Montezuma County District Attorney Will Furse said in a statement released Tuesday that former Mancos Marshal John Cox will be charged with one count of second-degree perjury; one count of false reporting to authorities-providing false information; one count of first-degree official misconduct and two counts of second-degree official misconduct for two separate incidents that took place in August and September.
Furse said he could not comment on the nature of the incidents that led to the charges submitted to the 22nd Judicial District by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, but said a report on the official complaints was forthcoming.
Cox tendered his resignation to the Mancos Town Board of Trustees early Monday, and trustees unanimously accepted his resignation at a special meeting that night.
Cox has faced an undisclosed “personnel matter” that put him on paid administrative leave on Nov. 4.
He also faces a DUI charge after crashing his vehicle into a guardrail on U.S. Highway 160 in La Plata County on Nov. 10.
During Monday night’s special meeting, the Mancos Town Board appointed deputy Jason Spruell as interim marshal, and voted to advertise as soon as possible for a marshal and a deputy.
Spruell, a former Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputy and son of former Montezuma County Sheriff Dennis Spruell’s, has served as a Mancos marshal’s deputy since April.
When asked why Spruell was appointed as interim marshal over deputy Yvonne McClellan, who has been with the department longer, Town Administrator Andrea Phillips said the town “felt like it was the best fit.”
The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office is providing backup coverage for Mancos, and Cox’s equipment was collected to ensure he cannot act as an officer.
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin met with Mancos Town Administrator Andrea Phillips on Tuesday to discuss law enforcement concerns in the rural community. After the meeting, Nowlin told The Journal that the sheriff’s office had agreed to help cover shifts until a new marshal and deputy were hired.
Nowlin added that the sheriff’s office hadn’t been contracted to resume all law enforcement duties for the township.
