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50¢ Group helps senior skiers stay ‘young at heart’
Vol. 127, No. 1 — January 6, 2010
www.deltacountyindependent.com
See Surface Creek News on pages 1-2C.
Doctor’s prescription privileges restricted
Elegant needlework highlights museum exhibit
By Hank Lohmeyer
See The North Fork Times on pages 1-3B.
Staff Writer
Dr. Sam Jahani, D.O., who has a practice in Delta and clinics in Montrose and Grand Junction, has signed an agreement with the Colorado State Board of Medical Examiners placing restrictions on his medical license that prohibit his prescribing and dispensing prescription medications. Agreement on the restrictions came Dec. 16. The agreement is an interim arrangement between Jahani and a special Inquiry Panel of the Board which is examining a case that “raised concerns that (Jahani) may not be able to practice medicine with reasonable skill and safety to patients.” The agreement, called an Interim Practice Agreement, “stays potential summary suspension proceedings while the panel further reviews (Jahani’s) ability to practice medicine safely,” according to the text of the agreement made available by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. The agreement places the following restrictions on Jahani’s practice: • It prohibits his administration,
Delta man accused of impersonating CIA agent Daniel Rodriguez, 23, of Delta has been charged with impersonation of a peace officer after he twice identified himself as an agent with the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA. On Dec. 16, the Delta Police Department reports that Rodriguez allegedly went to Blake Field, identified himself as an agent with the CIA, and inquired about a package he was supposed to pick up. There was no such package being held in storage, and the police were notified of the suspicious request. On Dec. 29, he reportedly tried to commandeer a patrol officer’s vehicle so he could pick up drugs from a storage unit. Again, he identified himself as a CIA agent. The CIA was contacted and denied that Rodriguez was an agent, either currently or in the past. A warrant for his arrest was issued and Rodriguez was jailed the same day.
By Pat Sunderland Managing Editor
Delta County Undersheriff Mark Taylor is the first law enforcement officer in Delta County to attend the FBI National Academy, recognized nationally and internationally as the most prestigious training academy offered to law enforcement executives. Only about 1 percent of all active law enforcement officers are graduates of the National Academy.
Tips sought on graffiti found throughout Delta On Nov. 29 and 30 officers of the Delta Police Department took numerous reports of criminal mischief. Multiple businesses, two churches, Cleland Park and a privately owned residential building were “tagged” with graffiti. Nine locations in total were found to have same or similar “paintings.” Throughout the following days several more reports came in of a similar nature. Multiple locations all over town were tagged with the letters “KSU” “AHH” and “Asset” in various colors including blue, green, black, brown and white spray paints. In a few locations “Asset” had some variations to include “Aset” and “Asett.” Officers of the Delta Police Department followed up on several leads, however no suspect developed in this case. Due to the extensive costs involved in removing the graffiti the Delta Police Department is asking the public for assistance in finding the person or persons responsible for this damage. If you have information about this crime or any other crime and this information leads to arrests or convictions, Crime Stoppers may reward you up to $1,000. Your anonymity is guaranteed. Phone calls are not recorded, and caller ID is not used. Call Crime Stoppers any time at 874-8810.
Undersheriff Mark Taylor
Weekend Forecast
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Dec. 29 .....23 10 .16 Dec. 29 .....33 18 .00 Dec. 30 .....26 17 .14 Dec. 30 .....26 19 .04 Dec. 31 .....25 9 .00 Dec. 31 .....29 13 .00 Jan. 1 .......25 9 .00 Jan. 1 .......33 12 .00 Jan. 2 .......24 4 .00 Jan. 2 .......34 13 .00 Jan. 3 .......26 3 .00 Jan. 3 .......35 11 .00 Jan. 4 .......29 0 .00 Jan. 4 .......34 10 .00
Dec. 29 .....33 Dec. 30 .....26 Dec. 31 .....29 Jan. 1 .......33 Jan. 2 .......34 Jan. 3 .......35 Jan. 4 .......34
by CO AgMet Network
by Bob & Shirley Lund
by John Cairns
Accent ................... 4A Activities ................ 2A Agriculture ............. 7A Church .................. 3D Classifieds .......... 1-4D Legals ................ 5-7C
First baby of the decade Kirsten Lynn Pera’s birth was expected the last few days of 2009, but she kept her parents, David Pera and Heather Clark of Delta, in suspense by delaying her arrival until 6:20 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. Delivered by Dr. Bierling at Delta County Memorial Hospital, she weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19.5 inches in length. She has a 3-year-old sister, Kiley, and a 2-year-old brother, Kaleb.
Undersheriff trains at FBI National Academy
At 2:16 a.m. on Jan. 1, Delta Police Department officers responded to an alarm at Rent-A-Center located at 25 Stafford Lane. Investigation revealed the business had been burglarized. The front door glass was smashed; the business was entered and vandalized resulting in over $11,000 in property and equipment damage and over $500 in electronic equipment stolen. This case is under investigation. Anyone with information may call Delta Police (874-7676) or Crime Stoppers (874-8810).
Delta
See Jahani, Page 3A
Pat Sunderland/DCI
Only 1% of officers graduate from National Academy
Rent-A-Center targeted by destructive burglars
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possession, dispensing, prescription, or other authorization of prescriptions for any controlled substance as defined by Colorado law. • It places the same restrictions on Jahani’s use of any third-party “including but not limited to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or other physicians” in providing prescription medications to patients. • Jahani is not allowed to serve “as preceptor, mentor, and/or supervising physician for a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in any case in which the physician or nurse practitioner administers, dispenses, prescribes, or otherwise authorizes prescriptions for any controlled substance” as defined by Colorado law. Terms of the agreement were reached by negotiations between Jahani and the Inquiry Panel. The agreement is to remain in effect until a final disposition is reached in the case, “or in the event additional summary suspension proceedings are initiated, until such time as an order for summary suspension enters.” The agreement states that it is not a finding of wrongdoing against Jahani, that is not to be considered
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North Fork Times 1-3B Obituaries .............. 6A School Zone ......... 5A Sports ................... 4B Surface Creek .... 1-2C TV Listings ......... 3-4C
“This was a great opportunity for Mark and the sheriff’s office to achieve our goal of providing highly trained, competent staff to serve Delta County,” Sheriff Fred McKee said. “As Mark shares the ideas and information that he has acquired at the academy our office will be improved thereby providing a sheriff’s office that is equipped to succeed today and meet the challenges of tomorrow.” Taylor has been with the sheriff’s department for nearly 20 years. He was hired as a patrol deputy by Sheriff Bill Blair shortly after he graduated from the law enforcement academy in 1989. Taylor was named undersheriff in 2003. He has been assigned to the Delta-Montrose Drug Task Force and currently serves on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. The application, background check and interview process to gain admittance to the National Academy took nearly a year to complete. After 11 weeks of academic and physical training, Taylor graduated from the National Academy on Dec. 11. The 239th session consisted of 266 law enforcement leaders from 49 states and 27 countries. The National Academy is held at the FBI training facility in Quantico,
Va. The advanced training is offered by FBI instructional staff, special agents and other staff members holding advanced degrees, many of whom are recognized internationally in their field of expertise. Courses covered labor laws, interpersonal communication for the law enforcement executive, conflict resolution, public speaking, stress management and fitness. Seminars addressed the topics of ethics and leadership. “I’m truly humbled for the chance of a lifetime, to be able to spend 11 weeks with some of the most professional, knowledgeable, and courageous law enforcement personnel, not only in this country but in the world,” Taylor said. “I met some people I will be friends with the rest of my life and know that they are a phone call away if I need anything.” Taylor plans to become involved in the National Academy Associates, an organization of more than 17,000 law enforcement professionals who have graduated from the National Academy and who actively work to develop higher levels of competency, cooperation and integrity across the law enforcement community. Many participating officers came
from much larger municipalities, but Taylor also met several from smaller agencies. He noted commonalities among all those agencies, even those with several thousand officers. “When you broke those large agencies down to departments or squads, they were struggling with the same issues. “The one thing I did hear time and time again was the difficulties that some sheriffs and chiefs have with their city managers or county commissioners. I was always able to say with pride that in Delta County all county departments and municipalities work well together. It has been my observations that it’s okay to ‘agree to disagree’ and get the job done.” Across the country, Taylor said, law enforcement agencies are trying to do more with less. Budgets may decline, but citizens still expect law enforcement to provide the same level of service. Many agencies also experience difficulty recruiting and retaining quality officers. In Delta County, Taylor said it’s hard to compete for those quality officers when the pay is higher in surrounding areas. “However, I believe we have the finest bunch of professional people
working in law enforcement today right here at the sheriff’s office.” Rather than coming back with new programs or techniques, Taylor said he hopes to inspire the department’s officers to challenge themselves both professionally and personally. “I found out by attending the academy that a 48-year-old fat guy who sits behind a desk for 10 to 12 hours a day can actually run six miles if he puts his mind to it. I also realized that a 48-year-old man who has not been in a structured classroom for 30 years can pass undergraduate courses if he puts his mind to it. So I would like to see everyone in my office and my community challenge themselves. You might be surprised of what you can do. “But I must give the credit where credit is due — my family was probably impacted the most during my absence,” Taylor noted. “My wife Shawna was thrust into the role of both mother and father to our two kids, Dylon, 16, and Brooke, 14. I am extremely proud of my kids and how they stepped up and were able to help their mother out while I was away. I certainly would not have been able to succeed without the support See Taylor, Page 3A
Dog-dragging incident tied to theft of the animal in Delta By Pat Sunderland Managing Editor
A senseless act of animal cruelty in Mesa County has been tied to the theft of two dogs from the back of a pickup in Delta last week. One of those dogs, “Buddy,” a catahaula hound and Australian cattle dog mix, was killed in the Colorado National Monument Dec. 30. Steven Romero, 37, is suspected of tying a rope to Buddy’s neck and dragging the dog to his death behind his vehicle. Romero is being held without bond at Mesa County Jail. His sister, Melissa Lockhart, has been charged with stealing Buddy and another dog from the parking area behind C&J’s Café, where the dogs’ owner, Joseph Leber of Hotchkiss, was having lunch on Dec. 29. Delta Police Department spokesman Jamie Head said an eyewitness saw the dogs in the back of the pickup. Later a couple of kids were
spotted playing with the dogs in the parking area. When the eyewitness observed the dogs in a station wagon, she was suspicious enough to note the license plate number of the vehicle. She spoke with Leber when he returned to his pickup and provided him with the license plate number of the station wagon, which he later passed along to DPD investigators. The license plate number was traced to Melissa Lockhart, and an arrest warrant alleging theft and false reporting to authorities was issued. After the dog’s death commanded headlines in the Grand Junction newspapers, Lockhart turned herself in at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department. Head, who formerly served as the city’s animal control officer, said Buddy was adopted from the city impound facility. She recalls his unusual coat and his “beautiful blue eyes.” The other dog was recovered and
has been returned in healthy condition to the Lebers. Lockhart reportedly told officers her kids had found the dogs in an abandoned house. “There are no abandoned homes in that area,” Head observed. A Facebook page titled “Justice for Buddy” has been “friended” by over 25,000 animal lovers from across the country who have been outraged by Buddy’s cruel death and want to see Romero convicted and sentenced to the maximum allowed under law. Romero is charged with aggravated cruelty towards an animal. If convicted, the penalty is not more than three years in federal prison, and up to a $100,000 fine, and one year of mandatory parole. The case was investigated by the National Park Service law enforcement rangers, who were assisted by the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department, and the Grand Junction, Fruita and Delta police departments.