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Teen hikes shoeless, drunk woman goes to the wrong house, a campfire gets out of control and more reported in Sheriff’s Office logs

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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

Last week, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office put out an out-of-control campfire, helped a shoeless teen out of the backcountry and bought an intoxicated man a bus ticket.

The following incidents occurred between Monday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 31, according to the weekly log of notable calls published by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies and Summit County Rescue Group members used all-terrain vehicles Monday to assist a teenage hiker who left his home in Keystone without shoes or socks after a verbal argument with his father. The teen ended up on a mountain and called for help when his legs started cramping, making him unable to hike back down. Dispatchers told him to stay put, and responders got to him about two hours after he called. He reported no injuries and was reunited with his family.



Animal control officers captured a cat Tuesday that had been in a Copper Mountain condo building’s parking garage for a few days. They took it to the animal shelter, scanned its microchip and notified the owner of its location.

Frisco Bay Marina staff told deputies Thursday about kayaks being stored overnight on the shore near Summit Middle School. The next day, deputies spoke to the kayak owners while they paddled through the bay, and they confirmed they left their fishing rigs on shore while staying at a nearby Airbnb. The deputies told them about overnight storage rules for the future, and the owners said they were leaving that same day.



A campfire near the Buffalo Cabin Trail ignited several surrounding trees Wednesday. Deputies extinguished the fire using fire extinguishers after it had grown to around 10 square feet. It appeared to be a dispersed campsite with a campfire, but nobody was present in the area. The next day, law enforcement received a report of another campfire in the area, and this time they found the camper. He confessed to starting multiple fires over the previous days, including the one that spread out of control. Deputies took him into custody on multiple charges and transported him to jail without incident.

In unincorporated Breckenridge on Friday, a resident reported she had paid her neighbor thousands of dollars to repair her roof, but the neighbor did not show up to do the work. She said this was not the first time the neighbor had done something like that, and deputies filed a report for potential fraud.

On Saturday, a woman in unincorporated Breckenridge reported a bat in her chimney. Animal control officers confirmed no humans or pets were exposed to it then captured and released it into the wild without incident.


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Deputies contacted an intoxicated man Saturday after he was seen walking on Colorado Highway 9. He told deputies he was transient and trying to get to California. Deputies thought he appeared healthy and aware of his surroundings, despite his intoxication, and offered him a ride to the Frisco Transfer Station. They gave the man a warm meal and a ticket for the Bustang to help him head west.

A resident in unincorporated Breckenridge called for help Sunday when an unknown, intoxicated woman rang their doorbell. She said she was at the correct house and wanted to come inside. The resident refused to let her in, and the woman refused to leave and kept ringing the doorbell. Dispatch got another call around the same time about a missing woman who had been out with her boyfriend and missed their Uber ride home. Officials determined it to be the same woman, and deputies gave her a courtesy ride to the correct address.

After leaving his car unlocked in a parking garage at Copper Mountain, a man found Sunday that tools were missing from his car and that his center console and glove box were empty. Other occupants in the building heard about the break-in, and two more vehicle owners reported having items stolen from their cars. Another resident noticed their bike lock had been cut and two bicycles were missing from the garage. Deputies filed a report for the victims, and an investigation is ongoing.

Deputies and Summit County Rescue Group members responded to a notification from an Apple satellite device Sunday that a man in the backcountry was stuck under his ATV. The man was alone, wearing a helmet and was properly equipped to be in the backcountry, but he did not survive the accident. Responders recovered the body and transferred it to the custody of the Summit County Coroner.

Deputies received a third-hand report of an unattended campfire Sunday on Rock Creek Road. They responded with Summit Fire & EMS and fully extinguished the fire, but deputies found no suspects at the scene.

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