Alleged Triple Murder Accomplice,
Medina-Kochis Extradited to Colorado,
Bail Set at $100k Cash Only
by George Gramlich On Tuesday, January 16, 2024 the Custer County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release that the alleged accomplice to last year’s triple murder off Oak Creek Grade was finally extradited back to Colorado and was currently residing in the El Paso County Jail. She is charged with five Level 5 felony counts, each of which carries a possible penalty of one to three years in state prison:
Nancy Rae Medina Kochis Extradited to Colorado
Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis
Photo: Custer County Sheriff’s Office
—Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Lloyd “Rich” Smith, Sheriff, Custer County Sheriff’s Office
Custer County, Westcliffe, CO
On Monday, January 15, 2024, an extradition team returned Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis from the Bernalillo County Jail in Albuquerque, NM, to the El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of Medina-Kochis based on her alleged involvement in the November 20, 2023, triple homicide of Rob Geers, Beth Geers, and James Daulton and the shooting of Patty Daulton at a rural location in Custer County, Colorado.
Nancy Medina-Kochis and Hanme Clark both unsuccessfully fought extradition back to Colorado to stand trial.
The Custer County Sheriff’s
Office, the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and surviving family members requested a no-bond hold on Nancy Rae Medina-
Kochis pending a trial. The bond will be set by the District Court Judge on January 17, 2024.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith expressed his thanks to the
US Marshall of Colorado Kirk Taylor, the Bernalillo County Sheriff, the New Mexico State Police and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for their assistance
in capturing the two fleeing suspects just 25 hours after the homicides.
Sheriff Smith said, “It is my hope that this extradition brings some sense of closure to the victims, their families, friends, and the entire Custer County community as we prepare for the upcoming trials”.
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The bail hearing for the defendant occurred on Wednesday, January 17. At 12:30 p.m. District Judge Amanda Hunter presided. Defense counsel stated that the defendant did “not have a lengthy criminal history” and had “ties to the community.” He also noted that Medina-Kochis as an epileptic and required medication. He asked for Judge Hunter to follow the 11th Judicial District’s Bond Schedule in pronouncing bond. The 11th Judicial District’s Assistant District Attorney ADA) countered saying that the under-lying crime was the “most horrific event in Custer County in the last 100 years.” He added that the defendant aided the alleged murderer in “absconding from Colorado” and that she was “a flight risk.” The ADA added that the defendant was caught in New Mexico and had fought extradition back to Colorado. He then requested various bond conditions like staying away from the scene of the crime. The ADA requested $50k cash only bail. After the two presentations, Judge Hunter noted that the defendant was a “flight risk” and was also a “community risk”. Also, she was captured in New Mexico fleeing our jurisdiction. Judge Hunter set the bail at $100k cash only. The Judge set the defendants next court appearance for a pre-trial conference on February 6, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. It would be an in-person appearance.
Press Release
Nicole Koch
Wet Mountain Valley Saddle Club
Wet Mountain Valley Stampede
(L to R) Princess – Sarah McPherson, Miss Stampede – Donna Fern, Queen’s Attendant – Trinity Bowen, Queen – Paige Lorenzen Courtesy Photo: Sagebrush Souls Photography
Rodeo Royalty is a wonderful opportunity for young girls to gain experience and grow in many aspects of life, including public speaking and appearance, organizing events, fundraising, serving our community, representing an organization, making connections with others, and so many more valuable tools they can use in their lives.
Congratulations to the 2024 Royalty! (L to R) Princess – Sarah McPherson, Miss Stampede – Donna Fern, Queen’s Attendant – Trinity Bowen, Queen – Paige Lorenzen Courtesy Photo: Sagebrush Souls Photography
Our vision for this program is to provide opportunities that prepare these young ladies for life with wise guidance, to truly become involved in and serve our community, and to encourage as many young women as possible to help preserve the sport of rodeo through clinics, events and scholarships.
Thank you for your support in this program and if you would like to become involved, please contact Nicole Koch at 719-371-8897.
BOCC: A Small Property Tax Mill Levy
Reduction, Bank Shuts Down the County’s Credit Cards, Day Continues as Chair
by George Gramlich,
News and Commentary
The January 10, 2024 Custer County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting started at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Office. All three Commissioners were present: Chair Kevin Day and members Bill Canda and Lucas Epp.
In Unfinished Business, Epp gave the status on hiring a consultant to help with the 2022 audit issues and keep the Finance Department running until the BOCC hires a new Finance Director. Epp said the consultants he contacted were in the $200k range (yearly salary) and that was too much. He is continuing to look. Canda mentioned that local, Len Arrigo, a CPA was available.
In a disturbing development, Epp said that Kirkpatrick Bank “has shut down” the county’s credit cards due to late payments. Epp said that the county has been paying late payment and interest fees every month for 2023. (Later on, Epp mentioned that those penalties cost the county around $6,000 last year!) Epp said,
“It was our fault” as the county was not paying the bill on time as the county’s departments were not paying their portion of the bill or paying it late. Plus, the Accounts Payable cycle happens at the end of the month and that was causing delays. (It looks like the Finance Department, under ex Finance Director Braden Wilson,
completely dropped the ball on this. Your local bank freezing the county’s credit cards is like, really bad. Total Clown Show.) Epp said he is going to fix this.
First item in New Business was Adopting the 2024 County Budget. Vernon Roth, the county’s IT Director, had taken over the task of assembling the budget since we have no Finance Director. (Vernon has done an outstanding job on this. He has worked day and night, six or seven days a week to get this done. And it ain’t his job. Thanks, Vernon.)
The big gorilla in the room was what are the Commissioners going to do to the General Fund mill levy rate to reduce the big property tax increases. With the huge 2023 statewide property evaluations sky high, land owners are facing huge property tax increases across the state. The two biggest taxing districts in the county are the school and the county. (The school had already lowered their mill rate to save us money.) The big question is will the BOCC lower the General Fund mill levy?
It appears that during the recent BOCC Budget Workshops, the Commissioners had proposed lowering the rate from 10.425 mills to 9.75 mills. Vernon stated that this caused a bit of discussion from the Commissioners because it seemed to not be a lot. Canda stated that there were various county departments that could not be touched (like Road & Bridge and Human Resources) so the only arena where the Commissioners could really reduce anything was the General Fund. Canda said the mill reduction would only reduce the tax for each parcel in the county by $8 (Eight Dollars). He said there are about 9,000 parcels in the county and most of them were taxable. The discussion went on for a while with Day stating that he wasn’t sure this small reduction was worth the hassle, but he was not opposed to it. (the reduction is temporary, for one year.) All three Commissioners voted to approve the budget.
There was an issue with the timing of deciding the county’s budget before the BOCC actually voted on the Resolution for Setting the County Mill Levies as that Agenda Item was AFTER the Budget Agenda Item. Somehow, the Board thought that doing mill levy change after the Budget was okay.
Finally the Resolution to Set the County Mill Levies came up. The Commissioners basically repeated a lot of what they had previously said during the Budget discussion. The General Fund one-year General Fund rate reduction to 9.75 mills (from 10.425) was approved unanimously.
Later, the County Government Appointments Item came up. The only item of interest was who was going to be the BOCC Chair for 2024. Newcomer Epp made a surprise move saying to Day that if Day didn’t want to do it, he would like to be Chair. This got Day dancing around with Epp with Day stating he would like to continue as Chair but if Epp really wanted it, Day would step aside. Then Epp said if Day really wanted it, he would back off. Day then noted that Epp was real busy with the Finance Department meltdown and being Chair is a fair amount of work.
Canda finally said he was fine with Day continuing as Chair. All three finally voted for Day to continue as Chair.
by George Gramlich, News
The Custer County Board of County Commissioners held a Special Meeting, January 8, 2024 to select the new Human Resources (HR) Director. All three Commissioners were present: Chair Kevin Day and members Bill Canda and Lucas Epp.
Day opened with the statement that they had selected three finalists for the position.
Epp then took the stage. He said the new HR Department has to be built “from the ground up.” There are kinds of issues to be addressed such as procedures, reporting, etc., “so the new guy has a big task load.” Epp then stated, “the applications we have received don’t represent what I think is needed to build a new department from the ground up.” Epp continued, “We need to caste our net further” noting that maybe we should have a salary range rather than a fixed advertised salary.
Canda disagreed. He said, “I think we have a candidate that does meet the criteria,” but noted he would not be against doing some more advertising.
Then it was Day’s turn, “There is one of the three that I can support, but, they would need additional help to succeed.” Day said he “shared your concerns, it is a big load. I would support putting it out for bid…. I don’t want to set somebody up for failure.”
This discussion went on for a bit. Finally, the Commissioners decided to put the job out for bid for an additional two weeks and try to find more outlets to advertise it.
The next and last Agenda Item was where to put the HR office. After a lot of talk, it was decided to put the office in the BOCC’s building. Some renovations would be necessary.
For more information on open county positions see https://www.custercounty-co.gov/employment
Job Description Summary
The Director of Finance and Accounting for Custer County
The Director of Finance and Accounting for Custer County, Colorado, is responsible for overseeing the county’s financial systems and operations, including managing accounting records, preparing financial reports, and ensuring compliance with auditing and accounting standards. This role involves supervising the finance department, monitoring departmental budgets, and acting as a financial advisor to the County Commissioners and other officials. The director also plays a key role in developing and administering the county’s budget and capital improvement plans, while ensuring efficient financial internal controls and compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. For the full description click here.
Hedberg Attacks Another
Custer County Citizen Files Spurious Criminal Complaint Against Commissioner Canda
by George Gramlich, News and Commentary
updated January 5, 2023 (See links to more documents at the end of the article.)
In a scene that regrettably seems to happen over and over again, the Editor of The Wet Mountain Tribune, Jordan “Red Bug” Hedberg, has again viciously and without merit, attacked another Custer County conservative citizen. This time it was Custer County Commissioner Bill Canda.
In September, Hedberg filed a Criminal Complaint against Canada alleging Criminal Forgery and Abuse of Office. Wow! To get to the bottom of this, we contacted Commissioner Canda to get the facts, and as you will see, reality collides with Hedberg’s false allegations. Again.
As a preface to our findings, below is background on the scandal and Canda’s comments on what went down.
Where did this start, you may ask? It is about the Braden Wilson/County Manager fiasco that Commissioners Kevin Day and Tom Flower manufactured, which in the end, predictably, caused the County great harm and money. The one guy who tried to stop the County Manager (CM) inside job was Commissioner Bill Canda. And for his completely legal and courageous move to attempt to block the blood money severance paycheck to Wilson because he believed the CM Contract was invalid, Hedberg then, out of pure malice and vengeance, filed a criminal complaint in September with the Custer County Sheriff and the 11th Judicial District Attorney alleging that Canda committed criminal Forgery and Abuse of Public Office when he went to the local bank which has the county’s accounts, and filled out a Stop Payment Form on a $54k check written to Wilson after he was fired. The $54k check was composed of regular salary and benefits from Wilson’s last days as Finance Director and a $45k “severance” payment (which was included in Wilson’s CM contract upon the insistence of Day and was in effect the moment Wilson was hired. Day inserted the poison pill penalty in an attempt to restrict any future BOCC from firing Wilson. It was completely unethical.)
As we will see, as Canda pointed out in our interview, Hedberg’s complaint was completely devoid of merit, filled with erroneous facts and allegations, and motivated solely by Hedberg’s long time push to discredit Canda due to a variety of past issues: Canda led the way to “open up” Custer County during the Covid debacle which Hedberg histrionically resisted in his newspaper; Canda also defended our Public Health Director against Hedberg’s unrelenting and unproven accusations against the Director; and Canda’s voting to give the Sangre de Cristo Sentinel the County’s Legal Notices contract instead of to the Tribune (which hurt poor Jordy’s feelings.) (Hedberg’s irrational hatred for Canda recently manifested itself again, with Hedberg, a very recent “registered Republican”, endorsed a very left-wing unaffiliated candidate running against life long Republican Canda in the recent election cycle by displaying her campaign posters in the Trib’s window. Note no other candidates’ campaign signs were visible. That sign posting, folks, is all you need to know about Hedberg’s RINO leanings and his hatred of Canda.)
So, what happened? During Commissioners Day and Flower’s battle to force the county to create the County Manager position last year, and bully their candidate, Wilson, into the position, Commissioner Canda fought tooth and nail to stop it. Day and Flower cut corners, refused to post the job for a reasonable length of time and violated multiple provisions of the Colorado Open Record Act, Section 3.5 which states the procedure that must be followed to create an executive position in a county. The two commissioners ignored the statutory provisions and voted to create the position, write a CM employment contract with an unethical poison pill severance clause and then hire their pre-chosen candidate, Wilson, for it.
This was flat out dirty, dirty, inside politics. Like stuff you see in Denver. No place for that here.
Commissioners Day, Epp, and Canda
Just after they hired Wilson, recall candidate winner, Lucas Epp replaced Flower as County Commissioner. In one of the very first meetings after Epp was sworn in, Canda and Epp voted to eliminate the CM position and Wilson. That happened near the end of the meeting. Right after that, hearing that Wilson no longer had the job, the new Finance Director, without being authorized by the BOCC, cut a $54k severance/salary/benefits check for Wilson and stamped Day’s name on the check as signor. She then immediately gave the check to the fired Wilson. Wilson had only “worked” as CM for five days. (So he got $45k of our tax money for nothing. Thanks, Day.) The Commissioners knew nothing about this outrageous act. (Internal controls? Nonexistent in the Custer County Finance Department.)
When Canda found out about it, he immediately went to United Business Bank and asked to fill out a Stop Payment Form to stop the check. According to Canda, his basis for doing this was his belief that the CM contract was invalid and void as the BOCC did NOT follow the state law on creating the CM position and the hiring process was bogus.
Canda said that he believed the CM contract was invalid and void, and thus the severance payout was invalid. At the bank, Canda requested a Stop Payment Order. When the bank clerk produced the computer-generated form. The form had the County’s Treasurer, Virginia Trujillo name preprinted on the form in the signor area, under the signature box. See below:
Canda, as a VALID ACCOUNT SIGNOR, and as a County Commissioner, lined out the Treasurer’s printed name and title, and signed his name and printed his title, “Vice Chair”. Perfectly legal. Zero forgery.
Not much later, after Day called Trujillo and told her what happened, Trujillo called the bank and said Canda did not have the authority to do that and to cancel the Stop Payment Order. As we will see, Trujillo did NOT have the authority to do that. Only the County Commissioners, all three of them, have the SOLE authority to distribute county funds (with some minor and narrow exceptions for the County Clerk and Treasurer to execute their duties in those offices.) The Treasurer has NO authority to control BOCC disbursements. Note that CRS 30-10-707, “Treasurer to Receive and Pay Moneys”, explicitly states that the BOCC is totally in charge of disbursements, “It is the duty of the County Treasurer to receive all moneys belonging to the county, from whatever source they may be derived, and all other moneys which are by law directed to be paid to him. All moneys received by him for use of the county shall be paid out by him only on the orders of the board of county commissioners, according to law, except where special provision for the payment thereof is otherwise made by law.” (Emphasis GG.)
The Commissioners decide who gets paid. Not the Treasurer.
At the next BOCC meeting Day made a big deal about Canda not having the authority to do what he did and what he did was bad, but, as it turns out, Day was again dead wrong.
Canda said that CRS 30-11-107, “Powers of the Board”, clearly states that only the BOCC can disburse county funds. (Plus, Canda was a registered, valid, signor on the account.) Thus, based on the shaky legal standing of the CM contract, and the fact THAT NO COUNTY COMMISSIONER SIGNED THE CHECK (the Finance Director, without any BOCC authorization, stamped Day’s signature on the check), Canda PROPERLY signed the Stop Payment Order. Trujillo, who does not have authority over disbursements, then later called the bank and cancelled the Stop Payment Order. So, Wilson got his $45k severance pay for a few days’ work and the county took a beating.
According to Canda, Trujillo did not have the authority to overrule a County Commissioner regarding the County’s bank account (e.g., the County’s bank account disbursements). The Commissioners have total control over disbursements according to Colorado law. In fact, the Treasurer’s name should not have been on the Stop Payment form. (It was there as a “place holder”. The form should have been blank as any Commissioner signor can sign a Stop Payment Order for disbursements.) Thus, Canda, with full legal authority, properly signed his name and title on the form.
Now, let’s take a look at Hedberg’s Criminal Complaint against Canda alleging criminal Forgery and Abuse of Office. In the Complaint, Hedberg alleges, “He committed these crimes when he went to United Business Bank in Westcliffe to attempt to place a Stop Payment Order on a check that was written by Custer County Treasurer Virginia Trujillo to former Custer County Manager Braden Wilson. William Canda knew that he was not the account holder, and he also knew that he had no authority to access the account or place a Stop Payment Order. Regardless, he falsely convinced the Bank Teller …”
This statement is at the very beginning of the Complaint. It is so wrong, it is laughable. Apparently, Hedberg, “Mr. Journalist”, failed to do any research or due diligence before filing this error filled and bogus Complaint. Note that the check was NOT “written by Custer County Treasurer Virginia Trujillo”. The signor was Kevin Day, as improperly stamped by the Finance Director. (Hedberg can’t even get right who signed the check! Good grief! This is the level of accuracy throughout the whole complaint. Totally incompetent.) And, “William Canda knew that he was not the account holder” is flat out wrong. He was indeed an account signor. In fact, he was one of the three people (the three Commissioners) who are actually in charge of disbursement for the account.
Hedberg alleges that Canda in signing his own name and title, as a valid signor on the account, and acting as a County Commissioner (who have sole control over disbursements in the account) somehow committed criminal FORGERY is a malicious attempt to harm an
innocent man.
Hedberg then states in the Complaint, “the document makes it clear that the only listed person on the account with authority is Virginia Trujillo and her office of the Custer County Treasurer.”
Just because a computer preprints the Treasurer’s name on the form DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE TREASURER IS THE ONLY PERSON ON THE ACCOUNT! Good grief, Hedberg knows the checks coming out of the County’s A/P system have Kevin Day’s signature on it. Maybe that is a clue that there might be more than the Treasurer on the account, Hedberg? In fact, if you had simply asked the bank or a Commissioner, they might have told who were the signors on the account and that Canda was one of them. The Treasurer has NO authority to control BOCC disbursements. (As noted above in CRS 30-10-707.)
Hedberg’s second criminal allegation, that Canda Abused his Public Office was stated like this: “In addition, when William Canda fraudulently altered the document and signed the document with his officially elected position as Vice Chairman of the Board of Custer County Commissioners in an attempt to maliciously cause financial harm to Braden Wilson, he Abused his Public Office under Colorado law § 18-8-404 which states: (1) A public servant commits first degree official misconduct if, with intent to obtain a benefit for the public servant or another or maliciously to cause harm to another, he or she knowingly: Commits an act relating to his office but constituting an unauthorized exercise of his official function; “
This claim is absolutely fraudulent. Like real fraudulent. Canda had literally ZERO malice here. As explained above, he had every right to try to protect the County based on the violations of the CORA provisions that occurred during the CM debacle which put the actual CM contract in dispute regarding its validity and the fact that no Commissioner authorized or signed the huge check. In fact, Canda was under a DUTY to protect the county and he did the right thing in signing the Stop Payment Order. (Remember, delaying the payment was not denying the payment. Canda wanted to determine if the CM contract was valid or not before paying Wilson. It was more than a fair reason to do it. It was a LOT of money.)
Section (1) (a) also was not violated. He was totally authorized as a County Commissioner and as a a Signor on the account to sign the Stop Payment Order. So that was another bogus allegation.
Let’s look at one more Hedberg false allegation, near the end of Complaint lament, “William Canda has already claimed in a public meeting on August 31, 2023, that he had the authority to place a stop-order payment to Braden Wilson and denied wrongdoing. But in my conversations with Virginia Trujillo and looking at Custer County laws, it is clear that William Canda has never had authority on the Treasurer’s bank account, and his actions of altering bank documents prove that he knew he had no authority whatsoever.”
Hedberg’s statement, “it is clear that William Canda has never had authority on the Treasurer’s bank account” is delusional. It is the County Commissioner’s bank account with regards to distributions according the Colorado law. Not the Treasurer’s. And, Canda WAS a signor on the account. Also, Colorado state law determines what the Commissioners’ authority is not “Custer County laws”. (Hedberg is so far off here it is unbelievable, and it looks like he is just making things up.)
Hedberg doesn’t stop there in his attempt to shame Canda; he called his homies at KRDO and told them about this and they start drooling like dogs over road kill as it is a Christian, Republican, career ex-military, Custer County Commissioner who is being accused of Forgery and Abuse of Office. For KRDO this couldn’t be any better. Canda says KRDO called him up but he wouldn’t talk to them as it was an ongoing criminal investigation. So without ANY verification of Hedberg’s (false) claims, they ran the story big time on their TV station and website. ( NOTE THIS LINK takes you outside the SDC Sentinel Website)
Thus, Canda was shamed publicly by Hedberg and KRDO FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING with the proper authority. Situation normal for libs.
And again, much government time and money is wasted on a false Hedberg allegation. (The DA had to process this bogus complaint, assign an Investigator to it and waste time writing up the report. At the same time, the DA has got a Custer County triple homicide case investigation case going on. Nice.)
(This story will be forwarded to the reporter who wrote the story at KRDO. And the GM. We’ll see if they issue a retraction or a follow up noting that Canda was falsely charged. We also will see if Hedberg issues a retraction. I doubt it.)
So Hedberg filed a bogus, malicious Criminal Complaint against the Christian, conservative, Republican, had his lib media homies, KRDO, play it up big time, and tried to destroy a good man’s reputation. SOP for Hedberg. The Complaint will be dismissed by the DA. But Hedberg doesn’t care. He’ll just look for the next victim.
Bill Canda did the right thing and he can walk tall. A shame allegation won’t ruin a good man’s reputation. The “man” that made the allegation is the shamed one. And everyone now knows where the shame, deceit, and dishonor lies. And it ain’t Canda.
Also see the 11th District’s statement concerning investigation which the Sentinel obtained after going to press HERE which shows that Commissioner Canda is indeed a signor on the County’s bank account.
The Sentinel received an LTE rebuttal letter sent to KRDO from Bill Canda and a Statement from Commissioner Bill Canda. Both are below
Letter to the Editor
—December 26, 2023
RE: Article by KRDO Channel 13 printed on December 13, 2023
On December 19, 2023, KRDO Channel 13 ran a story prompted by a spurious criminal complaint filed by the Editor of the Wet Mountain Tribune accusing me of forgery. This article is not true and publication by KRDO is irresponsible.
On August 23, 2023, the Custer County Finance Director issued Braden Wilson a check for $30,451.18. The gross amount of the check net of taxes was approximately $55,000. Wilson was on the job for less than a week when his position was eliminated by the newly seated Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). On August 25, 2023, I tried to stop payment of the check to give the BOCC time to resolve the improprieties surrounding its issuance.
It is important to note that by law, only the BOCC has the fiduciary responsibility to spend the citizens (taxpayers) money. They must personally verify every check issued for all expenditures. Also, it is important to note the two issues with the Wilson payment: 1) unresolved problems concerning the legitimacy of his employment contract, and 2) the legitimacy of the issuance of the check itself.
It was critical that the newly seated BOCC determine whether the check was a legitimate expense, and as importantly if valid, the expense was reviewed and approved by the BOCC as required by Colorado Law. There are several reasons why this check should not have been issued:
1. The pay calculation was never verified or checked by a person other than the person who calculated and issued the check. There were errors.
2. The check was issued by the Director of Finance without approval by the BOCC. The check contains a pre-printed signature of the County Clerk attesting that the Commissioner’s signature on the check is valid. It was stamped in error with the Chairman’s signature and directly issued without the knowledge of either the Clerk, the Commissioner or the BOCC.
3. I tried to stop payment on the check when I discovered it had been released without Board approval. My intent was to ensure that the payment was valid, and the calculations were correct. Additionally, standard practice would be to issue two different checks; one for time worked and one for severance pay.
Commissioners have signature authority for all county checks. The BOCC never approved the Wilson check. Therefore, I have authority to stop the payment of the check. The County Treasurer overrode my stop payment order and directed the bank to pay the check anyway. The law does not permit this. The Treasurer’s action precluded the County Commission from being able to perform its fiduciary duty to the county.
I believe the criminal complaint Hedberg filed is completely unlawful and frivolous because the reason I tried to stop payment of the Wilson check was to ensure the matter could be resolved according to law. Hedberg’s actions were irresponsible, and his complaint is unfounded.
William R. (Bill) Canda Custer County Commissioner
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A Statement from Commissioner Canda Regarding the Criminal Compliant Filed by Hedberg Against Canda:
1. I believe it is completely unlawful and a frivolous, expensive and misguided misuse of our justice system that a criminal complaint be filed for the legitimate actions taken by me while exercising my responsibility as a county commissioner to fiducially protect our county. What Jordan Hedberg did, by inserting himself into the story by filing the complaint, then involving KRDO Channel 13 to spread his errant opinions, was irresponsible and probably criminal. Allegations this serious warranted a thorough, unbiased investigation.
2. Jordan Hedberg has inserted himself into a story he created to damage my reputation and to cost our government time and money for no other reason than his own irrational hatred. By filing this complaint against my actions, which were not only lawful, but necessary, he has been irresponsible and expensive at best, probably criminal. By involving KRDO to spread false information, his misdeeds have been multiplied and unlawful.
3. It is an affront to the profession of journalism to leap to conclusions just because, at first glance, the reporter’s biases are confirmed. This shoddy practice is why thinking people no longer trust the media, and why confusion and division reign. Jordan Hedberg and KRDO should know better.
Note: Regarding the Validity of the Wilson Contract:
It is not for me nor the BOCC to determine the validity of the Wilson Contract. It is a question that only a court of law, a judge, can determine. If the payment of the check had been stopped, Braden Wilson would have had to prove it was a legal contract. Trujillo shifted the burden to the county to prove it wasn’t—at significant cost to the citizens of the county.
Press Release The Education Legacy Fund and The West Custer County Library Free Moderated Panel to Explore Education Opportunities
The Education Legacy Fund and the West Custer County Library are co-sponsoring a Public Forum on Education in the Valley on Thursday, January 18, 2024. The Forum will start at 5 p.m. at All Aboard Westcliffe Heritage Center (located at 110 Rosita Avenue in Westcliffe.)
The Public Forum will have a moderated panel to explore education options, opportunities, obstacles and solutions. The panel will consist of educators and community members acting as moderators, with questions and participation invited from the audience.
The Public Forum is free and everyone is welcome to attend – teachers, students, parents, educators, homeschoolers, church schoolers, and anyone interested in lifelong learning. Refreshments will be served.
by Fred Hernandez
All good things come to an end and for Silver Cliff town, one definitely “good thing”, officially came to an end at the end of November with the retirement of one who served not only Silver Cliff with distinction, but the entire community of Custer County. Yes, it was the retirement of Roger Camper who joined the town of Silver Cliff in June of 2010. For more than a decade Roger unselfishly served the people of the town as the Building and Zoning Officer and often helped in other tasks as needed.
On November 30th, the town celebrated his retirement with Roger, and his wife Pam, at the local Mexican restaurant Imperio Azteca. Town Clerk Ileen Squire had prepared several gifts for him which he unwrapped to the delight of everyone present. With about thirty guests in attendance, Roger enjoyed the warm friendship and gratitude they offered as well as appreciation for his service from town trustees Jake Shy, Troy Bomgardner and this writer. Silver Cliff town Mayor Harry “Buck” Wenzel expressed his sincerest appreciation, not only of the years of serving the town, but the cordial friendship he shares with Roger. The mayor’s statement embodies what everyone felt when he said and we quote:
“The Town of Silver Cliff will never forget the amazing dedication, care and countless contributions that Mr. Camper gave to our town, its residents and builders during his career with us. His skills, abilities and historical knowledge were second to none. We wish him the best in his retirement and will miss his energetic, positive and “can-do” attitude!”
We recall, for the record, one truly remarkable achievement of Roger as Building and Zoning officer of the town was the extensive and complex work done on the town’s museum. The original building was erected in 1879 and was in dire need of refurbishment. Through Rogers continuous efforts at research and his broad knowledge of construction and building materials he painstakingly found the modern day equivalents of the materials needed, and necessarily approved by the Historical Society, to bring the ancient building back to its new life span of another century. In addition, the museum now has a nice pavilion and an area where visitors can rest and recreate.
Indeed Roger’s contri-bution not only to Silver Cliff but to the county as a whole goes back to his days of pioneering the establishment of what is now the Wet Mountain Fire District. His tireless efforts as a one man fundraising committee, countless hours
of hard work and single minded determination to create what is now one of the best fire fighting organizations in southwest Colorado. Roger will conceivably always be remembered as the “father” of the Custer County Fire Department.
We wish Roger all the very best in his retirement; that he may have all the time he needs to enjoy his family and we pray for his good health and happiness always.
And so, until we meet again, the town of Silver Cliff wishes Roger a fond ‘adieu” and may God be with you in all your future endeavors.
Music will ring out across the Wet Mountain Valley at the 21st High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival in July in the heart of the Rockies.
Come enjoy stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the youth music program, the camaraderie of on-site camping and pickin’ in addition to a full roster of exciting bluegrass performers. The festival dates are Thursday – Sunday, July 11 – 14, 2024, at The Bluff Park in Westcliffe, Colorado.
We are excited to announce Jim Lauderdale as our featured performer this year. He has won two Grammys, released 36 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award, along with being a great performer. The line-up also features our festival host, the always entertaining Dry Branch Fire Squad. Other acts scheduled to appear are Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, Wilder Flower, Mike Mitchell Band, My Brother’s Keeper, Fog Holler, Red Mountain Boys, Orchard Creek, Abigail Gardner, and Heidi Clare and Ron Thomason. Many of these performers will also conduct workshops throughout the weekend, which will afford festival-goers the opportunity to experience the performers in a more intimate setting. Dancers are welcome Friday and Saturday night in the workshop venue. And don’t forget the popular High Mountain Hayseeds – bring the kids and their instruments!
High Mountain Hay Fever is also the best deal in bluegrass. Four-Day Passes are only $100 (before 6/1), $120 (after 6/1), and $130 (at the gate). Single day ticket prices are $25 for Thursday evening, $60 for Friday, $60 for Saturday, and $40 for Sunday. Student daily admission (13-18 with student ID) is $10. Children under 12 are free. Tickets are on sale on our website: www.highmountainhayfever.org. Camping is available adjacent to the festival grounds. Please see https://highmountainhayfever.org/plan-your-visit/camping/ to view the new process in selecting your campsite.
The festival is a nonprofit effort to enhance the Wet Mountain Valley as a quality event destination that benefits the entire community. The festival has raised over $850,000 for Wet Mountain Valley charitable organizations over the years of its existence, with a strong focus on children’s health. The High Mountain Hay Fever Festival Association is a non-profit organization run by a great group of volunteers who work year-round to make the festival happen. The festival remains an intimate event, avoiding the sprawl and congestion of large festivals while offering nationally recognized bluegrass talent, remaining true to its motto: “Small Scale, Big Time”.
For information contact us at www.highmountainhayfever.org.
