Top Longmont news stories of 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, many Coloradans have spent the past few days attending community gatherings that mark the one-year anniversary of the Marshall fire, which started on Dec. 30, 2021.

The wildfire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Louisville, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the cause of the wildfire, but detectives say they are close. A determination is expected early in 2023.

Investigators have spent thousands of hours reviewing evidence and following up on more than 200 tips in the case, the sheriff’s office said.

"The Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office are committed to sharing all the findings with the community. We understand the importance of this investigation and we appreciate the community’s patience and support," the sheriff’s office said in a news release in mid-December.

While the fire didn’t reach Longmont, the effects were felt deeply by many residents in the city, who offered resources, support and donations to help those who lost their homes in the fire. Longmont first responders were called to support crews that were battling the fire.

“As we look to 2023, we remain committed to recovery from both the pandemic and the Marshall Fire while working towards a better future for everyone here in Boulder County,” commissioners wrote in a year-end message to residents.

As the fallout from the Marshall fire continued in 2022, many other important events occurred. Here are some of the most-read and high-profile news stories in Longmont over the past year.

Grocery strike 

King Soopers employees went on strike for nine days in January before their union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7, agreed to a new contract with the grocery chain’s owner, Kroger. 

Many employees said they didn’t feel appreciated, despite risking their lives to come to work during the pandemic. The workers called for protected pension benefits, higher pay to match cost-of-living increases and more health and safety protections.

The union agreed Jan. 24 to the new 3-year contract, which included improved health care, increased wages and protected pensions.

West Side Tavern petition

Wes Isbutt, the owner of West Side Tavern, gained several hundred signatures from community members in an effort to push for the removal of new no-parking signs outside his business. Isbutt said the signs caused a 20% decline in revenue.

The city put up the new signs on Third Avenue between Sherman and Grant streets in an effort to improve sightlines in the area, officials said.

“I do consider public pressure is the only way to get this in the light of day,” Isbutt said in the spring. “It's very easy to get people on your side when it's this obvious to anyone who actually looks at what has been done. The city is trying to tell us we don't see what we see.”

Boulder County mask order

One of the Leader’s most-read news stories of 2022 was this article about Boulder County retaining its mask order in February, despite dropping COVID-19 case numbers.

As many were eager to remove masks in public spaces, Boulder County Public Health was waiting until transmission dropped to ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ levels for 21 consecutive days.

Within a week, Denver, Arapahoe and Adams counties each dropped their mask mandates for indoor public spaces, but Boulder County’s order wasn’t dropped until two weeks later.

Fallout from deadly postal shooting 

The trial for Andrew James Ritchie was scheduled for early December, but that date was moved until April 10, 2023. Ritchie, 35, and Devan Schreiner, 27, are both accused of killing Jason Schaefer, 33, next to his postal delivery van on Heatherhill Street in October 2021. 

Schaefer was Schreiner’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her child. She and Ritchie are accused of plotting to kill the postal worker, who was shot multiple times.

Schreiner will be tried separately — her trial is scheduled for Feb. 27.

Bernett accused of falsifying address 

Rep. Tracey Bernett was accused of falsifying her address to run for House District 12 in the Nov. 8 election.

The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office charged Bernett with attempting to influence a public servant, forgery and residence-false information — all felonies. She was also charged with procuring false registration and misdemeanor perjury.

Bernett is accused of falsely claiming residency in Louisville after redistricting moved her Longmont address into House District 19.

Animal abuse case 

Nathaniel Stark was sentenced to 12 years in prison for animal abuse, after two of his girlfriend’s cats died from head trauma and strangulation, and her dog was found with significant bruising, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office said.

Stark was previously convicted of aggravated incest on a family member younger than age 10, and three counts of sexual contact without consent.

While his cases were pending, he fled Colorado and was later found in Indianapolis due to a citizen tip, Longmont police spokesperson Robin Ericson told the Leader in March 2021. Stark was extradited back to Colorado.

45 pounds of fentanyl seized

Police arrested Adalberto Reyes-Carrillo, 48, on Dec. 6, after 45 pounds of fentanyl was found in a cooler he was moving into an SUV, according to an arrest affidavit.

The DEA and the Front Range Task Forces worked with the Longmont Special Investigations Unit to set up a drug purchase, the court document shows. Reyes-Carrillo showed up for the purchase in a white truck, and the cooler he moved contained “several brick like packages wrapped in black electrical tape,” which tested positive for fentanyl, the affidavit states.

Reyes-Carrillo has direct ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, officials said. Charges for the case have not been released.