Ouray metropolis officers positioned Police Chief Jeff Wooden on paid administrative go away Monday, 11 days after allegations grew to become public {that a} 17-year-old woman was raped by his stepson and two others at his home whereas he slept.
Metropolis leaders have identified concerning the allegations since July, when Wooden came upon and notified them, according to a news release.
However the metropolis didn’t deal with the allegations till Jan. 18, after the Ouray County Plaindealer published a story that broke the information of a violent sexual assault that occurred at Wooden’s house in Might.
Hours after the Plaindealer distributed newspapers to racks throughout the county, a Ridgway man stole practically each copy, garnering national headlines as co-publishers Erin McIntyre and Mike Wiggins reprinted and redistributed the paper the next day.
The story detailed allegations that three males — youngsters on the time — repeatedly raped a 17-year-old woman at Wooden’s home throughout a late-night get together whereas he was asleep within the house.
Two of the suspects have been recognized by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as 20-year-old Gabriel Trujillo and 20-year-old Ashton Whittington. A 3rd suspect was not recognized by the company as a result of they have been a minor on the time of the assault.
Wooden has not commented on the case publicly, and on Jan. 18 metropolis officers mentioned there have been no personnel investigations underway on the Ouray Police Division relating to the case.
Town introduced Wooden’s go away in a information launch Monday afternoon.
“This administrative go away is pending the end result of the legal proceedings of the alleged rape involving the Chief’s stepson on the Chief’s private residence,” metropolis leaders wrote. The information launch didn’t determine Wooden’s stepson by title.
Town named Sgt. Gary Ray appearing police chief.
The person who stole copies of the Plaindealer later returned them and was cited for theft by the Ouray County Sheriff’s Workplace. He isn’t linked to the police division or suspects within the case. The person posted on social media that his motivation in stealing the newspapers was to guard the sufferer within the case.
However an Ouray County Sheriff’s Workplace incident report particulars the person’s conversations with McIntyre and Wiggins after the theft, by which he apologized and provided to compensate them but in addition complained about earlier protection, together with tales concerning the former sheriff’s drunken driving arrest and an area taco restaurant’s intestinal parasite outbreak.
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