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Jeffco's Stone urges Owens to acknowledge cooperation in probe
By Charley AbleDenver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone, under attack for shunning Bill Owens' Columbine Review Commission, wants the governor to acknowledge efforts the sheriff has made to cooperate. Stone, in a letter dated Tuesday and obtained Wednesday by the Denver Rocky Mountain News, appealed to Owens to "set the record straight concerning my cooperation with you, and that of my senior officers and staff in particular." Owens, in a three paragraph statement responding to Stone's letter, said he "continues to be amazed with responses from the Jefferson County sheriff and other county officials." The governor's Columbine Review Commission is conducting a series of hearings to review the way local and state authorities responded to the Columbine High School shootings in which Dylan Klebod and Eric Harris killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives. In his letter, Stone cites the Dec. 2, 1999, appearance of Undersheriff John Dunaway and division chief John Kiekbusch before the review commission. Dunaway and Kiekbusch were in charge of the police response to the April 20, 1999, rampage, Stone said in an interview Wednesday. At the December meeting, Dunaway and Kiekbusch briefed the commission "extensively, offering to provide the commission with full disclosure of the investigation of the murders, provided that 'investigative details' that could be known only by the killers or any co-conspirators, be kept confidential," Stone said in the letter to Owens. Stone's letter also refers to a Jan. 18 meeting with Owens in which the sheriff, Dunaway and Kiekbusch provided "the relevant information that was known by my office at the time." "It is apparent that certain individuals are stimulated by the political opportunities that they view the Columbine tragedy as creating for them in Jefferson County," the letter states. Stone said Wednesday that those "certain individuals" are using the media to further their cause, and he also charges some members of the the media with using the tragedy to improve the circulation of their publications. Stone's letter says he has "always been willing to testify before the Columbine Review Commission, and my deputies have done so repeatedly, at my direction." But Stone said he will not testify because county attorney Frank Hutfless has directed him not to, citing the pending lawsuits filed by Columbine victims' families. In his statement, Owens again called on Stone to testify. "If that's the case, the commission is ready to schedule his testimony immediately," the Owens statement says. "I receive funding to operate my office from the Jefferson County commissioners. I feel obliged to respond to their direction in the Columbine Review Commission matter, because they have indemnified me and my deputies from punitive damages against us (if awarded) as a result of any of the pending lawsuits. The Jefferson County attorney's office represents me in the aforementioned lawsuits," Stone said in the letter. Owens' statement responded: "Sheriff Stone has a First Amendment right to testify that cannot be taken away by Jefferson County commissioners. He also has a duty to set aside his political and budgetary considerations and tell us what happened at Columbine. He is a separately elected official; it is his decision to testify and his decision alone." Stone also has been criticized for withholding from the review commission videotapes made by Harris and Klebold, some within hours of their rampage at the school. "I also continue to urge Jefferson County officials to allow the commission to view the Klebold/Harris videotapes that the county has already allowed members of the media to see," Owens' statement said. But Stone said that decision is not his. "We can't produce the tapes because those tapes are under court order. The county attorney's office has told them that — that we can't give something that the court has told us that we can't release," Stone said Wednesday. If the tapes were not under court order, Stone said, he would release them "with no problem at all," adding that the commission should seek release of the videotapes through the court. Stone also said the investigation was not his alone, but was a joint effort conducted by a number of agencies, including a number of local police agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado attorney general's office, the Colorado State Patrol and the county district attorney's office. "It wasn't totally our investigation, it was a joint investigation of state agencies, federal agencies and our agencies. The public doesn't know that," Stone said Wednesday. "The only thing that I want to do is set the record straight. This is not anything I am doing to show any disrespect for the office of the governor because that's not the way I feel. I am just trying to put this thing in perspective," Stone said. Contact Charley Able at (303) 892-5020 or ablec@RockyMountainNews.com. October 12, 2000
Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone, under attack for shunning Bill Owens' Columbine Review Commission, wants the governor to acknowledge efforts the sheriff has made to cooperate.
Stone, in a letter dated Tuesday and obtained Wednesday by the Denver Rocky Mountain News, appealed to Owens to "set the record straight concerning my cooperation with you, and that of my senior officers and staff in particular."
Owens, in a three paragraph statement responding to Stone's letter, said he "continues to be amazed with responses from the Jefferson County sheriff and other county officials."
The governor's Columbine Review Commission is conducting a series of hearings to review the way local and state authorities responded to the Columbine High School shootings in which Dylan Klebod and Eric Harris killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher before taking their own lives.
In his letter, Stone cites the Dec. 2, 1999, appearance of Undersheriff John Dunaway and division chief John Kiekbusch before the review commission.
Dunaway and Kiekbusch were in charge of the police response to the April 20, 1999, rampage, Stone said in an interview Wednesday.
At the December meeting, Dunaway and Kiekbusch briefed the commission "extensively, offering to provide the commission with full disclosure of the investigation of the murders, provided that 'investigative details' that could be known only by the killers or any co-conspirators, be kept confidential," Stone said in the letter to Owens.
Stone's letter also refers to a Jan. 18 meeting with Owens in which the sheriff, Dunaway and Kiekbusch provided "the relevant information that was known by my office at the time."
"It is apparent that certain individuals are stimulated by the political opportunities that they view the Columbine tragedy as creating for them in Jefferson County," the letter states.
Stone said Wednesday that those "certain individuals" are using the media to further their cause, and he also charges some members of the the media with using the tragedy to improve the circulation of their publications.
Stone's letter says he has "always been willing to testify before the Columbine Review Commission, and my deputies have done so repeatedly, at my direction."
But Stone said he will not testify because county attorney Frank Hutfless has directed him not to, citing the pending lawsuits filed by Columbine victims' families.
In his statement, Owens again called on Stone to testify.
"If that's the case, the commission is ready to schedule his testimony immediately," the Owens statement says.
"I receive funding to operate my office from the Jefferson County commissioners. I feel obliged to respond to their direction in the Columbine Review Commission matter, because they have indemnified me and my deputies from punitive damages against us (if awarded) as a result of any of the pending lawsuits. The Jefferson County attorney's office represents me in the aforementioned lawsuits," Stone said in the letter.
Owens' statement responded: "Sheriff Stone has a First Amendment right to testify that cannot be taken away by Jefferson County commissioners. He also has a duty to set aside his political and budgetary considerations and tell us what happened at Columbine. He is a separately elected official; it is his decision to testify and his decision alone."
Stone also has been criticized for withholding from the review commission videotapes made by Harris and Klebold, some within hours of their rampage at the school.
"I also continue to urge Jefferson County officials to allow the commission to view the Klebold/Harris videotapes that the county has already allowed members of the media to see," Owens' statement said.
But Stone said that decision is not his.
"We can't produce the tapes because those tapes are under court order. The county attorney's office has told them that — that we can't give something that the court has told us that we can't release," Stone said Wednesday.
If the tapes were not under court order, Stone said, he would release them "with no problem at all," adding that the commission should seek release of the videotapes through the court.
Stone also said the investigation was not his alone, but was a joint effort conducted by a number of agencies, including a number of local police agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Colorado attorney general's office, the Colorado State Patrol and the county district attorney's office.
"It wasn't totally our investigation, it was a joint investigation of state agencies, federal agencies and our agencies. The public doesn't know that," Stone said Wednesday.
"The only thing that I want to do is set the record straight. This is not anything I am doing to show any disrespect for the office of the governor because that's not the way I feel. I am just trying to put this thing in perspective," Stone said.
Contact Charley Able at (303) 892-5020 or ablec@RockyMountainNews.com.
October 12, 2000
