Baca County Sheriff's Office

Baca County Sheriff's Office The Baca county Sheriff's Office Official Community Page. Baca County 911: Always there, always ready.

The Baca County Sheriff's Office created this page for the purpose of staying
connected with the community while keeping the community updated on local affairs. Baca County Dispatch is the 911 Emergency answering point for all
townships in Baca County:
Campo, Pritchett, Springfield, Two Buttes, Vilas, and Walsh.

We want to take a minute to say thank you to the United States Deputy Sheriff's Association for coming to Baca County an...
08/25/2026

We want to take a minute to say thank you to the United States Deputy Sheriff's Association for coming to Baca County and providing two days of valuable training. The first day focused on Active Shooter and Tactical Entry training, while the second day covered Arrest Control training. These trainings brought together the Baca County Sheriff’s Office and Springfield, CO Police Department, giving our deputies and officers an opportunity to learn, train, and work together.

We also want to thank Pritchett School for allowing us to use their facility and the United States Deputy Sheriff's Association for the training equipment they generously donated to our agency. For small rural agencies like ours, support like this means so much. Their willingness to invest their time, knowledge, resources, and experience into our law enforcement and our community helps us become better prepared to serve and protect the place we call home.

We are truly grateful to the instructors and everyone with the United States Deputy Sheriff's Association for their generosity and commitment to supporting rural law enforcement. We want to thank them for everything they do and for helping make these two days possible at no cost to us. We look forward to training with them again.

08/20/2026

Baca County Sheriff’s Office
Report for the month of July, 2026

Bookings/Arrests: 15
7/1/26 Sharon Birt
Warrant out of Baca County for Failure to Appear on Ownership of a Dangerous Dog (Misdemeanor)

7/3/26 Gideon Thompson
Warrant out of El Paso County for 2 counts of Stalking and Domestic Violence (Misdemeanor)

7/8/26 Jason Garrett
Warrant out of Baca County for Larceny (Felony)

7/9/26 Wesley Wynn
Menacing (Felony)

7/13/26 Jeffrey Leonard
Warrant out of Prowers County for Failure to Appear on Driving Under Restraint (Misdemeanor)

7/17/26 Colby Dukes
Warrant out of Baca County for Violation of Probation (Felony)

7/19/26 Jeremy Maggart
Harassment, Violation of a Protection Order, and Domestic Violence (Misdemeanor)

7/20/26 Faith Martinez
Fingerprint Order for Ownership of a Dangerous Dog with Serious Bodily Injury (Misdemeanor)

7/20/26 Alejandro Moreno
Fingerprint Order for Disorderly Conduct-Discharge of a Firearm

7/20/26 Taran Brobst
Warrant out of Baca County for Harassment (Misdemeanor)

7/20/26 Sharon Birt
Fingerprint Order for Ownership of a Dangerous Dog with Serious Bodily Injury (Misdemeanor)

7/20/26 Taryn Piper
Sentence Order for Harassment (Misdemeanor)

7/23/26 Brook Brewer
Sentence Order for 2 Counts of Violation of a Protection Order (Misdemeanor)

7/25/26 Aatrayu Lara
Warrant out of Randall County, Texas on Probation Violation for S*xual Assault (Felony)

7/26/26 Jaime Garcia
3rd Degree Motor Vehicle Theft (Felony)

Civil/Criminal Papers Served: 12

Calls for Service: 380 Total Calls for Service (Fire, EMS, Baca County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield PD, Baca County Coroner’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Parks & Wildlife)

Administrative Calls: 941
911 Calls Received: 142

Cases/Calls Handled for July

Livestock/Animal Calls 15
Traffic Stops 16
Agency Assists 10
Community Relations 13
Welfare Checks 5
Weather Alerts/Watches 3
Burglary 1
Suspicious Activity 2
VIN Inspections 8
Fires 10
Traffic Complaints 21
Disturbances 6
Inmate Transports 3
Trespassing 2
Traffic Accidents 10
Property Damage 1
Canyon Patrol 2
Littering 1
NCIC/CCIC Entered Warrants 6
Security Checks 4
Domestics 4
Juvenile Problems 2
Civil Disputes/Standby 1
Motorist Assists 8
Unattended Deaths 1
Alarms 2
Fingerprint Order 3
Thefts 3
Abandoned Vehicles 3
Assault 1
Protection Order Violation 1
Civil/Criminal-Paper Service Attempts 7

Total Calls/Cases Handled 175

08/16/2026

Update
Hwy 287 northbound and southbound are back open.

Due to an incident on Hwy 287 south of Springfield, county roads C, M, and 44 are being closed.

08/15/2026

The Springfield Police Department and Baca County Sheriff's Office, in partnership with the Town of Springfield, used Youth Engagement funds to cover approximately five weeks of swimming fees for kids 18 and under. That added up to well over 500 free entries into the Springfield Swimming Pool.

We also used some of those funds to replace needed pool equipment and purchase new activity equipment, including pool basketball.

And here's probably our favorite part: NO TAX DOLLARS WERE USED!

The Youth Engagement Program is funded through contributions associated with municipal court dispositions and other donations. In other words, we found a way to take some money generated here and put it right back into something positive for Springfield's kids.

We also had something happen that deserves mentioning. One individual agreed through a court disposition to make a donation to the program. When his check arrived, he had written it for twice the amount he agreed to contribute (on purpose). We aren't going to name him, but he knows who he is. He didn't have to do it, and we thought that was pretty darn cool. Thank you!

Now for the people who actually make the pool work.

A huge thank you to Brett Figgins and his crew for the ridiculous amount of work they put into maintaining the pool before, during, and after the season. If you've never been responsible for keeping a public swimming pool alive and happy, just know there's a whole lot more involved than adding water and hoping for the best.

Thank you to Starla Westphal for managing the pool and to our lifeguards for showing up every day and keeping our kids safe. Without good lifeguards, none of the rest of this matters.

Thank you as well to Tammy Newman and Joan Day for taking care of the administrative side of things and helping us turn an idea into something that actually worked.

And finally, we weren't the only ones opening the gate for free this summer. Several businesses, organizations, and individuals sponsored free swim days of their own, and they deserve recognition too. It says a lot about this community when people are willing to reach into their own pockets simply to give local families and kids a good day at the pool.

So, after roughly five weeks, 500+ free youth admissions, some new equipment, and zero tax dollars, we're calling this one a success.

Chief Chris Griffin

07/22/2026

Baca County Sheriff’s Office
Report for the month of June, 2026

Bookings/Arrests: 12

6/1/26 Robert Cooper Fingerprint Order out of Baca County for DUI (Misdemeanor)

6/2/26 Dominic Mills Violation of a Protection Order (Misdemeanor)

6/6/26 Lane Rothman Menacing (Felony)

6/7/26 Brian Trujillo 2nd Degree Assault and Domestic Violence (Felony)

6/8/26 Shadow Stone Warrant out of Baca County for Failure to Appear (Misdemeanor)

6/9/26 Brian Trujillo Protection Order Violation, Stalking, and Intimidation of a Witness (Felony)

6/12/26 Larry Hager S*x Offender Registration

6/15/26 Christopher Sweet 2 Warrants out of Walsh Municipal Court for Failure to Appear on Dog at Large (Misdemeanor)

6/15/26 Darrin Rogge S*x Offender Registration

6/20/26 Sharon Birt Warrant out of Baca County for Reckless Endangerment (Misdemeanor)

6/23/26 Teka MacNees Warrant out of Baca County for Reckless Endangerment (Misdemeanor)

6/25/26 Carl Barwick S*x Offender Registration

Civil/Criminal Papers Served: 7
Calls for Service: 441 - Total Calls for Service (Fire, EMS, Baca County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield PD, Baca County Coroner’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Parks & Wildlife)
Administrative Calls: 957
911 Calls Received: 146

Cases/Calls Handled for June

Livestock/Animal Calls 21
Traffic Stops 10
Agency Assists 11
Community Relations 10
Welfare Checks 11
Weather Alerts/Watches 9
Harassment 1
Suspicious Activity 5
VIN Inspections 4
Fires 8
Traffic Complaints 22
Disturbances 8
Inmate Transports 4
Trespassing 1
Traffic Accidents 7
S*x Offender Registrations 3
Controlled Burns 12
NCIC/CCIC Entered Warrants 11
Security Checks 8
Domestics 2
Juvenile Problems 1
Civil Disputes/Standby 3
Motorist Assists 4
Unattended Deaths 4
Alarms 2
Trainings 2
Fingerprint Order 1
Thefts 7
Abandoned Vehicles 3
Fraud 1
Protection Order Violation 1
Civil/Criminal-Paper Service Attempts 11

Total Calls/Cases Handled 208

07/02/2026

URGENT NOTICE

Notice of Implementation of Stage 1 Fire Ban in Baca County until further notice

On July 2nd, 2026 at approx. 10am, Sheriff Aaron Shiplett contacted Baca County Emergency Manager Jennifer Leathers, Baca County Commissioners Troy Bishop, Race Chenoweth, and Shiloh Freed and proposed that Baca County implement a Stage 1 Fire Ban in all unincorporated areas of Baca County. All officials involved in that conversation agreed that a Stage 1 Fire Ban was not only appropriate but also necessary to protect life and property in Baca County.

Current Fire Danger Situation:

The current National Fire Danger rating for Baca County, Colorado is Danger. This rating reflects the level of fire risk based on current fire weather conditions, fuel moisture, and other factors monitored by the U.S. Forest Service and the USGS Fire Danger Viewer.

What “Danger” means:
Danger indicates that fire weather is extreme, with high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, creating conditions where fires can spread rapidly and be difficult to control.
It is a high-risk category — even small fires can grow quickly, and large fires are more likely.

On July 2nd, 2026 at approx. 1pm, Board Chairman Commissioner Bishop called an emergency meeting which was conducted telephonically with Commissioner Chenoweth, Commissioner Freed, Sheriff Shiplett, Emergency Manager Leathers, and County Clerk Sharon Dubious. In that emergency meeting, the Baca County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to enact emergency Stage 1 Fire Restrictions for all unincorporated areas of Baca County until further notice.

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions now in effect:
a. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, coal or wood stove, fireplace, or open fire of any type outdoors shall be temporarily suspended in all undeveloped areas.

b. Campfires contained in constructed permanent fire pits or fire grates within a developed recreation area shall be allowed (Prohibited during Red Flag Warnings).

c. Enclosed grills using propane and other bottled fuels and any type of enclosed grill being charcoal-fueled or wood-fueled shall be allowed, but only in areas free of flammable vegetation and other flammable materials. Such fires must be used and maintained in such a manner that no fire danger is presented to the surrounding area. (Outdoor charcoal and wood burning grills prohibited during Red Flag Warnings)

d. All open fires allowed by subparagraphs (b) and (c) above must be attended at all times, and an adequate water supply and/or a fire extinguisher shall be on site at all times while such an open fire is burning.

e. All burning of trash, refuse or debris shall be temporarily suspended.

f. Smoking shall be temporarily suspended except within an enclosed vehicle, building, or outdoor smoking area that is hard-surfaced or barren or otherwise cleared of all flammable vegetation or material.

g. Discarding smoking materials in a receptacle not designed for disposal of smoking materials, discarding smoking materials from a moving or stationary motor vehicle, and discarding smoking materials in any other outdoor location is expressly prohibited at all times.

h. The use of explosive materials including fireworks, solid fuel rockets, blasting caps, or any other incendiary device which may result in the ignition of flammable materials shall be temporarily suspended.

i. Outdoor welding, grinding, or use of any type of torch in any area which presents the possibility of igniting vegetation or other combustible material shall be temporarily suspended unless there is an adequate water supply and/or fire extinguisher on site.

j. Operating any outdoor equipment or machinery with an internal combustion engine in an undeveloped area shall be temporarily suspended unless said equipment or machinery is equipped with a spark-arresting device properly installed, maintained, and in good working order.

k. The sale, possession and use of fireworks, including permissible fireworks as defined in §12-28-101, C.R.S., shall be temporarily suspended during the imposition of a Stage I Fire Ban.

The Baca County Board of County Commissioners, Baca County Sheriff’s Office, and the Baca County Office of Emergency Management, will continue to monitor the fire danger situation in Baca County and at such time that the Board feels that the high fire danger has passed the Board of County Commissioners will rescind the fire restrictions. Until then, we all appreciate your cooperation and adherence to these added restrictions.

Aaron Shiplett
Baca County Sheriff

06/30/2026

Baca County Residents and Visitors,

As we approach the July 4th weekend and the celebration of our 250 years of independence, I feel compelled to remind everyone of the extreme fire conditions that we face in Colorado and the entire region.

I waited to write this warning, hoping that our recent trend for rain would continue and hoping that conditions would change over the region, but the truth is, those conditions have not changed and are arguably worse than when Baca County passed its fire ban ordinance back in April.

We only need to look around Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah to see the tremendous damage and loss of life that wild fires are currently causing. Three US Wildland Fire Service fire fighters were killed and two left in critical condition in a “burn over” situation at the Snyder Fire on the Utah/Colorado Border. At the time I am writing this, the Snyder Fire has grown to over 30,000 acres with 0% containment. Need an example closer to home? Then I will talk about the Aspen Fire southwest of Pueblo that is over 22,000 acres and is currently 0% contained. The Aspen Fire has caused the evacuations of the Towns of Beulah, Rye, San Isabel, and several other areas. And surely, we all remember our recent terrifying experience with the extreme out of control fire of the Sharpe Fire near Campo that burned over 20,000 acres and burned within a few yards of the Town of Campo.

Now to the moral of this story. The Springfield Police Department and the Baca County Sheriff’s Office have had a disturbing number of complaints lately about people using “ILLEGAL” fireworks in and around Baca County. This concerning trend needs to stop now before someone loses their life, their house, or their Town, due to careless use of fireworks that are totally illegal in the State of Colorado.

What is Legal and/or Illegal regarding fireworks in Colorado you may ask? Here is a short breakdown to answer that question:

Colorado State Law bans all aerial and explosive consumer fireworks statewide, allowing only non-explosive, non-aerial items like fountains, sparklers, and ground spinners, with local governments able to impose stricter rules.

Colorado State Law (C.R.S. 1228101 to 103)

• Permissible fireworks: Cylindrical or cone fountains, wheels, sparklers, snakes, and ground spinners.
• Banned statewide: All aerial fireworks, bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles, and any device that explodes or flies.
• Local authority: Cities and counties can ban permissible fireworks during fire restrictions, but cannot legalize prohibited devices.
• It is a misdemeanor for possession or use of illegal fireworks.
• Fines: Up to $750 and/or up to 6 months in jail.
• Fireworks bought in neighboring states are illegal in Colorado.


Key Takeaways for 2026

• Only groundbased, nonexplosive items are legal statewide.
• Local rules can be stricter — always check your city or county ordinance.
• Fire season enforcement is heightened.
• No exceptions for bringing in fireworks from other states.
• Charges for Arson or other felony crimes could be charged if “Illegal” fireworks cause a fire that burns the property of another person.
We encourage anyone observing the use or possession of illegal fireworks in Baca County to notify Baca County Dispatch of the situation immediately. The Springfield Police Department and the Baca County Sheriff’s Office will address those complaints in a timely manner but please understand that there are only 5 Sworn members at the Police Department and only 5 Sworn members at the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office has to cover 2600 square miles of Baca County, all day every day, so some response times may be longer than others and emergency calls must be prioritized.

Long story made short.

Remember, that if the weather person is correct, it appears that it will be windy on July 4th, and if a Red Flag Warning is issued by the National Weather Service, then Baca County will be in Stage 1 Fire Restrictions which makes all open burning and ALL fireworks illegal during the timeframes issued in the Red Flag Warning in the unincorporated areas of Baca County.

Please enjoy the 250th anniversary of the birth our nation with good friends, good family, good food, and the good common sense that God gave you! Do not be the person that ruins it for everyone in Baca County, the State, and the region by causing a fire that could have been prevented. I know, I know, it doesn’t sound very much like “Independence Day” does it. Regretfully, we can never claim “independence” from the responsibility God gave us to take care of this world and the neighbors that he gave us. So, enjoy your “Independence” responsibly!!

Aaron Shiplett

Baca County Sheriff

06/24/2026

Update: This is still currently open and we need all the input we can get!! Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey!

The Southeast Colorado Region is currently developing a Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) in partnership with CHLOETA, a consulting firm specializing in Emergency Management planning! These plans can be extremely helpful for local and regional leadership to identify and create vital plans for future hazards. Public feedback helps us ensure the HMP reflects community priorities. Baca County residents can take the survey at the link below! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMGKMCC

Address

265 E 2nd Avenue
Springfield, CO
81073

Telephone

+17195234511

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