Week of December 22, 2022
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 157 | ISSUE 1
#HelluvaSeason: Alleged driver’s A look at Mines football’s historic year preliminary hearing in fatal hit-and-run case rescheduled to Feb. 3 Co-defendant Ernesto Avila scheduled for Jan. 9 arraignment BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
2022 season really begins almost a year ago. The team lost its firstever NCAA semifinal game to Valdosta State 34-31 on Dec. 11, 2021. Despite the loss, Moore — who was defensive coordinator at the time — later said the Orediggers learned they belonged in those big games. Moore was named Mines’ new head coach on Jan. 31, 2022. He and his colleagues worked to ensure the core of last year’s team
The preliminary hearing for Ruben Marquez, the alleged driver in the fatal hit-andrun outside a Golden bar, has been rescheduled to Feb. 3. The hearing will start at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to last all day. Marquez, 29, has been charged with firstdegree murder, vehicular homicide and multiple assault charges for allegedly driving a truck into a crowd of people outside The Rock Rest Lodge on Oct. 9. One man was killed, and several others were injured. Marquez, who is facing 17 total charges, is being held at the Jefferson County Jail without bond. He appeared in court Dec. 16, where his defense attorney asked to continue the preliminary hearing based on the volume of written and video evidence presented during the discovery process. A preliminary hearing, which is formatted like a small-scale trial, determines whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed through the judicial system. The court approved continuing Marquez’s preliminary hearing to Feb. 3, and also scheduled a status conference for 1 p.m. Jan. 23 at the defense’s request. Ernesto Avila, the co-defendant in the case, is scheduled for arraignment at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 9. Avila may enter a plea at that time. Avila, who owns the truck that Marquez reportedly drove into the crowd, is believed to
SEE FOOTBALL, P2
SEE HIT-AND-RUN, P3
Colorado School of Mines football players celebrate winning the Dec. 10 semifinal game against Shepherd and advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Orediggers beat the Shepherd Rams 44-13 in Golden. FILE PHOTO BY CORINNE WESTEMAN
Orediggers finish season NCAA Division II runner-up BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Colorado School of Mines football team grew tremendously over the last five months. The team started out with two consecutive losses before winning 13 straight to make it to the first NCAA Division II National Championship appearance in the
program’s history. While defending champs Ferris State defeated Mines 41-14 in the Dec. 17 title game, Coach Brandon Moore believed Mines will remain a football powerhouse and championship contender in the coming years. As the Orediggers bring home the NCAA Division II Runner-Up trophy, the Golden Transcript offers a look back at the team’s historic year. The preseason
The story of Mines football’s
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 14 | LIFE: PAGE 16 | CALENDAR: PAGE 19 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
FORCED TO FLEE
Asylum-seeker charts a path in the Denver suburbs P16