FRASER, Colo. (CBS4) – A Colorado mountain town is divided on whether or not to continue hosting a controversial music festival.

According to a recently released study, the three-day SnowBall Music Festival brought in $5.8 million to businesses Fraser and Winter Park last March. But, a local doctor is calling that “blood money” after treating dozens of drug patients in the emergency room.

“I hope SnowBall does not come back,” said Dr. Mark Paulsen, Chief Medical Officer at Middle Park Medical Center, in nearby Granby.

SnowBall attracted 10,000 young people a day to Fraser and Winter Park with big names in electronic dance music like Pretty Lights, and the up-and-coming rapper Kendrick Lamar. The concerts were held outdoors, in the evening hours, despite below freezing temperatures.

Dr. Paulsen says his emergency room was inundated by drug patients.

During the three-day festival, doctors treated 60 drug cases, including a dozen methamphetamine patients — the youngest just 15. Paulsen says the hospital had more meth patients during SnowBall than the entire time the hospital has been open.

“If I thought someone was going to bring methamphetamine into my community I would want them arrested and taken away,” he said.

Some patients ingested as many as seven different substances, including meth, cocaine and ecstasy. Three people were transferred by ambulance to hospitals in Denver on ventilators.

“One was so violent and so aggressive and violently out of control the only way we could keep him safe was to sedate him to the point he couldn’t breathe on his own,” Paulsen said.

Some patients almost didn’t survive.

“We had one patient that required CPR while he was here. That’s about as close as you can get.”

Despite the drug problems, SnowBall was a money maker. According to the Winter Park/Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce, the average out-of-town attendee spent $528 for the concert. Some Fraser Valley businesses like Sharky’s Grill racked up record profits.

“I’m happy they brought it,” said Sharky’s co-owner Veronica Gould, who says she had lines out the door for breakfast each morning, “I think it was good for business and I hope that they would consider it again.”

The festival was hosted on private property between Winter Park and Fraser, owned by Grant Park Development. Grant Park Marketing Director Lisa Boyes says don’t blame the event for the drug problem, blame the concertgoers.

“No one was forcing you to do the drugs. No one is forcing you to drink the alcohol. It’s all your own decision,” she said.

Boyes calls the event a learning experience but said “We would have them back in a heartbeat.”

But other communities who have hosted SnowBall are singing a different tune. The outdoor concert started in Avon, but after 140 arrests in 2012, Avon parted ways with SnowBall. Organizers approached Breckenridge next, which rejected the festival, due in part to the substance abuse aspect.

Now Fraser will have to decide if the revenue generated by SnowBall was enough to outweigh the headaches. In the chamber of commerce study, both residents and businesses were roughly split in half when asked if they wanted SnowBall to return.

Paulsen says he doesn’t need a study to answer that question.

“If you say you can come here and abuse substances and we’ll take care of that and then make money off that, that’s blood money,” Paulsen said.

The SnowBall Festival promoters would not agree to an on-camera interview. Madison House public relations issued a statement on their behalf.

“Safety of our patrons is our number one priority. We work closely with local law enforcement, who tirelessly contribute their time and efforts toward the safety of the festival attendees. We staff each event with the best onsite medical and emergency care available. We are swift and steadfast in responding to any instances of illegal behavior. Statistically, more than 99.9% of our patrons enjoy our festivals lawfully, safely, and without incident. Our team consistently reviews and amends policies and procedures in our ongoing effort to best protect our fans.
– Snowball Music Festival Organizers

- Written by Mark Ackerman and Brian Maass for CBSDenver.com

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A drug suspect has been arrested after he crashed into innocent drivers during a pursuit Tuesday night.

Four vehicles, including an unmarked police car and the suspect vehicle, were involved in a crash caused by the man who was the subject of a narcotics investigation.

Police in Longmont said they had been watching Terry Romero for months. He had been under surveillance for allegedly selling methamphetamine and cocaine.

Officers tried to pull over Romero, 31, Tuesday night and he sped away and crashed into four vehicles at the intersection of Parker and Peoria in Aurora.

Romero tried to run away but officers caught up with him behind a nearby restaurant.

“I just sat there in awe. It was like you couldn’t believe what you were seeing. It looked like something that happened in a movie. It was pretty amazing. I was very worried that somebody could have been seriously injured in that car accident,” said one witness who didn’t want to be identified.

Fortunately only minor injuries were reported in that crash. Romero was treated at a hospital and taken to jail.

Terry Romero (credit: Longmont Police)

Police searched Romero’s vehicle and found meth and a loaded firearm.

The intersection was closed during the crash investigation and cleanup.

The incidents began when officers followed Romero to a home in Denver and then tried to initiate a traffic stop.

The narcotics investigation included officers from Longmont Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit, the DEA, the Larimer County Criminal Impact Unit and the North Metro Drug Task Force.

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) – A months-long investigation into a suspected drug dealer ended with a crash in Aurora on Tuesday night.

Police detectives in Longmont had been tracking Terry Romero for six months in what was called “Operation Bad Nickname” and tried to arrest him when it quickly turned into a messy situation.

Officers tried to pull over Romero, 31, Tuesday night and he sped away and crashed his black Mustang into four vehicles at the intersection of Parker and Peoria in Aurora.

Those other drivers suffered minor injuries.

Romero tried to run away but officers caught up with him behind a Taco Bell restaurant.

Detectives said that Romero is a known supplier of methamphetamine and cocaine mostly dealing in Longmont and other Northern Colorado towns.

Officers said they found five ounces of meth and a loaded .45 caliber pistol in Romero’s Mustang. He is considered a big player in the meth trafficking ring.

“These individuals would get their meth from him and distribute it around Northern Colorado,” said Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur. “Terry Romero was a very serious offender. He had multiple warrants and we consider him to be very dangerous.”

“Operation Bad Nickname” has netted eight arrests and seized five pounds of meth which has a street value of $250,000.

Drugs and guns seized in “Operation Bad Nickname” (credit: Longmont Police)

The investigation began with tips which turned into wire taps of the suspects’ phones.

“We were receiving information that a lot of meth was being dealt in Longmont and Larimer County and Greeley,” said Satur.

Five stolen cars were also seized in this operation along with multiple firearms.

The narcotics investigation included officers from Longmont Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit, the DEA, the Larimer County Criminal Impact Unit and the North Metro Drug Task Force.

Richard Mora (credit: Longmont Police)

Authorities have also arrested Richard Mora of Greeley in connection with the case.

DENVER (CBS4) – A mother who was on the computer as her infant son drowned in a bathtub will spend more than three decades behind bars.

Muriel Keer was sentenced on Friday. She was charged with child abuse resulting in death after her 10-month-old son drowned nearly two years ago.

The judge gave the mother 36 years in jail for the death of her son but said he doesn’t believe she left her son in the tub maliciously but rather forgot him there because of her drug use.

Prosecutors say 10-month-old Aldrich was left alone in the tub for at least 16.5 minutes.

Keer’s attorney said he has witnessed what the death of the little boy has done to the single mother and that the child was the center of her universe. Prosecutors disagreed. They pointed out that Keer tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine five times while pregnant with her son who was born while she was in custody.

Prosecutors also say Keer failed Aldrich but the system failed him too. While Keer was on probation she tested positive for drugs 19 times and didn’t show up an additional 30 times for testing, yet no one revoked her probation.

“She was imploding and none of us in the system paid attention, and this 10-month-old child is no longer with us because of it,” prosecutor Adrienne Greener said. “Nobody leaves a child alone in a bathtub period. People walk away for maybe 30 seconds sometimes and it’s a bad decision … but they don’t leave a child in a tub for 16.5 minutes.”

The judge said the child’s death was accident waiting to happen given his mother’s drug history.

DENVER (AP/CBS4) — Federal and Colorado authorities say they’ve stopped a major methamphetamine ring that imported a liquid version of the drug from Mexico in factory-sealed drink bottles and windshield wiper fluid.

The indictments of 15 people accused of participating in the ring were announced Thursday in Denver. Eleven have been arrested and the others are still being sought.

Barbra Roach of the Drug Enforcement Administration says about 35 pounds of liquid meth brought to Colorado through El Paso, Texas and San Diego. Once in Colorado, the liquid, colored to look like an energy drink, was turned into crystalized meth.

“It was determined that the bottle was destined for Denver,” said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

Federal agents said that bottle was filled with 90 percent pure liquid meth.

“Which is unique and certainly very powerful. Folks at street level may not know how pure the drug is that they’re injecting,” said DEA Strike Force Agent Rob Saccone.

A 16-ounce bottle of liquid meth has a street value of $6,000.

Two kilograms of cocaine was also found in the oil pan of a Jeep Wrangler headed from Cuidad Juarez to Denver during the investigation, nicknamed “Thirst Quencher”.

It was also being hidden in the windshield wiper tanks inside another vehicle. Agents found six liters of the liquid meth stashed in the wiper fluid tank of a Chevy Tahoe stopped in Frisco.

The DEA said the organization in charge of the drug trafficking is headed up by two brothers, Jose and Jesus Vargus-Gonzales.

“The organization is linked to a very powerful and feared cartel called the Nights Templar,” said DEA Special Agent In Charge Barbara Roach.

Much of the meth was found inside a Denver apartment waiting for distribution. It was there that agents seized 10 pounds of meth, 1.5 kilos of cocaine and $80,000 of drug money.

Now the DEA is tracking down who factory sealed those bottles of liquid meth.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Federal authorities say 17 people have been arrested after a lengthy methamphetamine investigation in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado.

The office of U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg in Omaha said Tuesday that all 17 are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession of meth.

The investigation included federal agents and officers from several local and regional law enforcement agencies in Nebraska and Colorado. Officers seized more than three pounds of meth and $8,000 in cash.

Gilg’s office says the arrests occurred in Ogallala and Brule in Nebraska and in several western Nebraska and eastern Colorado communities.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Members of the Denver Broncos cheerleaders perform during the game between the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 5, 2013. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

DENVER (CBS4) – Authorities have busted an identity theft ring that they say cast a wide net and caught the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders organization among its victims.

Members of the ring would allegedly steal checks and other documents from mailboxes, create phony checks and cash them to buy methamphetamine and other items.

Rackeetering is among the charges described in the grand jury indictment obtained by the Denver District Attorney’s office. Their case includes 75 counts, 270 victims and 10 suspects.

The ring is said to have operated out of a home in Arvada which was nicknamed the “Hobbit Hole.” The stolen documents were said to be altered there using computers and printers to create counterfeit checks and IDs.

Stolen items not used were believed to burned in a fireplace. Meth was also allegedly used in the basement of the location.

A Denver Broncos spokesman told CBS4 the identity of a staff member with the cheerleaders was compromised as part of the ring. A cheerleaders organization check was apparently mailed out and phony checks were made from it. The spokesman said the matter as it pertains to the cheerleaders has been resolved by authorities.

“It just so happened that among all the pieces of mail over the course of time that they are alleged to have stolen, one of those pieces of mail contained a check from the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders,” Lynn Kimbrough with the district attorney’s office said.

People who live close to the Arvada home told CBS4 they were not surprised to hear of the charges.

“I just remember the day the SWAT team was over there and before I came outside they took a kid that lived in the basement to jail and then they handcuffed somebody else,” Sharon Fisher said.

Two of the suspects are charged with violating Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act, otherwise known as racketeering. They are Christopher Jason Bahl, 35, and Gary Dean Crowther, 30.

Christopher Jason Bahl, left, Gary Crowther, right (credit: CBS)

Both of them are already in custody on unrelated charges. Their grandfather, who also lived in the home, talked with CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger.

“Neither one of them worked, they never left the basement,” he told Sallinger. “In fact they lived down there all the time.”

Eight others are also facing charges.

Also among the victims is St. Anthony Hospital. Its helicopter was used to transport one of those charged who had been injured. The suspect was worried about getting arrested and posed as someone else, leaving a bill of $63,000.

(credit: CBS)

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) – Fourteen people were arrested in a methamphetamine bust over the weekend.

Officials with the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force zeroed in on two homes — one on Rene Drive in Larimer County and the other on Depew Street in Denver.

Investigators said they confiscated $30,000 in cash and 11 guns, plus 2.25 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.

The following people were arrested:

- Deborah Kordeliski, 54
- Jennifer Barella, 28
- Tyrone Faught, 41
- Juliana Sanchez, 31
- Fernando Pena, 31
- Crystal Burkhart, 37
- Diana Renner-Hagerty, 49
- Gerald Case, 40
- James Quintana, 37
- Luke Hayden, 38
- Mark Miller, 39
- Luis Negrete, 24
- Derek Rios, 27
- Crystal Duncan, 34

ARVADA, Colo. (AP) – A suburban Denver man is accused of luring teenage girls into lives of prostitution with the promise of free methamphetamine.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that 35-year-old Joe Avalos has been charged with 17 counts of crimes including kidnapping, pandering of a child, pimping and sexual assault.

They say he operated a sex trafficking ring out of his Arvada home involving five female victims between the ages of 15 and 20. Avalos allegedly advertised the women and drove them to hotels in several metro Denver communities.

One of the victims, a 16-year-old girl, fled to Avalos while on the run from another accused sex-trafficker, Robert Gonzales, who was arrested and charged with similar crimes in October.

Avalos was being held in jail and no lawyers were listed for him in court records.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (CBS4) – CBS4 has learned that the suspect in Wednesday’s dramatic high-speed chase around the metro area has been under surveillance by law enforcement for at least two months.

Ryan Stone, 28, had been under surveillance as part of a drug investigation.

After four years on and off in prison for a drug conviction he was released last October. CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger learned that for at least the past two months drug investigators have been watching Stone as part of a suspected drug dealing operation.

Stone’s Centennial home had been under surveillance by the Arapahoe County Impact Team as a possible drug house. He was stopped there on Jan. 9 with $2,400 in folded cash, which was suspected drug money.

On Feb. 6 Stone’s house was under surveillance again. That time Stone was stopped he had $1,600 in folded bills, a scale, syringes and methamphetamine.

On Feb. 12 Stone was stopped for speeding in Aurora and officers found the narcotic hydrocodone and methamphetamine. A sergeant wrote that Stone “became irate, yelling, screaming and crying uncontrollably.”

Stone’s friends say he was determined not to go back to prison. Some of those friends believe Stone was high while the chase was going on.

Stone is now in the Douglas County Jail after being treated for injuries at a hospital and is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.

More March 12 Police Chase Stories

• Colorado Trooper Injured In Chase Leaves Hospital
• Suspect In Wild Chase Faces 26 Charges, Friends Show Support In Court
• Friends Come To Court To Support Suspect In Wild Police Chase
• Mother Says She Was Lucky Her Kids Weren’t In SUV When Carjacked
• Prosecutors To Take Time Mulling Chase Suspect’s Charges
• State Trooper Hurt In Dramatic Chase Recovering
• Copter4 Team Ran Low On Fuel While Covering Wild Chase

DURANGO, Colo. (AP/CBS4) – Authorities in southwest Colorado say they have broken up a large methamphetamine ring and seized about 10 pounds of the drug worth $450,000 on the street.

The Southwest Drug Task Force says 14 people tied to the ring were arrested during the investigation that lasted about a month and a half.

(credit: Southwest Drug Task Force)

The alleged ring leader, 55-year-old Joseph Fitapelli, of Bayfield, was found carrying between $8,000 and $10,000 in cash.

GALLERY: Meth Bust Mug Shots

Investigators say stolen property, including weapons, also was seized.

The task force says it has confirmed the ring has connections to Las Vegas, California and Mexican drug cartels.

(credit: CBS)

The following people were arrested in connection with the bust:

• Joseph Fitapelli Bayfield Co. 55
• Derrik Martinez Durango Co. 28
• Jose Garcia-Ochoa Las Vegas NV 19
• Pamela Chandler Durango Co. 50
• Peyton St. Germain Durango Co 21
• Loyd Groomer Farmington NM 58
• Milton Korthank Durango Co. 38
• Daniel Gastelo-Ochoa Las Vegas NV 24
• Aaron McMinn Bayfield Co. 41
• Danielle Burton Bayfield Co. 38
• Ronnie Gunkel Bayfield Co 41
• Cristian Lopez Las Vegas NV 22
• Miguel Miranda-Sanchez Las Vegas NV 23
• Travis Schield 49 Durango, Co

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) 

DENVER (AP) — A former Arapahoe County sheriff convicted in a meth-for-sex case has failed a urine test.

The Denver Post citing court documents filed last week, reported Thursday that following the test, probation was extended for three months for Patrick Sullivan. His probation had been previously scheduled to end next week. The documents did not specify what banned substance was found in his urine.

The Post reported it was at least the second probation violation for the 71-year-old Sullivan.

In 2012 he was sentenced to 30 days in jail and placed on two years’ probation after pleading guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine and soliciting for prostitution.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (AP) – Workers for one of Colorado’s biggest marijuana businesses learned Wednesday they can be fired for smoking pot on the job or using cocaine any time.

The policy, the first of its kind for O.penVAPE, includes random testing for drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines, but not for marijuana, company spokesman Todd Mitchem said. The two-year-old company employs more than 125 people in Colorado and sells its products in Colorado, California and Washington. The products include cartridges filled with cannabis oil and a battery-powered vaporizer that resembles a pen designed for cannabis-oil use.

Colorado has legalized the sale and use of marijuana. But under federal law it is illegal and deemed dangerous, like cocaine. Mitchem said O.penVAPE sees a distinction between cannabis and other drugs, and enacted its policy after hearing what it believes are indications the federal government is open to changing rules that lump marijuana with LSD and heroin in terms of the seriousness of offenses associated with its use.

Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, noted in an interview Wednesday that lower courts have upheld zero-tolerance drug workplace policies. The state Supreme Court is reviewing a case in which a quadriplegic medical-marijuana user is challenging being fired for failing a company drug test.

“I don’t think many people are rethinking their drug policies,” Brough said, saying such policies are designed to keep employees and customers safe.

Jason Warf, legislative director of the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, an industry group, said many marijuana businesses in Colorado were small, and he expected few to take on the expense of drafting workplace drug policies. Warf also said he questioned the cost-effectiveness of drug testing as a means of preventing accidents at work.

O.penVAPE had safety in mind, Mitchem said. Having a workplace drug policy reflects O.penVAPE’s sense of itself as an industry leader and a growing company just like any other, he said.

“If we want credibility, we have to act like grown-ups,” Mitchem said.

- By Donna Bryson, AP Writer

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

More Marijuana Legalization Stories

• Colorado Lawmakers Grapple With Pot Edibles
• Lives Put At Risk As Hash Explosions Are On The Rise
• Coloradans Among 9 Charged In Oklahoma On Marijuana Counts
• Colorado Lawmakers Want Pot Industry Bank Option
• Plan To Seal Minor Pot Convictions Fails
• Restrictions On Pot Edibles Go To Colorado Senate
• Federal Agents Conduct Multiple Raids On Denver Pot Businesses

DENVER (AP) – Two inmates convicted of drug charges have escaped from a minimum security prison camp in Englewood.

Noel Valdovines (credit: Federal Bureau of Prisons)

Christopher Ramirez-Reyna (credit: Federal Bureau of Prisons)

The two were discovered missing about 10 p.m. Saturday.

One was identified as 22-year-old Noel Valdovines, who was sentenced in Colorado for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Valdovines was scheduled to be released in December, 2019. The second was identified as 22-year-old Christopher Ramirez-Reyna, who was sentenced in Texas for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ramirez-Reyna was scheduled to be released in October, 2018.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- A man suspected of starting a hash oil explosion that damaged the apartment he was living in with his two children told police he learned about the process online.

The explosion happened Saturday night at a townhome complex on South Independence Street in unincorporated Jefferson County.

Two small children — a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old — were in the townhouse near Littleton when the sheriff’s office says their father was cooking hash oil, causing the explosion.

(credit: CBS)

The explosion happened in the kitchen of the home. The kitchen is located right below the room where the baby was sleeping. A neighbor rushed in and rescued the 4-year-old from the fire.

Corbin Braithwaite (credit: Jeffco Sheriff)

Both children were taken into protective custody. They were not physically injured.

Police have charged their father, Corbin Braithwaite, with arson and child abuse for making butane hash inside the home.

Cooking hash oil is not necessarily a crime, but when damage is caused and it endangers others such as children in this case, then the police may file charges.

According to court documents, Braithwaite told police he learned how to make hash by watching videos on the internet.

He told officers he would “dumpster dive” to take discarded plant parts from the trash outside of marijuana grow operations.

Braithwaite would then use those stems and stalks to manufacture hash, a concentrated form of marijuana.

Making hash oil often means using butane to extract the psychoactive chemical THC from marijuana. Hash oil reportedly produces a more intense high but the process is highly volatile.

Police found multiple cans of butane, marijuana and what is believed to be methamphetamine in the apartment.

Braithwaite is out of jail on $10,000 bond. He told police he was trying to be careful and didn’t smoke in the house around the children.

DENVER (AP/CBS4) — A former Arapahoe County sheriff convicted in a meth-for-sex case has violated his probation by testing positive for meth and alcohol.

Court documents released Monday show Patrick Sullivan, 71, tested positive for methamphetamine use three times between September and March. The documents say Sullivan tested positive for alcohol use four times between April 2012 and last August.

Pat Sullivan in court on Nov. 27, 2012 (credit: CBS)

Sullivan has now been summoned to appear in court later this week facing revocation of his probation.

Attorney and CBS4 legal analyst Karen Steinhauser says the court could see the former sheriff’s behavior as taking advantage of a good thing.

“He was given a very good disposition in this case and concern that he is not taking the requirements of his probation seriously,” said Steinhauser.

Court documents claim he also failed to provide more than 30 required drug screens. Additionally, on eight of them the drug screens presented were too diluted to assure a valid result.

Sullivan was sentenced in 2012 to 38 days in jail and placed on two years’ probation after pleading guilty to felony possession of methamphetamine and soliciting for prostitution.

A judge in March extended Sullivan’s probation after he failed a urine test.

Steinhauser says on the one hand it could be viewed as addiction issue but on the other he admitted wrongfully leaving Colorado twice.

“This is somebody who understands more than many people what the consequences of that decision are,” she said.

A hearing on his probation is scheduled for Thursday.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DENVER (AP) — A judge is expected to decide whether to revoke probation for a former Arapahoe County sheriff convicted in a meth-for-sex case after authorities said he tested positive for drugs and alcohol.

Patrick Sullivan is due in court Thursday to answer to charges that he violated probation by failing multiple drug tests.

The 71-year-old was sentenced in 2012 to 38 days in jail and placed on two years’ probation after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine and soliciting for prostitution. Court documents say he tested positive for meth three times between September and March and for alcohol four times between April 2012 and August.

The documents also say he left the state without permission three times this year.

A judge in March extended Sullivan’s probation after he failed a urine test.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (CBS4) – The suspect in an officer-involved shooting at a Denver police substation Wednesday told police he’d rather die than go back to prison.

The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon at the Denver Police District 4 Substation at South Clay Street and West Evans Avenue.

According to court document, the suspect told officers five or six times “I’m going to kill you” on the way to the police station. He also said, “You better have a vest on.”

Isaac Vigil (credit: Denver Police)

One officer said Isaac Vigil stated, “I’m going to kill you” five or six times during the drive to the station.

RELATED: Police Investigating How Suspect Shot At Officers While Handcuffed

The court documents that revealed Vigil was picked up at a McDonald’s on suspicion of being on methamphetamine. He was wanted on a nationwide felony warrant for weapons violations.

Witnesses said police needed a stun gun to control Vigil.

Once they got to Denver Police District 4, Vigil refused to get out of the car. That’s when police said he fired a gun from behind his back at least twice. Then an officer shot Vigil in the stomach.

As paramedics arrived, Vigil said he’d hidden three bags of meth inside his body and he was rushed to the hospital.

Those drugs were recovered at the hospital and tagged as evidence. Police are still investigating where Vigil had hidden the gun.

LINK: Probable Cause Statement For The Arrest Of Isaac Vigil (Warning: Contains Expletives)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — A judge on Thursday sentenced a former Colorado sheriff to 15 months in prison for repeatedly violating his probation in a meth-for-sex case, saying the lawman, who was once regarded as a hero, had exhausted his opportunities to reform.

Patrick Sullivan was sentenced to two years after pleading guilty to plying young men with methamphetamine in exchange for sexual favors. The 71-year-old was once named the nation’s top sheriff and won praise for his leadership of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department.

“I have a drug problem, and I have had a drug problem for some time,” Sullivan said in court on Thursday, apologizing before Judge William Sylvester issued his sentence. “I have only myself to blame.”

Sullivan was arrested in December 2011 after authorities arranged a sting that revealed he was trading methamphetamine for sex. Months earlier, a 911 caller reported Sullivan was at his house trying to get three recovering addicts back on drugs.

He later pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and solicitation of a prostitute. Sylvester sentenced him to 30 days in jail and two years’ probation.

The courtroom erupted in applause on Thursday as deputies handcuffed Sullivan and took him into custody, though some had hoped for a harsher sentence.

Sullivan told the judge he was benefiting from an in-patient drug treatment program he recently enrolled in after missing or failing dozens of drug tests.

But his probation officer, Hallie Miller, said his purported efforts to reform were a front, and he continued to lie and make excuses for his risky behavior. He blamed positive meth tests on everyone from a doctor who prescribed him pills to a neighbor who he said drugged him at a barbecue, Miller said.

In January, Sullivan left the state without permission. In May, he tested positive again for meth.

“He sees himself as above the law,” Miller said.

Before his arrest, Sullivan was known as an anti-drug crusader with a record so distinguished the county named its jail after him. The National Sheriffs’ Association tapped him as its “top sheriff” in 2001, and he continued to command respect even after he resigned the following year to oversee security for a school district.

In 1989, Sullivan was hailed as a hero. During a gunman’s rampage, he rescued two deputies after crashing his truck through a fence and protected them while they were loaded into the vehicle.

But his court case revealed a darker picture. He would develop relationships with vulnerable young men, help them find jobs and get out of jail, and then provide them the drug.

Unlike other addicts, Sullivan was “on the forefront in the 1990s as one of the most vocal critics of the meth epidemic,” said First Assistant Attorney General Robert Shapiro. “He of all people, the first time he tried it, knew it was nothing more than a poison. … Mr. Sullivan chose this substance for no good reason whatsoever.”

His attorney, Kevin McGreevy, argued he had been unfairly scrutinized by probation officers because of his position.

Some who had worked with him hoped that probation would let him redeem his tarnished image.

“I’m not shocked anymore,” former Boulder County Sheriff George Epp said Wednesday. “What it tells me is a switch flipped somehow and it hasn’t flipped back.”

By SADIE GURMAN, Associated Press

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (CBS4) – Authorities have made one of the largest-ever single methamphetamine busts in Colorado history.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced on Monday that 17 people were indicted by a grand jury for operating a network that sold meth in the Denver-metro area.

The taco stand used to distribute the meth (credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office)

The sting was called “Operation Cargo.”

“The 64-count indictment alleges charges that include violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy, money laundering, and tax evasion,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, West Metro Drug Task Force, Adams County District Attorney’s Office, Thornton Police Department and Denver Police Department assisted in the bust.

“After conducting five wiretaps over five weeks, 55 pounds of meth were taken off the streets,” Attorney General John Suthers said. “The brazenness of this ring was astounding. For example, customers could literally walk up to a food truck and order a side of meth with their taco.”

The following people have been named in the indictment:

Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 37
Monica Gonzalez, 54
Oscar Ruvalcaba, 29
Luz Gonzalez, 50
Maria Arellano a.k.a “Nena,” 39
Patrick Shane Lorenzo, 35
Enrique Campos, 44
Jennifer Seipp, 31
Joe Baier, 57
Tina LeBlanc, 39
Frank Hardy, 56
Matthew Skipp a.k.a “Mateo,” 52
James Michael Loeffler, 57
Jennifer Joy Ganje, 40
Jason Jacquez, 40
Danielle A. Ulibarri, 41
Hugo Macias Arevalo, 42

PHOTO GALLERY: Massive Meth Bust Mug Shots

According to the indictment, Juan Carlos Gonzalez was the leader of drug ring.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez (credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office)

“Gonzalez coordinated with others to primarily import meth as well as cocaine from Mexico into California for delivery in Colorado.”

The DEA and West Metro Drug Task Force seized 55 pounds of meth from a car driven by Oscar Ruvalcaba in August, making it one of the largest single meth busts ever in Colorado.

Maria Arellana aka Nena (credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office)

Maria Arellana is accused of selling the meth out of her taco trailer located at 8th Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Denver.

James Loeffler and Patrick Lorenzo (credit: Denver District Attorney’s Office)

LINK: The Indictment

Additional Information From The Attorney General’s Office

Any member of the public with information on the whereabouts of Lorenzo and Loeffler are asked to contact the DEA at 720-895-4139.