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Summit County Sheriff’s Office reports multiple assaults, an uptick in scam phone calls, and more incidents in weekly log

The Summit County Sheriff's Office launched the Justice Files, a weekly roundup of notable calls to service, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.
Summit County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy photo

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office reported an uptick last week in scam phone calls, including one incident where a Keystone resident lost thousands of dollars in a phone scam.

The following incidents occurred between Tuesday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 27, according to the weekly log of notable calls published by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, a resident in Keystone fell victim to a phone scam that involved a caller claiming that she had to pay money because she missed jury duty. The resident transferred over $6,000 in Bitcoin to the scammer. Deputies were reportedly able to stop him from transferring an additional $4,000. Personal information was also given to the scammer during the phone call. The resident was given preventative steps to protect his identity. An investigation is ongoing.



Also Tuesday, a homeowner in unincorporated Breckenridge reported that someone had possibly attempted to get into her residence, damaging the door. The homeowner’s neighbor had sent them a photo of the door while they were away. Deputies cleared the residence and found no evidence of forced entry or any suspicious activity. It appeared perhaps the seal on the door had been chewed by a rodent. No crime was found.

In another incident Tuesday, a landlord in unincorporated Dillon received a text from his tenant indicating that someone was breaking into the upstairs residence, where no one should be. Deputies responded and didn’t find anyone inside or any evidence of forced entry. Further investigation revealed the entire text conversation between the landlord and the tenant was a misunderstanding because they had used Google Translate, which didn’t relay the messages correctly. Nothing suspicious or criminal was found.



On Thursday, Oct. 24, deputies received several reports from unrelated individuals who were contacted by a scammer impersonating Sheriff’s Office personnel and claiming to be “Sergeant Schilling.” The fraudster claimed that they had warrants out for the individual’s arrest due to missing court dates. None of the individuals gave out any information or money to the caller.

The Sheriff’s Office said this week that there has been an uptick in these types of scam phone calls where scammers have been impersonating law enforcement officers. Oftentimes, the scammers are “spoofing” phone numbers associated with the Sheriff’s Office to make the caller ID look legitimate, even though it is a scam. The callers can reportedly be aggressive and persuasive. A deputy will never call anyone to notify them of a warrant for their arrest and then offer to clear it in exchange for gift cards, wire transfers or Bitcoin, according to the Sheriff’s Office. If there is ever a question who is on the other end of a call, hang up and call nonemergency dispatch at 970-668-8600 and ask to speak to a deputy to confirm the situation.

On Friday, Oct. 25, deputies along with medical personnel responded to a man who needed assistance getting back down the mountain near Copper Mountain after hurting his leg and shoulder. The man was located about 100 yards from the trailhead, and crews assisted him getting to an ambulance. A search and rescue crew was getting ready to respond but canceled by deputies. The patient was transported to St. Anthony Summit Hospital.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, a woman came home to find her boyfriend highly intoxicated, which led to a verbal argument. The woman reportedly made a call on her cell phone, which prompted the man to accuse her of cheating and break her phone. The altercation became physical, and a child in the home tried to intervene before the man tried to choke the woman, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded and arrested the man for multiple charges including domestic violence, strangulation and child abuse. The woman was transported by an ambulance to St. Anthony Summit Hospital for treatment.

Also Sunday, a man called for help because he said his roommate was trying to kill him. When deputies arrived, the man who called for help was verbally abusive towards them and was not cooperative, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies spoke with the roommate who said there was a verbal altercation between them and that the other man had been acting strange, had been on a multiday bender and had assaulted a third roommate and threatened him with a knife. Deputies interviewed the third roommate who corroborated the story and added that the man had also hit him on the head with a blunt object. The man reportedly admitted to holding a knife to his throat. He was arrested on multiple charges and brought to the Summit County jail.


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