Custer County commissioners received a detailed report at their March 11 meeting on the conclusion of a 2023 triple homicide case that ended February 19–20 with three life sentences plus 51 years consecutive after less than two hours of jury deliberation. The board also approved a $70,381 vehicle purchase from Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, three budget amendments totaling more than $500,000 in grants, and a new county cell phone policy expected to save $686 annually while improving compliance with open records laws.
Triple Homicide Case Conclusion
District Attorney Jeff Lindsey reported that the jury received the case at approximately 3 p.m. on February 19 and returned a verdict by 5 p.m. — before reviewing any videos or 911 calls in evidence. The case involved 570 exhibits including photos, videos, 911 calls, and physical evidence, and took almost 2.5 years before trial began. Six different prosecutors were assigned over 27 months before the final trial team.
Key evidence included a 911 call from Patty Daulton, who was seriously wounded in the shooting, in which she identified the suspect while believing she might not survive. Seven jurors returned for the sentencing hearing on February 20. Approximately 850 jurors were subpoenaed with about 425 showing up, a 50% response rate.
Sheriff Rich Smith, who has nearly 50 years in law enforcement, said he had never seen a jury return a verdict that quickly.
Vehicle Fleet Replacement
Commissioners unanimously approved purchasing seven vehicles for $56,000 plus $14,381 in equipment from Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, with financing terms of 4.9% interest and no payment due until March 2027. The purchase includes three Dodge Rams, two Ford Explorers, one Ford F-150, and one Jeep Liberty, all with approximately 60,000 miles.
The county will trade in a 2009 Jeep Patriot for $5,000 credit, bringing the net financed amount to $65,381. Sheriff Rich Smith said the $8,000-per-vehicle price represents significant savings compared to the $12,500 Chaffee County recently received for similar vehicles, and well below the $15,000–$18,000 book value.
The county plans to sell seven older vehicles through GovDeals auction with a $2,000 minimum reserve, including two Dodge Durangos, a 2019 Ford F-150 with 114,000 miles, a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer, a 2002 GMC Yukon with 228,000 miles, and two Jeeps. The new Dodge Rams will be assigned to road and bridge operations, recycling, and shared use between departments.
Budget Amendments and Grants
The board approved three budget resolutions totaling more than $500,000 in grant funding and policy changes.
Resolution 26-17 established a new county cell phone policy switching from AT&T/FirstNet to T-Mobile, discontinuing personal phone reimbursements and requiring all county business be conducted on county-issued devices. The change will save $686 annually while adding text-over-Starlink capability and bringing the county into compliance with Colorado Open Records Act requirements. Current costs of $9,000 annually for reimbursing 10 employees will drop to $8,313 for county-issued devices including archiving services. New devices deploy the last week of March.
Resolution 26-18 approved a $50,000 Department of Local Affairs pre-development grant for 12 lots in Silver Cliff, covering engineering, surveying, and environmental work to prepare sites for attainable housing. The grant is 92% reimbursable, with one lot designated for an in-home childcare facility not covered by grant terms.
Resolution 26-19 accepted a $450,000 Department of Transportation Aviation grant for runway lights, end indicators, and glide slope indicators at the county airport. The airport board has matching funds from fuel sales, requiring no current county funding.
Landfill Engineering Contracts
Commissioners conditionally approved a $17,000 contract with Burns & McDonnell for construction quality assurance on Area Fill Phase 2, pending final attorney review. County Attorney Dan Slater will send a termination letter to WSP/Golder for outstanding work on trenches and Phase 1 reports. The previous firm’s last invoice was October 2021 for $69,500, and 31 years of overdue landfill reports were completed in early February 2026.
Brian Lockhart reported Custer County remains below the threshold requiring expensive methane collection systems that are costing other counties $3 to $15 million.
Other Business
The board approved a liquor license for The Lodge at San Isabel Hotel and Restaurant with $1,850 in fees, targeting a Mother’s Day opening. The board approved the appointment of Keely Smith and Melissa Nuanes as new tourism board members, bringing the board to full nine-member capacity. Lauren Austin and Bianca Trenker were named to new leadership roles on the board.
Commissioners approved 14 Department of Human Services policies via consent agenda covering contract monitoring, fiscal controls, medical assistance eligibility, and other state-mandated requirements. Chairman Bill Canda reported ongoing work with Fremont County on a potential joint E911 authority, workforce housing initiatives, and a boundary adjustment for Rainbow Lutheran Trail Camp expected within six weeks.
Canda ordered flags at half-staff for Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, who died March 8 from wounds sustained during an enemy attack while assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade at Fort Carson in support of Operation Epic Fury.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 