Week of August 18, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
DouglasCountyNewsPress.net
VOLUME 120 | ISSUE 41
Report: Lora Thomas shared anonymous letter But didn’t create hostile environment BY ELLIOTT WENZLER EWENZLER@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
An investigation into Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas found that while she did do some of the things of which she was accused, she didn’t create a hos-
tile work environment or open the county up to legal liability. The report shows answers to 11 allegations asked by Thomas’ fellow commissioners — George Teal and Abe Laydon. They both have said the results confirm their belief that Thomas should not serve as the board’s chair but Thomas said she believes the report exonerates her. “The full sum-and-substance of the report confirms not a single ille-
gal action was committed by me nor did I place the county in any peril of legal liability as constantly alleged by Laydon and Teal for the past several months,” Thomas wrote in an email to her supporters Wednesday. Laydon and Teal asked for an investigation into Thomas in April after they said she went against their direction and asked their legal counsel for information about supporters of a controversial water proposal from the San Luis Valley.
The proposal, from Renewable Water Resources, had strong opposition in the southern Colorado community and Laydon said he wanted to protect the names of those supporting it. They also accused Thomas of creating a hostile work environment and causing the resignation of a first responder in the county by distributing an anonymous letter SEE LETTER, P31
Crashes, pursuits highlight chase policy differences Board majority Douglas County, disputes Littleton differ lawsuit claims BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Members claim innocence
At least five crashes have occurred in the City of Littleton since 2019 after police pursuits by Douglas County deputies who were following suspects, some of whom were believed to be in stolen vehicles, records requests and prior reporting show. The wrecks highlight stark differences between chase policies for the Littleton Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, with Douglas County granting officers more reasons to engage in a pursuit. The most recent case was July 29, when an allegedly stolen car pursued by Douglas County deputies ran a red light and caused a crash at the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and Bowles Avenue around 11:43 p.m. Other incidents include a crash in early December 2021 when Douglas County deputies pursued an
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Policies on when to pursue a suspect differ between Douglas County and Littleton. SEE DIFFERENCES, P10
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17
SHUTTERSTOCK
A new court filing from attorneys for the Douglas County School Board argues that directors didn’t ask former superintendent Corey Wise to resign and maintains oneon-one conversations do not violate the Colorado Open Meetings Law. An Aug. 8 response to a request for a judge’s permanent ruling in favor of plaintiff Robert Marshall continues to assert that board directors Mike Peterson, Becky Myers, Christy Williams and Kaylee Winegar did not behave illegally. Marshall sued the four directors following the firing of Wise, alleging the decision to terminate Wise took place outside of public meetings. In a preliminary injunction, Douglas County Judge Jeffrey Holmes found the director’s one-on-one meetings SEE CLAIMS, P3
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