The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office has released little information about an assault in the Grandview neighborhood in east Durango since it issued a news release on July 24 asking residents to report suspicious activity they saw the morning of July 21.
The news release was scant in details to begin with. It said the Sheriff’s Office is investigating an assault incident that occurred between 1 and 3 a.m. July 21 in the 29000 block of U.S. Highway 160.
The Sheriff’s Office asked residents and business owners in the area as well as in the 200-600 blocks of County Road 233 to contact Sheriff’s Office Investigator Aaron Kyser if they “witnessed anything unusual, heard any disturbances, or have video surveillance that may have captured relevant activity.”
The Sheriff’s Office emphasized residents should report any suspicious activity, no matter how minor it seemed, because it could be relevant to the investigation.
No details about the nature of the assault, the status of any victims or information about a suspect or suspects were included in the news release.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Chris Burke said on July 31 nobody has been arrested. Revealing more details could compromise the investigation by tipping off a suspect or suspects. The Sheriff’s Office has declined to provide any additional details since then, stating the investigation is ongoing.
A resident who requested anonymity said they called 911 early July 21 and talked with investigators from the Sheriff’s Office after witnessing an apparent chase that led through their backyard and resulted in a physical altercation off the property.
They said they considered the Sheriff’s Office could be trying to avoid releasing details that a suspect could use to their advantage, but they are surprised the Sheriff’s Office had not released anything more, and that people deserve to know “if there’s a killer on the loose.”
La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith told The Durango Herald a male victim of an assault in the Grandview area on July 21 was taken to Denver to receive medical treatment. If the victim were to die, the case would be transferred to Smith’s jurisdiction.
She said that is the only information she had.
Smith did not immediately respond to a request for an update on Tuesday.
cburney@durangoherald.com
