Category: krdo-local-news

Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -In response to the shooting in Idaho that targeted firefighters who were responding to a brush fire, KRDO13 contacted fire departments in Southern Colorado to gather their reactions and to learn if any of their policies were changing in light of the incident.

Multiple Southern Colorado Fire Departments told KRDO13 that there is no adequate way to prepare for the ambush the firefighters faced in Coeur d’Alene.

According to Cimarron Hills Fire Chief Andrew York, all firefighters are issued body armor that can protect them from gunfire, but a grass fire call does not qualify as a body armor situation.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) confirmed this, saying its firefighters have also been issued body armor, which is usually used when responding to active shooter situations. CSFD agreed that the original call that the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters responded to on Canfield Mountain would not have qualified as a body armor situation for their department either.

“What it does is it creates an additional awareness that we have to slow down, look at the situation from a bigger picture than just what we see with our eyes,” says Deputy Chief Steve Wilch.

The deputy told KRDO that no policy at the fire department has changed thus far, but the shocking event will lead to an increased focus and awareness for their firefighters.

“This situation in Idaho has brought to light that first responders…are at risk every day. We don’t take that lightly,” Deputy Chief Wilch said.

The International Association of Firefighters says those two firefighters’ names will be added to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial this September.

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KRDO News

ALAMOSA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office says Barry Morphew, a Colorado man accused of killing his wife, has been extradited back to Colorado from Maricopa County, Arizona.

Prosecutors say he is in custody at the Alamosa County Jail. His first appearance in court is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Earlier this month, prosecutors filed first-degree murder charges against Morphew. Morphew faced charges years ago, but they were ultimately dropped 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.

On May 10, 2020, Suzanne 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. Suzanne’s remains were later found in 2023.

When her husband’s charges were originally dismissed, it was known that the case could head back to court again if there was new evidence.

In Morphew’s recent indictment, prosecutors say his wife, Suzanne Morphew, died by “homicide by unspecified means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine (BAM) intoxication,” – three drugs commonly used as animal sedatives. Prosecutors say 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.

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Celeste Springer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has released new information on a fatal bike crash, saying the victim was only 16 years old.

According to the department, they got a call about the crash just before 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 15. Police say three people were riding mini-bikes on Union Boulevard. They say when the bikers got to the intersection with Dublin Avenue, one of the mini-bikes ran a red light into the intersection, colliding with a car.

CSPD says the rider was taken to the hospital. Five days later, the department says he died at the hospital.

CSPD says the coroner’s office has conducted an autopsy and identified the bike rider as a 16-year-old boy. They are not publicly releasing his name at this time, likely because he was a juvenile.

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Scott Harrison

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The history of Manitou Springs dates back to the 1870s, and much of its infrastructure is nearly as old.

Some of the town’s water and sewer network has shown its age recently, with four emergency repair or regular maintenance projects since early spring.

The latest repair work happened late Saturday morning when a water main ruptured at the intersection of Ruxton and Osage avenues.

Ruxton is the only direct route to and from the Cog Railway and the Maitou Incline, two of the area’s most popular attractions — especially during the summer tourist season.

Crews temporarily closed the intersection to traffic and scrambled to perform a temporary fix, and the intersection reopened by mid-afternoon.

However, town officials will have to decide on a permanent repair strategy at a later date.

Meanwhile, crews had their first weekend off in three weeks at the intersection of Manitou Avenue and Crystal Park Road, since a sanitary sewer line collapsed underneath the street on June 12.

Due to complications with the project, officials rescheduled the completion date to Monday, June 30, but announced that the repairs were completed on the prior Friday.

Officials said that crews will spend the next week repaving and conducting other surface repairs; the traffic impacts that were in place during the sewer repair will continue.

The completion of that project will allow crews to resume work on replacing a water and sewer line along Midland Avenue and Arizona Road; that project was scheduled to start in January but didn’t begin until April because of weather delays and is now expected to be finished in late July.

Officials said that such maintenance work reduces the possibility of breaks such as those mentioned above that will require more expensive emergency repairs.

Finally, crews will eventually need to return to Manitou Avenue between Pawnee and Canon avenues to finish temporary repairs to a water main break in February.

Crews temporarily paved over the excavated areas last month to prepare the street for busy summer traffic.

The rash of construction projects has been challenging for nearby business owners.

“People didn’t know if we were open because all of the construction was going on in front of our building,” said Vanessa Bobian, manager of a Subway restaurant. “So, it affected us a lot. How much? Like, I would say almost 90% of our business.”

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Michael Logerwell

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Two people are dead after a motorcycle crash at Barnes and Austin Bluffs Sunday afternoon.

The driver and passenger on the motorcycle were killed after a crash with a car.

The Colorado Springs police department’s major crash team responded to the scene. Police say the initial investigation leads them to believe the motorcycle was eastbound on Austin Bluffs and the car was attempting to turn left from a parking lot into the westbound lanes when the crash happened.

No charges have been filed at this time.

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Karla Sosa

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO)- In the first summer of the new Waterworks Park in Pueblo, first responders have already had to rescue people who weren’t wearing life jackets. Now the city is looking to stop that from happening again.

The Pueblo City Council is preparing to update the municipal code to include Waterworks Park as one of the areas along the Arkansas River where life jackets are required.

“We have people in general in that area, and the water’s moving like it is. And if you don’t have a life jacket and you go over in the tube or whatever. You’ve got problems. So I think we’re trying to be very vigilant about protecting people’s lives,” said Joe Latino, Council Member for District 2.

Felicia Bertaud was at the Waterworks Park with her family and said she agrees with the new rule the city is working on.

“So it’s definitely a great idea to implement any kind of rules or laws to make sure everybody always has a life jacket,” said Bertaud. “We always spend a lot of time in the water, and so when my kids were little, they always, always had a life jacket on because, you know, how dangerous the water could be.”

Currently, Colorado state law requires personal flotation devices for children under 13.

Full statement from the City of Pueblo:

“The City of Pueblo recently updated signage near WaterWorks Park. While Pueblo Parks and Recreation and the Pueblo Conservancy District continue to work on the City Park and Arkansas River Trail Master Plan, it was obvious in the meantime that new signage was necessary right now in the summer months. In July, the Law Department is preparing to update the Municipal Code with approval from City Council to include WaterWorks Park as one of the areas along the Arkansas River where life jackets are required per municipal code. 

Currently Colorado state law required personal flotation devices for children under 13. With increased activity and safety concerns, the City of Pueblo wanted to ensure individuals utilizing WaterWorks Park also wore personal flotation devices, regardless of age. Many surfers, rafters and other recreators are in the area and we want to encourage a high level of safety of all those enjoying the area.”

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Saturday afternoon, just before 2 p.m., Colorado Springs police were called to an injury crash in the 5400 block of Constitution Ave.

Police say that during the investigation, officers learned that the driver of the car that caused the crash had been involved in a shooting call for service from earlier this week.

The investigation led to an incident on Tuesday, June 24, at about 1:00 a.m. in the 5600 block of Palmer Park Blvd., where a vehicle was shot, according to CSPD.

The officers say they were able to develop probable cause and arrest the driver, later identified as Clea Jamerson, of Saturday’s crash for the shooting from earlier in the week.

Police say a separate vehicle, which was believed to be involved in the shooting incident, was searched, and additional evidence was located tying it to the shooting. CSPD reports that several handguns were recovered from a vehicle. The crash vehicles were not involved in the shooting incident, according to police.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On Saturday, June 28, the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) was working to investigate reports of a felony menacing just before 3 p.m.

Officers say the crime happened at a business complex on Southgate Road. Police later found the suspect at a different business in the area and took him into custody.

CSPD identified the suspect as Cameron Brown. When police brought Brown to the station, they say that as they were moving him into a holding area, he assaulted an officer.

Police say additional officers jumped into action and helped to move Brown into the holding area.

Brown was booked into the El Paso County Jail, where he faces both menacing and assaulting a peace officer charges.

Police say the officer remained on duty.

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Mackenzie Stafford

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Manitou Springs Fire Department (MSFD) is set to hold a wildland fire training exercise on Sunday, June 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Deer Valley Park.

The city wants to warn residents and visitors in the area that during the training, you may notice smoke and fire equipment. They say this is part of a scheduled training exercise and not an emergency.

Manitou Springs officials say these proactive drills are critical to ensuring that fire crews remain prepared for real wildfire scenarios.

For non-emergency questions you can contact the Manitou Springs Fire Department at 719-685-1444.

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Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – One man is now in the hospital after a stabbing early Sunday morning. 

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says it happened just before 2 a.m. on North Academy Boulevard. The area is just south of Constitution Avenue.  

Police say that medics arrived first and found a 31-year-old man with a stab wound to the side. 

CSPD says the man was transported via ambulance to Memorial Hospital with, what was initially assessed as, life threatening internal injuries. Medical personnel were able to stabilize the male and he is expected to survived, accorrding to police.

Officers are investigating the incident.

CSPD tells KRDO13 there is not yet a suspect.

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