Local news in brief, Sept. 19 | News

Fund established for two victims of Highway 82 crash

Alpine Bank has opened an account for Basalt residents Lori and Mitch Knotts, who were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 82 Downvalle last Friday.

They were reportedly airlifted to Denver for medical treatment after a two-vehicle crash at the freeway’s intersection with Cattle Creek Road. Colorado State Patrol responded to the incident at 9:11 a.m., CSP Public Information Officer Sherri Mendez said.

The freeway was completely closed before one lane in each direction was reopened in the early afternoon. The cleanup of 25 gallons of spilled diesel fuel, believed to have come from one of the vehicles’ fuel tanks, slowed the process.

Images posted to social media showed a Dodge Ram rolled into the median with a two-axle camper trailer behind it and a commercial dump truck traveling parallel to the road in the eastbound lanes. Lori and Mitch Knotts were in the Dodge Ram.

Donations can be made at any Alpine Bank or checks can be mailed to: Alpine Bank Aspen, 600 E. Hopkins, Aspen, CO 81611, Attention Erin Earley. Make check payable to “Lori or Mitch Knotts.”

Garfield Officers Find OxyContin During Vehicle Stop

Garfield County Sheriff’s Office officers, along with detectives from the Garfield County SPEAR (Special Problem Enforcement and Response) Task Force, discovered a large quantity of drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 near Parachute.

Officers and detectives found approximately 59.64 pounds of suspected counterfeit OxyContin pills believed to contain the drug fentanyl, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The vehicle contained approximately 222,360 pills with an estimated street value of approximately $2.7 million.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Leslie Lopez-Rojas, 20, of Phoenix. She was arrested on multiple charges, including importing a schedule II controlled substance into the state, a class 1 drug felony. Two other accomplices were arrested.

The investigation is ongoing, the news release adds. The sheriff’s office and SPEAR were assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Rifle Police Department and the Garfield County Emergency Communication Authority.

Man arrested in Eagle County on sexual abuse warrant

The Rifle Police Department reported that a man was arrested without incident Tuesday in Eagle County on a felony warrant stemming from a Rifle case involving sexual abuse of a child.

Police issued a news release Wednesday saying Carlos Javier Morales-Delgado, 46, was booked into the Garfield County Jail on the following charges: sexual assault, a class 4 felony; and unlawful sexual contact, a class 1 misdemeanor. He was subsequently released from jail, jail records show.

Rifle police thanked the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office and the GRANITE Task Force (Gore Range Narcotics Interdiction Team) for “exceptional assistance in closing this case. Their commitment to public safety and willingness to support neighboring communities is invaluable.”

The press release states that no further information will be provided about the incident.