Colo. Springs suspect pleads guilty to arson
COLORADO SPRINGS – A man who set off a small explosion near the NAACP office in Colorado Springs pleaded guilty Monday to arson under an agreement with prosecutors, saying he was not targeting the nation’s oldest civil rights organization.
Thaddeus Murphy, 44, said in federal court in Denver that he was targeting his accountant in the Jan. 6 blast that drew attention because of its proximity to the civil-rights office.
Murphy said it was not his intent to damage the building but “to get the attention of my accountant, who I thought was there,” The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported.
Murphy has told authorities that he made a crude pipe bomb in his garage and set it off against the building because he was angry that his accountant did not return his calls or give him back his tax records.
The explosive caused minor damage after failing to ignite a gas canister placed next to it.
Prosecutors said Murphy had a history of mental illness, including anxiety and depression.
Saudi prince sells last Aspen-area property
ASPEN – Prince Bandar bin-Sultan of Saudi Arabia has sold his final property in the Aspen area for nearly $5.9 million.
The Aspen Times reported the sale recorded last week shows the property was sold to Australia-based LKM Family Trust.
The price tag of the 5,200-square-foot home was a far cry from that of the prince’s previous Starwood sales. In 2007, he sold his 14,400-square-foot Starwood home for $36.5 million to Las Vegas and Florida real estate developer Jeffrey Soffer. He sold his Hala Ranch for $49 million to hedge-fund billionaire John Paulson in 2012.
The home in last week’s sale was reportedly used to house an engineer for the properties.
Bandar, who was the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. from 1981 to 2005, has contributed major donations to nonprofits in Aspen.
Search underway for Chinle man
CHINLE, Ariz. – Authorities in northeastern Arizona still are searching for a Chinle man reported missing in the aftermath of a flash flood.
Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety officials say the man apparently was swept away while inside his vehicle Sunday night.
The name and age of the man wasn’t immediately released Monday.
An Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter crew evacuated nine people from Canyon de Chelly and is helping in the air search for the missing man.
More than 2 inches of hail fell on Canyon del Chelly last weekend, causing flooding at some schools and public buildings.
Wolf conservation hits snag in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE – Federal fish and wildlife officials are appealing to the state to reconsider its rejection of two permits related to Mexican wolf conservation efforts.
The Albuquerque Journal reported this is the first year the state has denied the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s request to renew a permit to hold wolves at Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch in southwestern New Mexico.
State Game Commission members also denied a request to release wolf pups and two adults on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico.
Phoenix-based U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Jeff Humphrey said state cooperation is preferred, though critics say the agency could proceed regardless of local approval.
The appeals are set to be heard during an Aug. 27 Game Commission meeting.
Associated Press
