MINERAL COUNTY – It has been a busy summer in Creede and Mineral County Sheriff Terry Wetherill was pleased to state that there have been minimal issues in the area.
“We have some really great people who come here for the summer, and they come to have a good time. We are proud to have well behaved folks from all over some to enjoy the summer with us,” Wetherill said.
According to Wetherill, it has been a relatively quiet summer in Mineral County as far as crime goes, though some instances did occur earlier in the season. Wetherill stated that they did have two home break-ins, but the suspects were charged and are undergoing prosecution.
“We had a break-in where the suspects stole some items and a vehicle. Our officers were able to recover the vehicle and we are actively charging two individuals,” he said. Identities of the suspects have not been released as this remains an active investigation.
Wetherill stated that there was a second minor break-in where two BB guns were stolen, but that the investigation showed that the two incidences were not related.
“Considering how busy we have been, these two incidences are not bad in comparison with some other communities. We are so fortunate that 90 percent of our guests are good, law-abiding citizens,” Wetherill said.
Mineral County Emergency Manager Clint Leggitt was also available for an update stating that he and his team have had a few missions including a dehydrated hiker and a broken ankle recovery mission near Creede.
“We always tell people to not wait to report an incident. Call us the minute you feel you are unable to help yourself in these situations, it gives us time to get to you and help,” said Leggitt.
Outside of active incidences, both offices have been undergoing continued training including rope training, an OSHA 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Online Training and a Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). MSHA Part 48 Underground: This is 32 hours of classroom and 8-hours of mine-specific training.
The Mineral County Sheriff’s Office also joined about 20 troopers from Colorado State Patrol while conducting Active Shooter Training at Creede School on July 1. On July 18, Sgt. Steven Johnson from the Colorado State Patrol came back to Creede School to conduct more one-on-one Active Shooter Training with sheriff's office personnel including with Leggitt.
“We plan to continue training as the summer comes to a close and we always want to impress upon people to remember where they are. It takes time to acclimate to the climate, altitude sickness is a real thing so be sure to be prepared you head out to enjoy our backcountry and again, don’t hesitate to call us the minute something goes wrong. It takes our teams time to respond to a call and resources have to be gathered. Always have a communication device on you and call us when you need us,” said Wetherill.
For more information, reach out to Leggitt or Wetherill at 719-657-2600.
