An edition of the Littleton Independent
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 6, 2025
VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 10
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Bus abuse suspect is due in court on March 18 Kiarra Jones is facing charges of harming nonverbal children BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s deputies, School Resource Officers and K9 handlers Adam Nardi, Candice Gray and John Gray with their dogs Riley, Bear and Rex on Jan. 23.. PHOTOS BY ELISABETH SLAY
Sheriff’s school K9 unit supports community Tracking services, therapy are among benefits for residents BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Arapahoe County Sheriff ’s Office School Resource K9 unit is making an impact on local communities by providing both therapy and tracking services. These specially trained dogs are not only assisting with search efforts, but also offering emotional support and fun to students in schools throughout the county. Deputies Candace Gray, John Gray and Adam Nardi are three officers in the unit and they work as school resource officers with their dogs Bear, Rex and Riley. “Their primary job function is they’re therapy dogs in the school,” John Gray said. “We also respond to stuff outside the schools, then there is also explosive detection they do and signifying (the location of ) guns and bombs.” SEE DOGS, P4
A preliminary hearing has been set for former Littleton Public Schools paraprofessional Kiarra Jones, who is facing multiple charges of abusing and injuring nonverbal autistic children. The date was announced in Jones’ final arraignment on Jan. 27 and comes after public defender Kevin Herndon requested in December that her case be continued. Jones’ next court appearance will be 10 a.m., March 18, in Division 402 at the Arapahoe County Justice Center. “My patience is wearing incredibly thin,” Jessica Vestal, mother of Dax Vestal, a named victim in the case, said. “When will this person take accountability for what we all watched her do, for months, on that bus? She gets to live her life and be free, while my child suffers to regain mental stability from what she’s done to him. It’s disappointing, and it needs to be handled. Swiftly. This is unacceptable, and she should be ashamed of herself. Not only did she torture my son, but now she’s twisting the knife by dragging this out.” In October, Jones, 29, withdrew her original not-gulity pleas and was charged with two additional charges, a third-degree charge of at-risk assault and another SEE PARA, P8
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VOTING STARTS Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office school therapy and tracking dog Bear tracks a person during a demonstration on Jan. 23. Bear spends his days at Cherry Creek Public Schools with his handler and owner Deputy Candice Gray.
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