Author: KRDO

Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says they worked with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) and Colorado State Patrol (CSP) earlier this month to target dangerous and illegal driving.

On Monday, the agency announced numbers from an organized enforcement period during which they targeted individuals engaging in street racing, speeding, or driving under the influence.

“Street racing and reckless driving continue to pose serious risks to our community,” said Adrian Vasquez, Chief of Police for CSPD, in a press release. “Our department, in partnership with EPSO and CSP, remains committed to proactive enforcement efforts aimed at reducing these dangerous behaviors and keeping our roads safe for all.”

CSPD says 54 members of staff across the three different law enforcement agencies were focused on the effort on Friday, June 6.

CSPD says in total, they made contact with 138 people. 22 were given warnings, 33 were given tickets for speeding; six of whom got tickets for speed contest/exhibition.

Police say nine people were arrested. Six of them were for driving under the influence, two for outstanding warrants, and one for felony eluding. In the felony eluding case, police say a person on a motorcycle refused to pull over for officers, but was later caught.

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Karla Sosa

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO)- A woman from Pueblo West is asking for help from the community in hopes that someone will be a match and be a kidney donor.     

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, every 8 minutes, another person is added to the transplant waiting list.

Christina Maldonado said that back in 2016, she was diagnosed with stage three Chronic Kidney Disease. Last week, when she went to see her doctor, she received some devastating news. 

“They told me to go ahead and start looking for a kidney donor,” said Maldonado. “Right now, my GRF is at a 15, so when I talked to the surgeons at UC Health, they told me that they. I probably should have gotten on a lot sooner for the transplant list.”

Maldonado said she’s had to limit her favorite pastime. 

“I like to spend time with my grandkids and stuff, but it’s hard because I’m always tired and exhausted all the time,” said Maldonado

Once Maldonado and her husband Alex got the heartbreaking news, family and friends started to see if someone was a match.

“They started going through the process to see if they’re compatible. I’m A+ and, so my family members are different blood types,” said Maldonado

Maldonado is staying true to their wedding vows, ‘through sickness and health,’ and is always by her side.

“Sometimes I miss work, so I could go to her appointments. A lot of it’s traveling to UC Health,” said Maldonado. “The fight’s not over. We’re still fighting, and we’re going to continue fighting until we find it.”

Christina said if she can’t find a kidney donor, she could be on the donor wait-list for up to 7 years. 

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Karla Sosa

FALCON, Colo. (KRDO)- A horse that’s won several world champion barrel races was diagnosed with severe arthritis and needs emergency surgery.

KRDO13 talked with Kendall Halberg she’s the owner of Fancy. Halberg said that seeing her beloved horse in this condition is heartbreaking. She’s doing side jobs to raise money for the surgery that will cost $17,000.

Halberg and her horse Fancy have been inseparable since day one; together they’ve won several competitions.

“Her mother’s name was Ruby, and Ruby died giving birth to her. So she died two weeks after she was born. So I had a bottle to feed her as a baby,” said Halberg. “She is a two-time world champion, three-time world champion barrel racer.”

Last November, Fancy was diagnosed with severe arthritis. Now, it’s making it a lot harder for her to walk.

“Sometimes she’s limped around with three legs because she can’t put pressure on her left leg at all. So she’s putting all of her weight on her right leg. So they’re going to put some sort of a splint in there to help her balance better, to take out all of the bone spurs in her kneecap,” said Halberg.

Halberg said she goes through so many emotions every single day seeing her horse in so much pain. 

“I will just start crying emotionally every single night because I don’t want to have to make the hard decision for her because I don’t want her to be in pain every day, to have to put her to sleep,” said Halberg.

Halberg hopes that Fancy can get her surgery by the end of the summer, otherwise she’ll be forced to put Fancy down. 

She’s also created an online fundraiser to help raise money for the surgery.

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Michael Logerwell

LAKE PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – A drowning death in Lake Pueblo yesterday marked the fourth at the lake this year – and summer only just began.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirmed Friday morning that the body of an adult male was recovered from the lake hours after search efforts began. The person, who has not yet been identified, had flipped off of an inflatable tube and was not wearing a lifejacket, the agency confirmed.

READ MORE: Colorado Parks and Wildlife locates body of presumed drowning victim at Lake Pueblo

It marks the fourth death at the lake since mid-May.

Back on May 14, 53-year-old Manuel DeJesus Villanueva Miranda died after going into the lake to help his two children. Just two weeks later, on May 30, Derrick Lee Vigil, 28, drowned when a fishing boat that he was on capsized. CPW says Vigil and the two others on the boat weren’t wearing a life jacket.

Then on June 7, 44-year-old Daniel Strawn was found unconscious after jumping into the lake without a life jacket. Despite CPR efforts, he was later pronounced dead.

So, what’s the reason behind so many recent drownings at Lake Pueblo – and what are local officials doing to combat this concerning pattern?

To gain some clarity on the matter, KRDO13 Investigates spoke with Susanne Divelbiss, the current CSU-Pueblo Swim and Dive Head Coach, who has been teaching or coaching swimming for four decades.

Divelbiss thinks people underestimate how hard it is to swim in open water.

“The pool has lane lines, the pool walls, the pool, [and] lifeguards. So when you eliminate all of those things, then somebody thinks, oh, yeah, I can swim. But now they’re in the water, now they’re panicking, and there’s no wall to go to,” Divelbiss said. “There’s a lot of factors involved with swimming in a lake as opposed to in a pool, which is a very controlled environment.”

“Typically, pool temperatures are kept around between 79 and 82. The lake temperature, I think, is currently at about 68 to 70. It feels great when you get into it because it’s hot out, but it definitely takes a toll. It takes your breath away a little bit,” Divelbiss said.

KRDO13 Investigates asked Colorado Parks and Wildlife about the troubling trend of drownings this summer.

Becky Buist, Lake Pueblo State  Park Operations Manager, told our station in a statement:

“The single most important thing for any water recreation activity is to wear a life jacket. A life jacket will keep your airway clear of water and keep your head above water. It will also support your body should you stop swimming or lose consciousness.”

Divelbiss says further education about swimming in the lake could be part of the solution to curtail drowning deaths – but says, above all, wearing life jackets saves lives.

RELATED: CPW adds new life jacket loaner stations at Lake Pueblo for Memorial Day Weekend

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Celeste Springer

Officials held a press conference with the latest updates on Friday evening. You can watch above.

CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Barry Morphew, the Salida man accused of killing his wife, Suzanne, in 2020 has been indicted and charged with first-degree murder, the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has confirmed.

On May 10, 2020, Morphew supposedly went on a bike ride in Chaffee County and never returned. A neighbor reported her missing, and her bike and helmet were eventually found along the side of the road the day she disappeared.

A year after her disappearance, her husband, Barry, was arrested and charged with murder – but the case was dismissed in 2022.

The case faced a tumultuous journey, with accounts from those involved saying it was botched due to the actions of Linda Stanley, the prosecutor on the case, who was later disbarred. Morphew’s defense said that Stanley’s team hid evidence from the defense.

@krdo__13 Today, Barry Morphew was indicted by a grand jury in the case of his wife’s alleged murder. Morphew was accused once before, but the case was dropped following a legal battle. More than a year after charges were dropped, investigators found Suzanne Morphew’s body, and what they say is new evidence. With this latest indictment, the case is able to move to trial. Read more on the KRDO website. #colorado #coloradosprings #salida #morphew #suzannemorphew ♬ original sound – KRDO13

Though the case was dismissed, it was known that it could be retried if new evidence came to light. Suzanne’s remains were later found in 2023, leaving many to wonder if the break in the case would allow for it to head to court once again.

When her body was found, the coroner determined Morphew died by “homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine (BAM) intoxication,” – three drugs commonly used as animal sedatives.

Now, over two years later, new information tied to those sedatives has led Morphew to be charged once again for her murder.

According to an indictment, law enforcement located a locked gun safe in the Morphew residence, which held a tranquilizer rifle. Investigators also discovered packages of darts in the safe, and found a needle cap for one of those darts in the Morphews’ dryer.

After Suzanne’s autopsy confirmed the presence of the chemical mixture BAM in her system, investigators obtained records for those with BAM prescriptions in the area where the Morphews lived, as well as in the area where her body was found.

Those records showed that at the time Suzanne disappeared, just one private citizen living in that area of the state had access to the chemical mixture – Barry Morphew.

According to the indictment, Morphew had obtained and filled several BAM prescriptions just months before moving to Colorado. BAM is only sold by one company in the U.S. and can only be obtained by prescription from a veterinarian, and agencies enforce tight regulations to monitor the chemical’s prescription and use, the indictment reads.

Read the full indictment here.

Friends of Suzanne tell KRDO13 they’ve waited for this indictment, but say the details are hard to read.

“It was pretty horrid to read that that was found in her body, because that’s a pretty slow death. It wasn’t easy,” Tisha Leewaye said.

According to the 12th Judicial District Grand Jury, Barry Morphew was taken into custody in Arizona on June 20, 2025. Prosecutors plan to extradite him to Colorado.

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Heather Skold

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Bringing home a baby is one of the most intimidating experiences in one’s life. Doing so without friends and family nearby only magnifies the feeling. 

One non-profit recognizes the need for support within the military community and fulfills that mission in tangible ways. 

Operation Homefront served more than 75 new and expecting moms through the Star Spangled Babies Shower, giving them many of the necessities: diapers, bottles, wipes, onesies — and even cribs, courtesy of Delta Airlines. 

For one young couple, Faith and Isael Del Nodal, the anticipation is palpable. 

“We’ve only been in Colorado a year now, and we don’t have any friends or family nearby, so this has been super helpful to get stuff for the baby,” said Faith, who is due in October.  Her husband, Isael, is due to deploy in July.  She says the prospect of having a newborn while her husband is gone is a lot to prepare for.

“I’m really excited, but super nervous, too.”

The event is spearheaded by those who have also had to bring home a baby without family nearby. 

“I have been a military spouse for over 20 years.  My husband was in the Marine Corps.  And I never had a baby shower with any of my children. I always had them away from home, and I know how that feels,” said Bridgette Sanchez, Star Spangled Babies Program Manager.

Operation Homefront says it has provided baby supplies to more than 21,000 military new and expecting moms since 2008 for families with deployed, wounded, junior, and mid-grade service members.

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Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Five streets in Security-Widefield are widely considered to be in the worst condition for that community, and will get a much-needed repaving this summer.

That is, if it ever stops raining.

Some neighbors tell KRDO 13’s The Road Warrior that late spring rainfall has occasionally flooded streets as crews perform concrete work to prepare for repaving.

The latest example came Tuesday along Chimayo Drive, one of the streets on the repaving list; a homeowner, Jesse Rehm, said that the street had several feet of water covering his yard and almost reaching his front porch.

“At least it wasn’t as bad as it was last year,” he said. “I spent like $26,000 in repairs to piping and restoration for my crawl space. I thought I was going to have to foreclose on my house because I just bought this place. Me and my wife, we bought this place almost 3 years ago, and she’s pregnant right now.”

Neighbors said that some of the concrete crew cleared a clogged storm drain that caused the flooding, and the water quickly drained away.

Still, some residents wonder what good repaving will do if streets are under water during significant rainfall in late spring, summer, and early fall.

Dan Gerhard, a public works engineer for El Paso County, said that flash flooding won’t cause serious delays in the concrete work for repaving.

“With something like that, if we have nice weather, (workers) will be back pouring concrete tomorrow. So, it really doesn’t delay us too much. We have had quite a bit of rain the past 2-3 weeks. For the most part, thankfully, all the rain has been in the afternoon and we’ve been able to get a lot of work done before the rain comes.”

Last summer, the county resurfaced several streets in Security-Widefield, using a method known as slurry-sealing; the method is designed to extend the life of streets that don’t require a full rebuild, and is less expensive than asphalt repaving.

Many residents were unaware of that and asked why streets that appeared to be in good condition were resurfaced, while streets in worse condition were not.

Chimayo Drive, Bison Drive, Alturas Drive, Holly Drive, and Birch Drive will be repaved this summer.

Gerhard said that the county is working on a plan, updated every five years, to guide decisions about repaving and other resurfacing treatments.

The county is also in the early stages of forming a long-range master plan to reduce flooding and improve drainage; repairs to a crumbling drainage ditch south of Fontaine Boulevard are a recent upgrade to the area’s drainage infrastructure.

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Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) said it expects over 35,000 people in the heart of Colorado Springs Friday evening at its “Fan Fest” block party.

The PPIHC hosts Fan Fest the Friday before the Hill Climb race every year. This year, it spans 10 blocks of downtown Colorado Springs. It’s a rectangle between four streets: Platte and Pikes Peak Avenues (North to South) and Nevada and Cascade Avenues (East to West).

Fan Fest starts at 5 p.m. The PPIHC has mapped out the various public parking and transit options for the event (see map above).

The Motocross group, Team FMX, will perform at the block party. The group will start practice at 5:30 p.m., followed by two demonstrations. The first is at 6:30 p.m followed by another at 8:15 p.m.

The Hill Climb drivers will be around speaking with people and signing autographs. The autograph session starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. The event ends at 9 p.m.

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Rob Namnoum

If you like the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and Talladega Nights, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Danny Aitken is your guy, “If you ain’t first, you’re last. Wooo baby,” Danny Aitken’s impression of Will Ferrell’s character in the movie, Ricky Bobby

He lives in Pagosa Springs, but this dude has gone full Ricky Bobby, “Every time we take off, we’re all full shake and bake through the window net on the car,” says Aitken.

And he decked his car out accordingly, “We have the Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights livery on it. Just because it’s one of my favorite movies,” says Aitken. “It is (a) pure Pikes Peak Hill Climb race car at its best. It actually was a title contender for King of the Mountain.” 

There’s even a cougar in the car, “It worked for Ricky Bobby. Oh my god there’s a cougar on me,” says Aitken.

Aitken seems to know the movie all too well, “Dear Lord, three-pound, infant Jesus, in his manger, I just want to thank you for all the good sponsors and the cool refreshing blast of mountain blueberry.”

And he gets to bring that energy to the Hill Climb, “It brings people together. This event is about being together and looking after each other,” says Aitken.

Even better, it helps bring awareness to the PTSD foundation of America, in honor of the late Houston Tumlin, who played Walker Bobby, and later served in the military. When he makes to the summit, he has some stuff planned, “We actually have a Chrystal Gale t-shirt. Hopefully we get to the summit this year. I’m gonna put my Chrystal Gale t-shirt on when I get to the top. With no rips in it,” says Aitken.

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Bart Bedsole

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A local restaurant not only had its license revoked recently, but the owner is not allowed to ever reopen any other restaurant in El Paso County.

According to a spokesperson for El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH), it’s the first time the health department has taken an enforcement action this severe. 

KRDO13 first reported on Viet’s Restaurant on North Academy near Chapel Hills Mall in April. 

At that time, it had just been shut down by an inspector for the third time in a 13-month period. 

KRDO13 tried knocking on the front and back doors, then calling the phone number for the restaurant, but no one ever responded. 

Viet’s Restaurant recently failed another inspection on May 29, so at an administrative hearing on June 9, the health department took action.

“Viet’s Restaurant was closed due to a demonstrated and consistent pattern of non-compliance with the Colorado Food Protection Act and related regulatory requirements,” according to a statement from EPCPH.

The owner, Viet’s Inc., is also prohibited from obtaining a new retail food establishment license within El Paso County. 

KRDO13 has learned that from its opening in May of 2021 until June 9 of 2025, the health department received at least two separate complaints from customers. 

One complaint reported cockroaches in the restaurant, while another complaint reported five people becoming sick after eating at the restaurant.

Online county records show that between January of 2024 and June of 2025, Viet’s Restaurant failed at least nine inspections, some of them requiring a closure as a result of the overall point score. 

On June 17, the sign was still up outside, but the inside was dark and deserted. 

KRDO13 once again reached out to the former operator for comment, but they couldn’t be reached. 

LOW SCORE

During the week of June 9-13, Grand Gyros at North Academy and Palmer Park Blvd ended up with the lowest health inspection score. 

Among the 14 violations found: 

The handwashing sink had no paper towels, but it did have items stored on it that should not have been there, including vitamins and prescription mouthwash 

The staff wasn’t properly sanitizing kitchen equipment 

There was slime in the ice machine 

There was a buildup of grease and grime on prep tables, shelves, and walls 

Even though it was supposed to be open Monday afternoon, KRDO13 arrived to find the doors locked. 

A worker on the phone said she was running late and would call back about the violations, but never did. 

Grand Gyros is still awaiting its re-inspection. 

Other failing scores last week: 

Korean Garden – 8025 Fountain Mesa Rd 

The Dublin House – 1850 Dominion Way 

Mayjah Grinds – 656 Peterson Rd

HIGH SCORES

Several local restaurants earned high scores last week: 

Uwe’s German Restaurant – 31 Iowa Ave 

Chef Bob’s Lobstah Trap – 2323 Garden of the Gods (inside Red Leg Brewing Company) 

Taco Bell – 390 N Union 

Domino’s Pizza – 412 Royalty Pl 

Drive-In Tasty Freeze – 2309 N Weber 

Bonny and Read – 101 N Tejon St 

Kelly O’Brian’s – 239 N Academy 

Treehouse Cafe – 5965 N Academy 

Click here for a complete list of all health inspections. 

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