SUNRISE: Soldier accused of dispensary burglary faces sentencing
One of three Fort Carson soldiers who police say broke into a marijuana dispensary in November and accidentally locked themselves in will be sentenced Thursday.
Pfc. Ramone Hollins pled guilty May 5. He is the first of the three soldiers to be sentenced.
Hollins, Pfc. Darius Thomas and Pvt. Cory Young were arrested in November on suspicion of second-degree burglary at Rocky Road Remedies, 2489 S. Academy Blvd.
Police said the men forced a back door open and locked themselves in the dispensary just before 2 a.m. They were trapped until police freed them, with surveillance videos showing the men “running around like rats in a maze” when they realized police were outside.
The store owner told police the men were inside the business for a short time and did not steal anything. Hollins told police they broke in to "get rid of all the marijuana."
The three soldiers are members of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
Thomas pled guilty April 28 and will be sentenced June 30. Young pled guilty May 5 and will be sentenced July 14.
WEATHER
Temperatures will be a bit lower and winds a bit calmer than in recent days in the Colorado Springs region. The National Weather Service also lifted the red-flag warning Thursday.
Highs are predicted to be about 75 degrees with partly sunny skies and winds about 5 to 15 mph for most of the day. The weather service is calling for a 10 percent chance of precipitation for the late afternoon with temperatures falling to about 50 overnight.
AROUND COLORADO
2 agencies send firefighters to Arizona fires
(AP) — Colorado fire agencies have responded to calls for help to fight the massive wildfire burning in Arizona.
The Eagle River Fire Protection District in Eagle County said Wednesday that two firefighters and a water tanker will spend up to two weeks fighting the 607-square-mile blaze in eastern Arizona.
Four firefighters from the North Metro Fire Rescue in Broomfield County will head to Arizona for up to two weeks. Officials say a reserve fire engine was sent Tuesday.
The forest fire in Arizona has been raging since May 29 and has forced thousands from their homes.
Smoke from the blaze has prompted health advisories in southern Colorado.
Suspect in Denver girl's abduction not seen in Louisiana
(AP) — Authorities say reported sightings in Louisiana of a suspect in the abduction and assault of an 8-year-old girl in Denver didn't pan out.
The FBI said Wednesday that surveillance footage of a man stealing a woman's purse at a bar in New Iberia, La., does not show 27-year-old Bret Lee Luckett Thompson and the search for him continues.
Thompson had previously lived in Louisiana.
The FBI also released photos of a white van and a man identified as Thompson at a Colorado convenience store the day after the kidnapping.
Thompson is suspected of grabbing the girl from a Denver alley last week and driving away in a white van. The child was found 90 minutes later at a gas station.
Authorities say she described her assailant, who had the letters "SS" tattooed on his arm.
Police: Teen crashes school bus into own house
(AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old Boulder man is being held on a $10,000 bond after his arrest on charges of stealing a school bus and driving it drunk into another vehicle and his house.
The Daily Camera reported police found a privately owned school bus parked and still running in the yard of William Levin Goodrich on Tuesday.
Officers say Goodrich's license had been revoked for multiple DUIs. Goodrich told officers he felt weird after eating something a friend gave him. Police say Goodrich told them the friend gave him the bus keys and told him to drive home.
Police say Goodrich also told them he had been drinking.
He is in county jail on suspicion of aggravated motor vehicle theft, DUI, careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under restraint.
Electric Daisy Carnival coming to Colorado
(AP) — Officials say the country's largest electronic music party that has run into problems elsewhere is set to come to the Denver area.
The Aurora Sentinel reported Wednesday that the Electric Daisy Festival will take place this weekend at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.
The all-night rave was denounced last July when a 15-year-old girl overdosed on the drug Ecstasy and died in Los Angeles.
Officials say there haven't been any issues since the festival began stopping in Arapahoe County a few years ago. The promoter is required to have security and work closely with law enforcement.
A federal report issued last June said local governments should be aware that commercial events like raves often pose potential health risks. Officials say drugs are prevalent at the events.
HAPPENINGS
-- “Cheap Talk,” learn to save money on almost anything with author Linda DuVal, 6:30 p.m., Woodland Park Library, 218 E. Midland Ave., Woodland Park, free.
-- Radical Classical, 7 p.m., Independent Records and Video, 3123 E. Bijou St., free.
-- Fountain Creek Brass Band, 7 p.m., Nazarene Bible College, 1111 Academy Park Loop, free.
-- Black Rose Acoustic Society swing jam, 7-9 p.m., Senior Center, 1514 N. Hancock Ave. Free, donations accepted.
-- “Windrider Film Forum - Freedom Riders,” 7 p.m., Colorado College, Armstrong Theatre, inside Armstrong Hall, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St., $5-$15 at the door.
