Thursday January 17, 2013

The mother of two children who died while left unattended in her SUV on the Grand Mesa in November has been arrested in Florida.  Heather Jensen was arrested on a warrant charging two counts of Child Abuse Resulting in Death, two counts of Criminally Negligent Homicide and one count of False Reporting.  The warrant carries a $150,000 bond.  An autopsy revealed Jensen's 2 and 4 year old sons died of hyperthermia while left in the car with the heater running.

Mesa County Sheriff's investigators are looking into an assault on Orchard Mesa.  According to the Daily Sentinel, a man was reportedly assaulting a woman inside a car and drove off when deputies approached.  After a short pursuit, the woman was able to get out of the car and the driver arrested.  39 year old Noah Godward was arrested, the injured woman taken to a hospital.

President Obama says he'll introduce legislation by next week including a ban on assault weapons. This in the wake of mass killings at a movie theater in Aurora and an elementary school in Connecticut.  In Grand Junction, supporters of gun rights plan a rally Saturday at the Old Mesa County Courthouse. The Mesa County Patriots, Pro-Second Amendment Committee, and the Colorado Liberty Alliance are encouraging supporters to bring signs in support of the right of self defense and the Second Amendment on National Gun Appreciation Day.

A former Fruita man has been ordered to stand trial for the murder of a Fruitvale escort in July of 2011.  A Mesa County District Court judge ruled yesterday there is enough evidence to support charges of 1st Degree Murder against 36 year old Billy Joe Delacey who was arrested at his home in Pennsylvania in September.  Delacey is accused of meeting 26 year old Luis Alberto Oliva for sex and then beating the man to death.

The former general manager of Grand West Kia has been ordered to pay back nearly $200,000 he stole from the business.  46 year old James Gattis pleaded guilty to the theft in a plea agreement and will have 20 years to pay back the money.  According to the Daily Sentinel, Gattis blamed alcohol and drug abuse for the embezzlement.

The Grand Junction Economic Partnership is looking to raise one a half million dollars to run its office for the next five years.  The GJEP meets with businesses that might want to relocate to the Grand Valley and works to get incentives for them to do so.

A Denver Police Sergeant is recovering after being shot in the shoulder during a chase and shootout with a pickup load of suspects involved with a domestic dispute.  The pickup was spotted in a neighborhood where shots were exchanged with officers before the truck crashed into a tree. The Denver Post says a female suspect was injured in the crash and another person bitten by a police dog.  The fifth suspect was arrested late last night.

The Grand Junction City Council has OK'd a question for the April ballot asking voters to De-Bruce, or allow the city to spend money collected over the limit stated in the Tax Payers Bill of Rights.  The Daily Sentinel says the TABOR money, an estimated $2.4 million a year, would be used to pay for transportation projects including 29 Road to I-70, and face-lifts for North Avenue, Horizon Drive and 24 Road.