Romance Turned Robbery, Homeless Camp Fire: Colo. Springs Blotter

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- The following items appeared in the Colorado Springs police blotter between Jan. 26-Feb. 2 Any person named as arrested is not guilty until proved so in a court of law.

Feb. 2

10-hour barricade followed by arrest Police went to a home in the 3400 block of Mountainside Drive around 3:58 a.m to execute an arrest and search warrant at a home. The wanted male refused to exit the residence, and barricaded himself inside, causing police to close streets and warn residents to stay inside for several hours. After a negotiation, the male suspect was taken into custody around 2:45 p.m.

Drug deal busted A patrol officer in the 1800 block of South Nevada noticed two suspicious vehicles around 2:20 a.m. Observing potential drug deals, the officer called for assistance. After the vehicles left in separate directions, the officers split up and contacted both vehicles. During the contacts, they arrested one person for felony warrants and for being in possession of narcotics. Another person was arrested for felony warrants and Attempt to Influence. A third person was arrested for felony charges after he was found to be in possession of a large quantity of stolen ID's, credit cards, credit profiles, etc.

Jan. 31

Carjacking Around 1:30 a.m., a man told police he was sitting in his gold, 1996 Toyota Camry in the 2500 block of International Circle when he was approached by an unknown male. After a brief conversation, the other man produced a handgun and demanded that the victim exit the vehicle, the victim told police. The suspect hopped into the vehicle and drove away, last see heading eastbound on International Circle.Thealleged carjacker was described was a Hispanic or light skinned black male, approximately 5'10 to 6' tall with an average build. He was wearing all dark colored clothing.The victim's vehicle had Colorado license plate #OBQ-637. No one was injured.

Jan 30

Homicide arrest. Colorado Springs police announced an arrest had been made in connection with a fatal shooting. The CSPD Facebook page said that Arquinn Deandre Stafford, 36, of Florida, was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of 30-year-old Benjamin Lee Sharkey.
Sharkey was found Jan. 7 around 7:20 p.m. with a gunshot wound in the 100 block of West Motor Way, Springs police said on Facebook. Colorado Springs Fire Dept. attempted life saving measures, but were unsuccessful and Sharkey was pronounced dead at the scene. READ MORE HERE

Jan. 28

Suspicious vehicle At 10 p.m., officers responded to the 5200 block of Half Moon Drive to investigate the report of a suspicious vehicle parked in a citizen’s driveway. Officers located the vehicle occupied by two people. Officer attempted contact with the occupants and identified themselves as police officers. The driver attempted to back up his vehicle and then pulled forward towards and officer causing the officer to jump out of the way to prevent being hit. The vehicle then fled in an unknown direction of travel.

Romantic evening turns into robbery Around 12:05 a.m. hours, officers were dispatched to the 4600 block of Rusina Road where a woman said she had been robbed. The victim told police she had invited an unidentified male to her room, whom she allegedly had met the night before at a nightclub. Approximately 5-10 minutes after arriving, the suspect allegedly pulled a handgun on the victim, telling her to give him her money. When the victim told the suspect she did not have any money, he demanded her phone. She gave him her phone and the suspect left the area in an unknown vehicle. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect.

Car vs. electric tower in DUI crash At around 1:18 a.m, police were summoned to 140 block of North Academy Boulevard, to investigate a single-vehicle crash. Investigators found the driver of the involved vehicle was heading northbound in the left through lane when it veered off the right side of the road striking an electric tower. The vehicle was occupied by two adult males. The passenger of the vehicle was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was determined to have serious bodily injuries. The driver of the vehicle was detained for suspected DUI.

Jan 26

School teacher arrested with alleged child porn Colorado Springs police arrested a male District 11 school teacher and charged him with possession of child pornography. Mike Hedges, 44, was taken into custody Jan. 26. He was employed by Colorado School District 11 and listed on the school's website as a 6th Grade science teacher at Russell Middle School.

The Colorado Springs Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) received a CyberTips tipoff about Hedges from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), according to a Springs police statement.
Hedges was charged with Sexual Exploitation of a Child, a class-3 felony. He was booked into the El Paso Co. jail with no bond. READ MORE HERE

Juvenile alleged burglar with a tall tale A burglary alarm went off around 11:30 p.m. in the 2900 block of North Prospect Street. Officers saw two juveniles inside the fence line trying to break into the business and they fled on foot. Officers caught one suspect immediately nearby. While officers were interviewing the first lad, the second suspect forced his way into two other homes in the neighborhood telling home owners he was just robbed and needed them to call his parents, not the police. Further investigation revealed both parties were together and broke into a building at the business. Both were arrested on 2nd Degree Burglary and 1st Degree Criminal Trespass.

Carjacking fail after panhandling score Around 12:45 a.m., a male victim sitting in his car in a parking lot in the 3200 block of East Platte Avenue was approached by an unknown male suspect who asked the victim for money, he told police. The victim gave the male some spare change, and the panhandler then allegedly produced a black revolver, and pointed it at the victim, while telling the victim to exit his vehicle. The victim refused. The suspect then demanded the victim's cell phone. The victim again refused, and quickly left the area in his vehicle. The suspect was described as a black male, approximately 30 years old, 5'6" tall, 160 to 170 pounds, wearing a black or dark grey jacket. He was last seen running away westbound. No shots were fired and no one was injured during this incident.

Homeless camp fire, no injuries At around 11:30 p.m. the Colorado Springs Fire Dept. responded to a wildland fire in the area of Janitel Rd. and E. Las Vegas. firefighters reported the fire was approximately forty foot by sixty foot. Several small propane bottles had exploded in the fire, according to reports. The fire was contained by 11:56 p.m. Investigation revealed that the fire started in what appeared to be a homeless camp. No one was injured and there was no significant loss of property.

Man shot during robbery At around 7 p.m., the Colorado Sprigs Police Department was notified of a shooting victim at Memorial Hospital. The victim, a 22 year old male, said he had been at Memorial Park, near the War Memorial, when he was approached by an unknown male. The suspect had a gun and demanded the victim's phone and wallet. The victim said the suspect then grabbed him with one hand while his other hand held the gun. The victim was struggling with the suspect when the gun went off striking the victim in the right thigh. The suspect ran from the area. The victim got in his car and drove himself to Memorial Hospital. The victim sustained a gun shot wound to his inner right thigh. He was treated and released. The suspect was described as an unknown race male wearing a black half mask with a white skull on it, a red sweatshirt, black pants, and gray Nike Air Jordans. The gun was described as black. Officers checked Memorial Park, but were not able to locate a scene.

These incidents represent a portion of the police calls that took place on the specified dates. Under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act, departments have discretion in releasing police incident reports. Because some reports are for alleged felonies, they are still under investigation and are often not reported to media.