Latest news with #TellerCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado House passes bill regulating semiautomatic firearms, banning ‘bump stocks'
DENVER (KDVR) — In a vote of 68-30, the Colorado House approved a bill that House Democrats say would fully implement and enforce the state's existing high-capacity magazine ban. The bill would require anyone in Colorado after Aug. 1, 2026, to have a permit and complete firearm safety training to purchase high-powered firearms with detachable magazines. The bill would also prohibit anyone from selling or buying aftermarket accessories for semiautomatic guns, like binary triggers and bump stocks. 2 lost teenagers rescued with drone aid at Roxborough State Park 'This gun violence prevention legislation answers the call to action from our neighbors and will save lives,' said Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat representing Englewood, in a release. 'We know that semi-automatic weapons become especially deadly when they are paired with high-capacity magazines, which is why Colorado Democrats passed a 2013 law to prohibit these high-capacity magazines. We've raised a generation on lock down drills and 1 in 15 people have experienced a mass shooting. We're passing this bill today so we can save lives and prevent more Coloradans from having to go through the pain of losing a loved one to senseless gun violence.' Opponents of the bill said that the measure would cost millions of dollars for local sheriff's offices and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to administer the new requirements. Those requirements are one of the following: Complete a hunter education course certified by CPW and within five years of making the purchase, complete a basic firearms safety course Within five years before making the purchase, complete an extended firearms safety course, or Complete an extended firearms safety course more than five years before making the purchase and complete a basic firearms safety course within five years before making the purchase To make that happen, sheriff's offices would be required to issue firearms safety course eligibility cards, with requirements for that card including completion of a fingerprint-based criminal history record check. RTD sees 52% drop in security calls after safety upgrades Among those opposing the bill was the Teller County Sheriff's Office. On March 17, Sheriff Jason Mikesell called the bill a 'train wreck' and 'an issue for all Colorado citizens across the board, not just gun owners.' He said that the financial impact on CPW will be serious. 'It's really going to just create what we originally believed was a registry, it's going to prohibityour ability to go get the standard weapons that you've been able to get without having to, what they like to call 'pathway to purchase' which in other words is just you buying your rightsback from the state,' said Teller County Sheriff's Office Commander Sven Bonnelycke in a YouTube post. 'It's going to be a bad thing for us.' Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly also appeared before legislators to testify against the bill. 'This Bill is a clear violation of our Second Amendment rights,' he said on a sheriff's campaign Facebook page. CPW would be required to develop and maintain a firearms training and safety course record system that includes records of those holding a valid firearms course card and those who have completed a hunter education course, a basic firearms safety course, or an extended firearms safety course. 'As gun violence continues to devastate communities across Colorado, Colorado Democrats are again taking action to prevent future tragedies,' said Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker, a Democrat representing Fort Collins. 'When semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines get into the wrong hands, it presents a major threat to the health and safety of our communities. With this legislation passing today, we're taking another step to prevent senseless violence in our communities and save countless lives.' Colorado House Democrats said that the bill 'would not impact the sale of shotguns, commonly used hunting rifles, semiautomatic firearms that have fixed magazines and almost all handguns.' The bill would prevent sales of gas-operated semiautomatic handguns, but recoil-operated handguns 'which make up over 90 percent of the pistol market,' according to House Democrats, would not be impacted. The bill would not impact currently-owned firearms. It now returns to the Colorado Senate where legislators will vote on amendments made in the House. If approved, without amendments, the bill would head to the governor's desk for a signature or veto. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teller County sheriff announces run for Colorado governor in 2026
A view of the Teller County Sheriff's Office. (Google Maps) Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell will run for Colorado governor as a Republican candidate in 2026. Mikesell filed his affidavit declaring his candidacy Wednesday. His campaign website says Colorado is in crisis, highlighting issues including the state budget, water, housing, mental health and immigration. 'Our policies will bring Coloradoans together not divide them,' Mikesell's candidacy announcement says. 'I will sign laws brought to my desk that fix problems and will veto laws that impact on our freedoms or seek to take away local control and our rights.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Mikesell was the last county sheriff in Colorado to have a so-called 287(g) agreement with federal authorities allowing his office to detain people on civil immigration violations after the Colorado Legislature passed a law banning the practice. The agreement allowed deputies in the sheriff's department to make immigration-related arrests for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement after undergoing a four-week immigration law training. The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado sued Mikesell in 2019 challenging his office's continued engagement with ICE, and the two parties entered a joint agreement concluding the years-long case at the end of January. It allowed Mikesell to continue to operate under the 287(g) agreement, but with specific directions on what deputies working with ICE could and could not do. The Republican primary for governor will be a crowded race, with candidates including state Sen. Mark Baisley, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, Brighton Fire Chief Brycen Garrison, third-time candidate Jason Clark, former 5th Congressional District candidate Joshua Griffin, Stevan Gess, Jon Gray-Ginsberg, Alexander Mugatu and Jim Rundberg. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is the only Democrat to have announced his candidacy for governor so far. Other potential Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Jena Griswold, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow and former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar. A Republican has not been elected governor in Colorado since 2002. Mikesell did not respond to a Newsline request for comment ahead of publication. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
High winds prompt Orange Flag Warning in Teller County
(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) has enacted an Orange Flag warning for all of Teller County on Tuesday, Feb. 25. According to the sheriff's office, the warning was enacted due to high winds out of the west at '10 to 25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph.' According to the National Weather Service (NWS), west winds will increase later in the afternoon. NWS also issues a hazardous weather outlook for some areas in Colorado, including Teller County, for critical fire weather conditions on Tuesday afternoon. Under an Orange Flag Warning, no burn permit activations and any burning of any kind are recommended due to weather conditions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff's Office: Two found dead identified as husband and wife
(TELLER COUNTY/COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) said two people found dead on Tuesday, Feb. 4, have been identified as a husband and wife from Colorado Springs. According to TCSO, on Tuesday at around 7:45 a.m., deputies responded to a report of two people found dead. 'The individuals were man and wife,' wrote TCSO in a Facebook post. 'The deceased man [was] identified as David Phister and the woman as Laurie Phister from Colorado Springs.' Deputies said that next of kin have been contacted and that the investigation is ongoing. 'We will release any additional information when it is available,' TCSO wrote. 'This incident poses no danger to the residents of Teller County.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Deputies team up with ICE, HSI to serve warrants in Teller County
(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) announced that its deputies teamed up with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to serve warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into a fraud case that involved fake vehicle titles. TCSO posted to its Facebook page on Friday, Jan. 31 just before 11:30 a.m., and wrote that deputies were executing search warrants on three locations in connection to the fraud case that Sheriff Jason Mikesell spoke about during a press conference held on Friday, Jan. 24. During last week's press conference, Sheriff Mikesell announced the recent arrests of four suspects that its office is now investigating with ICE. Two of the suspects were arrested on charges related to titles that were allegedly forged and brought into the Clerk's Office. 'And, through the very quick and smart thinking of our County Clerk and Recorder, Stephanie Kees, she was able to identify that they were actually forged,' Sheriff Mikesell said previously. On Friday, Jan. 31, TCSO said warrants were served at three locations in connection to the fraud case, including at the Olympia Hotel in Victor, and at two Cripple Creek addresses; one in the 330 block of West El Paso Avenue, west of CO-67 and another just five minutes up the road in the 130 block of Bison Street, near the intersection with Pikes Peak Avenue. 'Given the links within the case to illegal alien activity, TCSO was accompanied by ICE and Homeland Security Investigative Services,' the Facebook post read. 'We will release more information as the investigation develops.' The partnerships between local and federal agencies are vital in protecting our residents and we hope that through federal partnerships with our state and local partners, we can enhance the safety of all Colorado citizens. And we agree with Governor Polis that more federal agents would be of great assistance to enhance that working relationship. Teller County Sheriff's Office Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
