During our conversation earlier this week, local activist Rob Keating admitted that he had consumed some alcoholic beverages prior to heading home on the evening of October 5, 2019.
Mr. Keating’s connection to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office became more complex that evening, when he was arrested on a DUI charge. The complexity relates to the fact that, a year earlier, he had run against Richie Valdez for the Archuleta County Sheriff job… and it relates to the decision by Sixth Judicial District DA Christian Champagne’s decision to drop the case, after it was revealed by a former Sheriff’s deputy that Sheriff Valdez had offered a ‘bounty’ — a steak dinner — to any ACSO officer who could arrest Mr. Keating on DUI charges.
Mr. Keating had suspicions about why October 5 arrest had occurred, considering that Deputy Shane Bracken — during a field training with Sergeant Michael Sindelar — made repeated trips between Mr. Keating’s vehicle and the patrol car. Discussing something with Sergeant Sindelar?
Mr. Keating offered to share the body cam footage with me.
“If you wanted to just… if you were really bored, and wanted to watch the [body cam] video, Bracken turns his body cam off… going back and forth to the patrol car to talk to Sindelar. Multiple times.
“So what was going on, there, is suspicious.”
You mean, what was going on in the patrol vehicle? I asked.
“Yeah. Because, according to Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office policy — which I filed a CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) request for, on January 8 — and was arrested on January 13, and it took me quite a few more days to get the copy of the policy…”
So, the ACSO policy says, you turn on your body cam, and…? I asked.
“And it stays on until the incident is over. Unless you’re sitting there waiting for a tow truck; I mean, there’s some logic to it. But Deputy Bracken turned it off twice during the [October 5] stop… And even at the hospital [during the blood test] he’s, like, putting his hand over the lens.
“Maybe the Sergeant didn’t want to be on camera? I’m, like, what was he hiding?…”
Mr. Keating provided me with six body cam video clips from his October 5, 2019 arrest, and it does appear that Deputy Bracken turned off his camera at least twice during the roadside stop on Highway 84. The video clips also reveal that two additional ACSO patrol cars arrived on the scene, shortly after Mr. Keating was pulled over.
From the official traffic report written by Deputy Bracken:
On 10-5-19 at approximately 1850 hrs, Sgt SINDELAR and I were traveling west on Hwy 160/Pagosa Street around the 200 block. I noticed a Maroon 2008 Dodge Ram [pickup]… failing to maintain a single lane on the eastbound side of Hwy 160. I recognized a sticker in the rear driver’s side window as possibly belonging to ROBERT KEATING and could not identify who was driving. I could not make a U-turn safely at the time, so I went to N. 3rd St. and turned Right, and Right again on Lewis Street. I traveled to N. 1st Street to get back on Hwy 160.
I got back onto Hwy 160 and scanned for the Dodge on side roads and business fronts. I did not observe the Dodge anywhere in the area. I chose to… go south on Hwy 84, with the knowledge that ROBERT lived somewhere down south Hwy 84…
… I caught up with the Dodge just north of Echo Canyon Creek Ranch Ln on Hwy 84 and turned on my body cam to document any additional traffic violations…
Here is a short sample of the body cam footage, showing the patrol vehicle following Mr. Keating down Hwy 84 for about two minutes.
Over coffee, Rob and I chatted about the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry during 2018 and 2019, into the possible sale of public property by ACSO staff. That investigation was kept hidden from the public during the 2018 election campaign, which makes some sense politically, since it might have reflected poorly on Sheriff Rich Valdez during his re-election effort.
Following the election, Rob Keating continued to appear at Board of County Commissioner meetings, urging the BOCC to get to the bottom of $2.2 million worth of unaccounted-for public property. Maybe $2.6 million?
We can hardly assume that his ongoing inquiry into the 1033 controversy made Mr. Keating popular with the ACSO.
In the end, the CBI determined that ACSO deputies had indeed disposed of public property, via online sales and otherwise, but the CBI concluded, basically, that Rich Valdez is an independent elected official, and it was really none of the BOCC’s business what had happened to the missing public property.
Thus far, Rob Keating has been unable to discover when, exactly, Sheriff Valdez offered a steak dinner to anyone who could manage to arrest Rob Keating.
In her Thursday, April 14 article about the alleged ‘bounty’ — in the weekly Pagosa Springs SUN — editor Terri House cited an interview with former Undersheriff Derek Woodman.
In an interview on April 5, Woodman, who is now serving as Archuleta County Manager, explained that he had heard about the steak dinner being “bantered” about.
“Honestly, it originated out of the sheriff,” he said, adding, “I strongly believe that nobody actually thought that somebody was going to be rewarded with a steak dinner…”
…”I will be honest with you that there is all realms of banter that takes place in a law enforcement organization in all different ways, shapes and forms. It’s no different than any other employment organization, that banter takes place behind closed doors. But, it’s a big difference once it crosses the line beyond banter. If individuals lend any credence to the banter, then it’s no longer banter.”
Some questions remain unanswered. Why did Deputy Bracken turn his body cam off and on during the October 5 stop? Why did two additional ACSO patrol cars show up for Mr. Keating’s completely peaceful traffic stop?
Is it possible that Sheriff Valdez’ offer of a steak dinner influenced the way certain ACSO deputies acted when they spotted Mr. Keating’s vehicle?
Rob Keating:
“I care about justice. To me, there is a thing about justice, and the difference between right and wrong… Those are important things. And it’s why I ran for Sheriff. That’s just who I am…”
“It’s these little details that probably bother me the most. You can’t control the big stuff. Big stupid stuff happens. But the little things? I mean, come on, guys, can’t you think through this a little better?”