Week of November 3, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
ParkerChronicle.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 49
Deputies kill two in suspected car theft case Discussions on chase continue BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Douglas County sheriff’s deputies killed two suspects during a shootout at the RTD Lincoln Station parking garage in Lone Tree, Sheriff
Tony Spurlock said during a news conference Oct. 26. The two suspects were identified by the Douglas County Coroner’s Office as David Strain, 31, and Clarissa Daws, 29, the sheriff’s office announced Oct. 27 on Facebook. Both suspects were from Pueblo. The incident began about 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 25, said an email from
Deputy Cocha Heyden, a public information officer for the sheriff’s office. A deputy from the sheriff’s office Pattern Crimes Unit, a unit that specifically looks for auto thieves and stolen cars, was checking the parking garage and noticed a suspicious black Kia with no license plates, Spurlock said.
A total of six deputies were involved in the incident, according to the sheriff’s office. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office released edited body camera footage on Oct. 27 of the fatal shootout. The edited video, about a minute SEE THEFT, P8
Chamber sees need for thoughtful leadership Growth will continue to be issue going forward BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Joy Lutheran Church members serve the Parker community.
A large part of the church’s work also takes place in the greater Parker and metro-Denver community. In partnership with the Parker Task Force, which was co-founded by an early member of Joy and is directed by a current congregation member, the church helps provide food and other support to community members with the goal of homelessness prevention, Hank said. Through the Winter Shelter Network, Hank said Joy offers meals and a temporary place to stay for mothers and children experiencing homelessness. In addition, Joy maintains a room at Joshua Station in Denver that families can use as transitional housing, Hank said. “Joy has always seemed to be a church that has jumped right into the Parker community,” Director
When it comes to business, growth, community and the future, T.J. Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Parker of Chamber of Commerce, said it’s been good to see a town council made up of members who are taking a thoughtful approach to decision making. Just over a year into his stint as the organization’s leader, Sullivan said the chamber opted not to endorse any of the candidates running in the 2022 election. This year’s election has five candidates vying for three seats, and Sullivan said he is confident in the current and possible future council’s abilities. “There is not a single council member who is adversarial to local business,” he said. “I have always had the ability to have conversations with them and they listen and understand. Parker is booming in three or four different areas.” Sullivan said instead, the chamber continues to focus on the priorities and goals at hand as Parker continues to grow into a large Douglas County community with more housing, businesses, and questions about how growth will look in the coming years. “In Parker, you can’t be a community leader and not be considerate
SEE JOY, P10
SEE CHAMBER, P2
COURTESY OF JOY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Fifty years of Joy
Joy Lutheran celebrates decades of service BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
On Sept. 11, 2001, Gwen Wilhelm and her son visited her husband’s grave in Parker. On the way home, her son noticed many cars parked outside of Joy Lutheran Church and asked if they could stop to attend service. Wilhelm was raised Lutheran, but said she lost touch from her religion as a teenager and young adult. On that day, Wilhelm says Joy brought her back to her roots. “The minute I walked in the church on 9/11… everyone welcomed me and it brought me back to my Lutheranism,” she said. “I felt that, coming into that church, no one cared if I was white or
Black or what I was. That it’s a place where people can come and be consoled and feel that they’re being heard and listened to.” This year, Joy Lutheran Church is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Officially established in 1972, the church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Rocky Mountain Synod and has slightly over 1,000 members, according to Senior Pastor Rodney Hank. According to its website, the church seeks to be an active, open, caring church that honors God while strengthening each other and its community. Within its walls, there are weekly services, ministry groups for youth and adults and a preschool. The church also offers its space for other community groups to use, including the Boy Scouts of America and Alcoholics Anonymous, according to a press release.