LITTLETON 1/17/13
January 17, 2013
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 123, Issue 52
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlittletonnews.com
Another suspect arrested in slaying First man arrested appears in court By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
able to reach most ticketholders. By evening, they found a girl who had played the part in Evergreen, who could come in and sing, and although there was no time to teach her cues, the show went on. The “Sound of Music” production broke Town Hall records for attendance, which was a really nice way for her to begin her new job. McNab spent five years as executive director at Grand Junction’s Western Colo-
Littleton police have arrested another person in the Oct. 19 shooting that left Da Von Flores, 18, dead at the scene, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to three. Chase Spridgen, 19, of Aurora was arrested on Jan. 9. He, too, was shot during the incident, along with an unidentified 17-year-old. Spridgen is being held without bond at the Arapahoe County jail on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He joins Dion Rankin, 20, of Englewood, who appeared in court Jan. 10 for a motions hearing. Judge Elizabeth Weishaupl grant- Spridgen ed the defense’s request for a gag order, restricting parties from discussing the case publicly. The case file had previously been sealed, and the Littleton Police Department has not released any reports related to the shooting; further details will likely only emerge through open court. The judge denied the defense’s request to be present at any photo lineups.
McNab continues on Page 19
Suspect continues on Page 19
Cheryl McNab started as the new Town Hall Arts Center executive director in December. It’s a return to the city for McNab, who was a resident as a child. Photo by Courtney Kuhlen
Arts center chief returns to town McNab traveled far after living in city as child By Sonya Ellingboe
sellingboe@ourcoloradonews.com Cheryl McNab, Town Hall Arts Center’s new executive director, lived in Littleton
as a child, but grew up in the Washington, D.C., area due to her father’s career. She brings skills and experiences that she has gathered across the country and abroad and is excited about the “community ownership everyone takes of Town Hall.” She started the new position in December and had an early emergency when a child in the “Sound of Music” cast became ill and they had to cancel a sold-out matinee performance. Fortunately, the box office keeps phone numbers for every ticket sold in the 250-seat theater, so staff was
Accidents increase at Broadway/C-470 work zone Two police agencies beef up their patrols in response to crashes By Ryan Boldrey
rboldrey@ourcoloradonews.com
There have been multiple traffic accidents in the construction zone surrounding the interchange of Broadway and C-470 in recent weeks, prompting an increase in patrols by both the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Littleton Police Department. Photo by Ryan Boldrey POSTAL ADDRESS
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It wasn’t long ago that two construction workers were killed when a driver lost control of his car near Broadway and C-470 in Highlands Ranch. But that doesn’t mean other drivers are proceeding with caution. Seven accidents occurred in the work zone in the two-week period surrounding the new year, including one Jan. 7 nasty enough to prompt Douglas County Traffic Engineer Dennis Lobberding to discuss the situation with both the Littleton Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “We’ve had very good cooperation with both departments,” said Lobberding, who is overseeing the yearlong project. “They had been out there a couple times a week, but after talking to them Monday they are upping that to a couple times a day just to try to have more of a presence.” Lobberding said all of the recent wrecks have been rear-end accidents caused by people who were going too fast and not paying attention. “The traffic stops in front of them and they don’t stop,” he said. “It seems like it’s the worst in the morning with people getting to work.” Although the construction zone ex-
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE The projected timeline for the Broadway/C-470 construction project is October 2012 to October 2013, and according to Project Manager Dennis Lobberding, workers are on track to finish the project ahead of schedule. The project, which entails the complete rebuild of Broadway between Dad Clark Drive and County Line Road, includes upgrading the storm drainage system, widening the road in both directions to lengthen left-turn lanes for the C-470 on-ramps, and the addition of bike lanes. No new lanes for motorists are being added. Workers are wrapping up the storm drainage upgrade and widening on the east side of Broadway. They will begin the same work on the west side of the road late next month or in early March. Once that is complete in April or May, workers will spend the next 100 days reconstructing the main body of Broadway in two phases. One phase will force all traffic in both directions to the northbound side of the road and the other will force all traffic to the southbound side. During that time the on-ramps will be closed at Broadway and C-470. The offramps will remain open at all times. For more information, tune to 1620 AM for weekly updates or visit www.douglas.co.us and search for “Highlands Ranch road improvements.” ists between Dad Clark Drive on the south and County Line Road on the north, the 25 mph work zone expands from Plaza Drive in Highlands Ranch to Southpark Drive in Littleton. A handful of signs on both ends inform drivers that fines double in the construction zones — increasing a 10-over speeding ticket from $135 to $270 — but that hasn’t deterred many commuters. Jason Clukies, who drives through the Broadway continues on Page 19