Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Colorado

10/25/2022

History of Morgan County Golden Stars:
The project began in 2006, when Doug Schossow and Cindy Schneider joining together to provide children in Fort Morgan with a coat. Cindy had noticed that children in the elementary schools were without coats and the goal was to get all of those children a coat. This started with 15 coats and it grew to 50 coats by 2007. In 2011, the Morgan County Golden Stars joined forces with Sheriff Crone's Christmas referral program. More than 600 children were assisted that year. The program grew more each year. By 2017, more than 984 children were given a coat, clothing and toys for Christmas.
In 2021, the Morgan County Golden Stars helped 188 families and assisted 603 children. Continuing with our mission to give each child a coat, shoes, two sets of clothes and a toy.
We also have a scholarship program that is community service driven. We want to reward and assist students that invest their time into the community. Another part of the program is a veteran fund, which gives us the ability to help veterans that are in crisis.
We raise money through donations from the public and our annual banquet. Our annual banquet will be November 12th 2022, starting at 5:00pm at the Morgan County Fairgrounds. Please join us for a night of good food and fun! Help us raise money to continue the mission of helping others in a time of need.

10/13/2022

10/12/2022

We have been contacted this morning by two different residents related to the “Warrant Scam”. Both parties were contacted by telephone letting them know that they have a warrant for their arrest through the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Both parties were told that if they paid money, that our office would get the warrant canceled and they would not be arrested.

This is a scam. Our agency will never contact anyone and demand money to avoid being arrested.

Please do not fall for this scam or any others. If a caller is asking to be paid in gift cards it is a scam.

If you did not initiate the transaction, DO NOT give out your personal information under any circumstance. Once your information is out there or you have given the codes off the back of a gift card, your money is gone. There is little to no chance that we can recover it.

09/12/2022

Attempt to Identify

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help with the identify of a person who is associated with a couple of auto thefts in our county. All of the reported vehicles have been recovered.

The male party appears to be Caucasian or Hispanic. He was approximately 5”11 feet to 6’2 feet tall. He was wearing a red and black jacket, faded or light blue jeans, and was wearing black boots or shoes. He also wears eye glasses.

The suspect is associated with a Gold Toyota Corolla with a possible license plate; ARQ Y80. The license plate has not been reported as stolen at this time. Our suspect is not the registered owner of the suspected license plate.

Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 867-2461 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.NoCoCrimeStoppers.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers; that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.

09/11/2022

Our thoughts and prayers to Arvada Police Department and the family of the fallen officer.

09/08/2022

September 7, 2022
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Morgan County through September 8, 2022 at 8:00 pm.

09/06/2022

Silage harvest has started in our county. Please drive safely. You can expect trucks and farm machinery to be traveling our county roads.

Please be patient and give our farmers the room they need to feed AMERICA!

08/21/2022

ALL CLEAR!!! THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY.

*****ARMED SUSPECT AT LARGE*****

Morgan County, Fort Morgan and Brush have experienced several burglaries and an armed robbery in the past week. Some of these included burglaries of gun stores. We developed a suspect, Adam Gregory, Age 29. Adam Gregory has numerous outstanding warrants for his arrest.

We have been looking for his vehicle and found it after an attempted gun store burglary at approximately 5:00 a.m. this morning, 08/21/2022. The business owners interrupted the burglary this morning and described 3 suspects that fled on foot. They observed that one of the suspects was armed with one of the handguns that was stolen last week. We have seized the vehicle and executed a search warrant on the vehicle. Evidence in the vehicle has confirmed that Adam Gregory is connected to the recent crime spree. We have also identified associates that may be the accomplices to the crimes.

Adam Gregory is also associated with a dark blue, 2002 Subaru Impreza Station Wagon with Colorado license plate DRA 885. The Subaru has body damage to the front of the car.

Adam Gregory and his associates are considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS. If you see Adam Gregory, do not attempt to contact him. CALL 911 Immediately!

Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 867-2461 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.NoCoCrimeStoppers.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers; that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.

08/15/2022

ARMED ROBBERY
This morning; August 15, 2022, at approximately 05:55 a.m. an armed robbery occurred at the Mighty Mart at 14424 Hwy, 34.

Two masked men entered the store and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. When a customer entered the store, during the robbery, one of the men threatened the customer with the handgun.

A gray car, possibly a 2005 ish Nissan Altima or a mid 2000 Toyota Camry, was seen on security videos in the area and the two masked men are seen getting out of the car away from the store and then walking to the store.

The masked robbers left and did not return to the car. The car picked them up at another location.

Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 867-2461 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.NoCoCrimeStoppers.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.

08/11/2022

Schools are gearing up to start back up; some as early as next week. With that being said, our school buses will be out and about helping get our children to and from school safely.

Please remember your patience, slow down and watch for children.

I have attached some school bus information below.

It's Back to School Week! Remember to 🛑 STOP for school buses 🚌 anytime you see a bus stopped, kids are nearby.

In Colorado, you must 🛑 stop your vehicle at least 20 feet before reaching a school bus that is stopped with its 🚨 red lights 🚨 flashing. You must 🛑 STOP whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection, you are approaching.

The only exception is if you are traveling on the opposite side of a "legally separated roadway," you may proceed with ⚠️ CAUTION.

What's a "legally separated roadway?" It's a highway that is divided into two or more roadways by a depressed, raised, or painted median or other intervening space serving as a clearly indicated dividing section or island.

Check out the illustration below for more details.

08/08/2022

We are mourning the loss of one of our brothers from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Andrew Perry was shot and killed last night in the line of duty. Deputy Perry leaves behind a wife and two children.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Perry family and our brothers and sisters at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. RIP Brother

08/01/2022

PRESS RELEASE

This morning, August 1, 2022, at about 05:40 AM, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to a call from a frantic grandparent reporting , “That sometime in the night, her grandchildren, ages 5 and 7, whom she has guardianship of were taken” from her home.

The Sheriff’s Office called all available staff from our agency to assist with the investigation.

Through investigation, it was found that two juvenile boys, ages 5 and 7 had been taken sometime during the night after 02:00 AM by their biological mother, Juanita J. Morales, (DOB 12/11/1991). Ms. Morales does not have custody of the children due to court order. A 2012 Chevrolet Silverado pickup was also reported stolen from the same residence.

Our office working with Colorado Bureau of Investigation were just about to push the button to disseminate an Amber Alert on the two boys and the stolen pickup when our 911 center received a call of a pickup truck matching the description from the kidnapping and the stolen vehicle being involved in a rollover accident on I-76 about a half mile west of the of the Fort Morgan Port of Entry.

Once sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene, it was confirmed that the vehicle that had rolled was in fact the same vehicle that had been reported stolen. The driver Juanita Morales and the two juvenile males were all transported by ambulance to the Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Ft. Morgan.

The juveniles were treated for non-life threatening injuries and released to family.

Juanita Morales is in custody of law enforcement as she receives medical treatment for her injuries sustained in the accident. Once released from the medical facility, Morales will be transported to the Morgan County Jail to faces a multitude of arrest warrants for failures to appears in various courts; but is also faces new charges in this case of First Degree Kidnapping, First Degree Burglary, First Degree Criminal Trespass, Motor Vehicle Theft, Identity Theft, Child Abuse two counts, Reckless Endangerment two counts with $100,000.00 Bond.

Our agency is not releasing a booking photo with this press release because her photo may be used to further this investigation.

07/23/2022

Message from Sheriff Dave Martin,

I want to take a minute to clarify our Emergency Alert that was initiated on Thursday evening regarding the suspect we were looking for in the Wiggins area.

First of all, our system in not flawless and subject to human error. I asked that an emergency alert be initiated for this incident after the suspect ran from the vehicle on Hwy 39 near County Road V. The radius that the alert was sent was a 3 mile radius from this location. I miss spoke when I said it was sent to the Jackson Lake area, it was not.

When sending a message, there are different options for sending out an alert within the system. One of them is to use the subscriber information within the Code Red Emergency Alert System. This is an “OPT in” option, meaning the information will be sent to those who have elected to subscribe and receive messages. When using this option, the system compiles the subscriber information for the selected geographical area that the message is to be sent to, which is the quickest format to alert subscribers for our system.

The second option within the system is to use IPAWS (Integrated Public Alerts Warning System). This system is a FEMA government system of which we have access to through our Code Red System. It does not require a subscription and will locate cell phones in the area and send the alert. This system is more cumbersome and requires the message to be approved by the IPAWS system before being sent. This is very similar to how an AMBER Alert is sent.

We did not send this message out under the IPAWS option of the system, as information needed to get out to the residence in the area as quickly as possible. What this means is that only subscribers within the specified geographical area received the alert. Reviewing the report from the system, I see that 21 subscribers within the 3 mile radius were notified.

Incidents of this nature are fluid and rapidly evolving. Usually, messages are launched from the field, causing for quick decisions on which geographical area should be selected in order to get the message out to those in the most imminent area.

We will continue to evaluate our emergency alerts, including this incident as well as previous alerts in effort to make the necessary changes to improve getting information to the public in the most expedient manner.

07/22/2022

On Thursday, July 21, 2022, at approximately 06:50 PM, Morgan County First Responders were dispatched to a single vehicle rollover car accident on Hwy 144, near Morgan County Road 6. Dispatch advised that the car that had rolled was on fire but the driver was out of the vehicle.

As Wiggins Volunteer Fire department, Morgan County Ambulance, Colorado State Patrol, Wiggins Police Department and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office were all responding to the crash; Dispatch advised that the Driver left the scene in another vehicle and gave the description of that vehicle. Dispatch advised the vehicle leaving the scene did so at a high rate of speed and left westbound on Hwy 144.

As law enforcement was responding to the area for the crash, they met the vehicle that had left the crash scene with the driver. As the two vehicles passed each other, the vehicle with the driver pulled to the side of the road and a male party ran from the passenger side of the vehicle into a corn field. The party was seen by law enforcement to be carrying a handgun.

The driver of the second vehicle drove off from the area but was contacted by other law enforcement near Wiggins. The driver and his two passengers are victims in this case and are cooperating in this investigation.

A perimeter was set up in this area of Hwy 39 and Morgan County Road V with law enforcement for Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Wiggins Police Department, Colorado State Patrol. Wiggins Volunteer Fire Department and C-dot assisted with closing Hwy 39.

An emergency alert message was sent out to residents in the immediate area via the Code Red Emergency Alert system. Residents were alerted to law enforcement activity in the area and asked to secure their property and to shelter in place.

The suspect was tracked into two different corn fields. Unfortunately as the daylight passed, it became more difficult to keep the perimeter around the cornfield locked down. At some point this individual made his way out of the corn field undetected and made his way to the Log Lane area.

Law enforcement, C-dot, Wiggins Fire Department and Morgan County Ambulance remained on scene and in the Wiggins area until the early morning hours of today.

At approximately 02:15 AM area law enforcement was dispatched to 204 Linden Street in Log Lane regarding a domestic disturbance between our male suspect and Meagan Abreo.

The male suspect, Alexander Levon Alcala, (DOB 10/19/1997) is on parole out of the Colorado Department of Corrections. His photo is not being shown as it will be used to further this investigation.

Alexander Alcala was arrested in Log Lane at 204 Linden Street on the preliminary charges of Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft (Log Lane Police Department), Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Motor Vehicle Crash (Colorado State Patrol) Second Degree Kidnapping -X 3, Felony Menacing – X3, Trespassing, a second motor vehicle theft from the Wiggins area, (discovered this morning) and Resisting Arrest (Morgan County Sheriff’s Office)

All of the charges listed are possible charges and are not definitive. All of the law enforcement agencies working together will file one collective case with our District Attorney’s Office for Prosecution.

07/22/2022

Morgan County Sheriff's Office issued an emergency alert last night (07/21/2022) around 08:00 PM via the CODE RED Emergency Alert System. The message was directed to the west end of our county for the Wiggins and Jackson lake area.

The message was relative to a suspect that had fled from a car crash in the area and was possibly armed.

The suspect was taken into custody in the Log Lane area around 03:00 AM today. The emergency alert was canceled at about this same time.

More information regarding this incident will be released in a separate press release later today.

07/20/2022

There will be a joint law enforcement training exercise at the Weldon Valley School on Thursday, July 21, 2022, from 05:00 PM until 10:00 PM.

There will be NO ammunition fired during the training. We are aware that the football team may be participating in weight training during this time frame. The football players will be in a part of the school that law enforcement will not be in.

Please stay away from the school during this time.

07/07/2022

You can send a message directly to Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Colorado.

You can send a message directly to Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Colorado.

07/05/2022

UPDATE:
On Thursday 07/07/2022 a deceased human body was discovered. At this time, the body has not been officially identified. The deceased body is currently an active and ongoing investigation. The Morgan County Coroner's Office will release the identity of the body, once the person is officially identified.

MISSING PERSON:
Shree Leanne Emmons-Henderson (goes by Alex Henderson) age 15. Height 5'00" approximately 100 lbs with hazel eyes and black hair. Shree / (Alex) has cuts on both arms, snake bite mouth piercings and gauges in both ear lobes.

Shree / (Alex) was last seen at home in the 18,000 block of Morgan County Road Q.5 (Lover's Lane) on July 4, 2022 around 4:00 PM.

☎️If you have any information regarding Shree / (Alex) and his whereabouts or know of someone who may, please contact the Morgan County Sheriff's Office dispatch at 970.867.2461. In the event of an emergency, call 911.

06/25/2022

We had a great time racing last night with our fellow First Responders. A huge thank you to the Rocky Mountain Dwarf Car Racing Association.

06/20/2022

Got to practice racing Dwarf race cars today for the first time had a blast. Friday night we get to race other First Responders in the cars. A huge thank you to Rocky Mountain Dwarf Car Racing Association for asking us to race there cars.

06/16/2022

Thank you Deputy Gabe Garner for taking time to show the kids you patrol vehicle and to talk with them about your job and being safe.

I have heard that the kids were enamored with you and your truck and that we may have several new prospective deputies.

06/10/2022

Each year the optimist club gives the Sheriff’s Office the honor of picking two officers, one from the Detention and one from Patrol, to be recognized as deputy of the year. We would first like to thank the Optimist Club for recognizing our deputies. We look forward to this day every year.

This year Deputy Nikolas Clement was selected from the Patrol Division. Deputy Clement has worked for Morgan County since 2018. He started out in the Detention division, not certified. He worked hard and was sent to the academy where he became a certified peace officer. He then transferred to the Patrol division. Deputy Clement always has a positive attitude and is a great shift partner. He has attended as many trainings as he can. If there is an open shift that needs covered, Deputy Clement is quick to step in.

Deputy Clement is married to Heather Clement. They have been married 13 years and have four children. He has lived in Morgan County the past nine years. Deputy Clement is an asset to this office and the community.

Deputy Lisa Canales was selected from the Detention division. Deputy Canales was born and raised in Morgan County. Deputy Canales works the Master Control positon in the jail. Master Control officers are the heartbeat of the jail. They control the movements of deputies and inmates in the jail, by locking and unlocking the doors as needed. They answer all the phone calls that come into the jail, document movement of inmates, and many other things. Deputy Canales is the CCIC/ NCIC coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office. She has attended many trainings and is the senior master control operator. She trains new operators to run the position. She is always willing to step up when needed to cover a shift or attend a training, and has a great attitude.

This office would like to thank both of them for all their hard work and dedication to the office and the citizens of Morgan County. If you see them out in public please take a minute and tell them thank you.

05/31/2022

We would like to say Thank you to the Platte Valley Baptist Church for recognizing 1st Responders this Sunday. We had a great time. We love our new flag that is hanging in our front office, but most of all we love the support our community provides to law enforcement and all first responders.

05/30/2022

The men and women of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE! Thank you to all.

05/23/2022

Press Release
On May 22, 2022 at about 10:25 am Dispatch aired a call of a possible drunk driver that had just side swiped a white BMW at MM 61 on I-76 east bound. The vehicle was reportedly weaving across both lanes of traffic. Sheriff Martin was off duty but heard the call on his radio and responded to I-76 eastbound at MM-86. Sheriff Martin set up and started watching for the vehicle.

At 10:42 am the vehicle went past him and he pulled in behind the vehicle. The vehicle went from lane to lane with Sheriff Martin behind him. Sheriff Martin turned on his emergency Lights to try and make a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle slowed at MM-89, (Hospital Road Exit) and took exit 89. At the bottom of the ramp the vehicle stopped then took off going back up onto I-76 heading east.

Sheriff Martin continued pursuing the vehicle east bound on I-76. At exit 95 the vehicle exited I-76. The vehicle went under the over pass and got back onto I-76 west bound. The vehicle accelerated to speeds of 109 mph. Deputy Bruntz and Deputy Paxton had set up at MM-92 west bound with stop sticks. When the vehicle reached that point the stop sticks were pulled in front of the vehicle. The vehicle hit the stop sticks and continued driving west bound. Sergeant Skiles was also set up near MM90 with stop sticks. When the vehicle reached his location he pulled the stop sticks in front of the vehicle and the vehicle again hit the stop sticks. The suspect continued driving west bound with three flat tires. The speeds had been reduced to about 45 MPH.

Just past exit 90 still going west bound, Sheriff Martin used a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) maneuver to cause the vehicle to spin out of control ending the pursuit. The vehicle came to a stop in the median between the east bound and west bound lanes of I-76 facing east. Deputy Bruntz, Deputy Paxton, Sergeant Skiles, and Undersheriff Horton pulled up and gave orders to the suspect in the car. The suspect complied with the orders and was taken into custody.

Besides the hit and run at MM-61 earlier in the day the suspect had been involved in a pursuit in Adams County. That pursuit had been terminated. The officers later found the vehicle at a gas station and had tried to box the vehicle in. The driver took off driving over a cement curb and across a grass lawn at the station. The car drove directly at an Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy; who was outside of his vehicle. The deputy was able to move out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. Adams County lost the vehicle near Bennett on HWY 79.

Following his arrest in Morgan County the driver was identified as Angel Arreola-Ojendis age 21 of Aurora. Arreola-Ojendis was transported to the Morgan County Jail and held on the following charges; Vehicular Eluding, Reckless Driving, Reckless Endangerment, D.U.I., and Violating Restrictions on Driver’s License. He will also have charges in Adams County for the incident that took place there.

05/20/2022

May 15th through May 21st 2022 is national police week. The Morgan County sheriff’s Office would like to say THANK YOU to all the kids, people and businesses that have recognized our deputies and offered their appreciation for what they do. Without the great citizens in Morgan County this carrier would not be what it is. You make it an honor to serve.

05/19/2022

Press Release

On May 17th 2022 at 7:08 PM, Morgan County Deputies were advised that a stolen pickup from Sterling Colorado was west bound at MM 106 on I-76. The pickup was described as a black Chevy Silverado. Deputies set up on I-76 watching for the pickup. It was learned that the victim's cell phone was in the pickup and that the location of the truck was able to be tracked using the cell phone. The pickup stopped moving and that location was given to deputies.

Undersheriff Horton responded to the last know location of the truck. Horton located the pickup stuck in the dirt in the median of I-76 around MM 97. He saw a semi-truck pulled over on the shoulder of the road and two people walking along the yellow line of east bound traffic. They were walking west bound. In the median was the black pickup that had been reported as stolen. He pulled up and told the two people walking to cross over to the shoulder of the interstate. The two parties crossed over with Undersheriff Horton blocking traffic with his vehicle with emergency lights on.

The male party advised that the female party had a gun. Undersheriff Horton had the female move to the front of his patrol car and place the items in her hands on the hood of his car. He saw a set of brass knuckles in her hands as she was putting items down. When Horton moved to handcuff the female party, she started resisting and trying to get the items on the hood of the car. The female was taken to the ground and placed in cuffs. Other units arrived to assist. The female party was given first aid and an ambulance was called to assist.

Besides the brass knuckles the female party also found to have a loaded 9mm handgun. After being treated and released from the hospital the female was taken to the Morgan County Detention Center and held on the following charges: Assault in the first degree, Aggravated motor vehicle theft, Possession of a weapon by a previous offender, false reporting, possessing a dangerous or illegal weapon, unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, theft, and driving suspended. At the detention center the female party was identified as Whitney Roth.

The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the truck driver that stopped to help. The Morgan County Ambulance Services and the Brush Police Department that came to help our deputy.