the not advertising part. If cops would ask one on one folks and all of the folks what their definition of community policing is I think that cops would be really surprised at the answers. Most people want cops to be doing their jobs and even though it's nice to have cops interact with our kids and coach teams and be in parades and all that kind of thing, what 'ol Doug Winters and company were yakking up at mid terms isn't true at all. Most people want their cops to take their down time and take care of themselves so they're mentally and emotionally healthy when they're on their shifts. We want harder, faster and more out of them when they're working. We'll coach our own kids teams and appreciate an off-duty cop with his feet up sitting in the stands watching. There's no such thing as a puffed up chest and swelled head of a perp with criminal mind and intent being able to stay swelled up. Sooner or later they are going down and it's all over. What's really, really scary to the folks is those perps not being recognizable. Does anybody even a cop, really and truly believe that just by staying on the quiet it's going to prevent crime? That's an old way of cop training and thinking. In this world where we've got these guys using twitter and facebook to find victims and recruit and sell their agenda, we can't have cops not balancing that out by at least being a match for them step by step. Any effective ad or sell campaign is constantly bettering its products. The product the folks have is our cops. Lou and all these agencies need to talk to the folks more and reach them more often and reach all of them that they can. If they don't then these guys are going to always be a step or two ahead of the game because without being armed with details and information the folks cannot move the politics needed for tools, programs, money and boots on the ground to fight with. Two way street it is in kicking butt and taking names. Thanks again to all our agents and officers who're doing a great job out there.

anonymous local parent said...

If talking about the details and letting people know all that's going on where they live is being done for our safety, then I too would have to say that's a flawed thinking.

Those criminals don't have power they have the element of surprise if that's the case. For sure the upper hand.

As parents, we are so appreciative of our law enforcement and try to teach our kids to be same.

Please don't let the lack of information and knowledge undermine our teachings we are passing down.

Whenever you don't talk all there is on something bad you give that bad more power because uncertainty and fear surround it.

It may be a silly comparison but since I'm speaking of our kids, here's an example they can relate to.

He who must not be named aka Voldemort.

If police do not have enough of what they need to fight the more crime done because these criminals are exposed outright, then we cannot give them what they need without knowing all we need to know.