Former bar owner

receives deferred
sentence
Matt Smith
Times Staff Writer
A plea agreement has been
reached in the case of a local bar
owner accused of assaulting a
patron outside of his establishment
this past March.
Steve Warren owner of the
Last Chance, which closed its doors
in recent months appeared in
District Court last week, at which
time it was announced that a plea
agreement had been reached.
Under the terms of the agree-
ment, Warren will accept a two-
year deferred sentence to one count
of Class 5 felony menacing. He
also made a straight guilty plea to
one count of third-degree assault, a
Class 1 misdemeanor.
The charges stem from an inci-
dent that occurred at
the Last Chance on
the night of March
30. Upon arrival,
authorities discovered
that 31-year-old Ben
Wisniewski had been
assaulted outside of the
bar.
Warren originally
denied his involvement
in the assault, telling the
Times it was a case of
mistaken identity in
April. Two other male suspects were
questioned about their involvement
in the investigation, at least one of
whom is also facing charges.
As a stipulation of the plea
agreement, according to court
documents, Warren had to pres-
ent the District Attorneys office
with a statement that clarified his
involvement in the events that took
place. He was also to give a com-
plete description of the conduct of
the two other men accused in the
assault.
The class 5 felony
charge of menacing
would include a deferred
judgment meaning
the charge would be
dropped if he success-
fully completes proba-
tion and other court
requirements.
The straight guilty
plea to the class 1 mis-
demeanor charge of
third-degree assault car-
ries a potential maxi-
mum of two years in jail time and
up to $5,000 in fines.
Warren is also expected to be
sentenced to up to 24 months of
unsupervised probation, up to 100
hours of meaningful community
service and full restitution.
Sentencing in the case is sched-
uled to take place at 3 p.m. on
Friday, Oct. 12.
(Matt Smith can be contacted at
970.641.1414 or mattsmith@gun-
nisontimes.com)
Warren
Warren reaches plea agreement
Russell B. Weaver
Graveside services for Russell B. Weaver are
scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, at
Gunnison Cemetery.
A reception will follow at the American Legion
Post 54, located at the corner of Teller and
Virginia.
OBITUARIES
USFS officials
concede, say theyll
do it themselves
Will Shoemaker
Times Editor
After an agitated group of more
than three dozen area residents
and activists turned out in Pitkin
Wednesday, threatening to clear a
section of road closed by the U.S.
Forest Service, leaders from the
agency have agreed to re-open the
route themselves.
The road in question is com-
monly referred to as Powderhouse
Gulch Road, which begins south of
Pitkin and ultimately reconnects to
Waunita Pass.
Members of the group caught
an estimated half-hour-long,
heated conversation with a Forest
Service law enforcement officer
and Gunnison District Ranger
John Murphy on video, a portion
of which was shown to the Times.
Some levied that Pitkins economy
has suffered from recent closures in
the area; others argued that access
to the forest is being limited to only
the most able-bodied. At times,
their message bordered on becom-
ing hostile.
Finally, Murphy conceded to the
groups wishes.
After talking to them, it became
apparent to me that no matter what
we were going to do, they were
going to reopen that route, he told
the Times.
Murphy said that work to reopen
the route had already begun by
Wednesday afternoon. He said that
he plans to re-open the road tem-
porarily in addition to halting
plans for other closures in the areas
but Forest Service leaders hope
to reconvene a travel management
process specifically focused on the
Pitkin area.
Also, Murphy hopes to further
discuss concerns held by the group.
Murphy indicated that the
route was identified for closure
in 2010 within the record of deci-
sion for the Gunnison Basin Travel
Management Plan a five-year-
long process that involved numer-
ous public meetings and opportuni-
ties for comment. However, only in
recent weeks has the agency closed
the route by blocking passage with
felled trees and large boulders.
He added that the primary rea-
son for the closure was to provide
security for wildlife.
The private groups decision
to attempt re-opening the road
Wednesday reportedly followed a
meeting this past Sunday in Pitkin
devoted to the topic.
We were going to open this
road or get arrested, said David
Justice, a local activist and critic of
what he believes to be instances of
the federal government overstep-
ping its bounds.
Justice said the group planned to
undo the Forest Services work with
a front-end loader. He indicated
that the group is giving the federal
agency until next Wednesday to re-
open the route. If that doesnt hap-
pen, they say theyll be back again.
The question comes down to
who owns the road, said Justice.
Were taking the position that this
is a county road and the Forest
Service has no jurisdiction to close
it.
(Will Shoemaker can be con-
tacted at 970.641.1414 or editor@
gunnisontimes.com)
A group of residents and area activists turned out Wednesday in Pitkin
with plans to re-open a route or be arrested attempting to do so
that the U.S. Forest Service recently closed. Seen here, District Ranger
John Murphy addresses their concerns.
Courtesy photo
Group threatens re-opening
closed road near Pitkin
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Gunnison Country Times Thursday, September 27, 2012 NEWS A3