Jun 2, 2008 9:54 pm US/Mountain
Sheridan Police Investigate Possible Ticket Fixing
Written by investigative reporter Brian Maass
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Sheridan police have launched an internal affairs investigation into possible ticket fixing after learning tickets written to friends of a police commander never made their way into the municipal court system.
CBS4 uncovered the two moving violations, written nearly a year apart, to friends of Police Commander David Runco. But in both cases, Sheridan Municipal Court employees said they had no record of either ticket. In launching an internal probe, Sheridan Police Chief Marc Vasquez called it "unusual" to have officers write tickets but never have the citations show up in court files. That meant that in both cases, drivers avoided $100 fines and points being assessed against their drivers licenses.
Commander Runco declined to talk about the tickets.
The first was written at 12:25 p.m. on April 10, 2007 to Donna Marudas, a 49- year-old Denver resident. The three-point citation was for an illegal lane change on Highway 285. In a phone conversation, Marudas acknowledged being friends with Runco for more than 20 years, but said she could not recall either being pulled over or given a ticket by Sheridan police. She did not respond to additional questions.
Sheridan police sources say Runco ordered Marudas' ticket destroyed. CBS4 obtained a copy of the citation.
Those same sources say Runco is also friends with 53-year-old Daniel Kingsford, who was ticketed on the afternoon of Feb. 7, for driving 43 mph in a 30 mph zone. According to the ticket, Kingsford "stated he didn't know how fast he was going." Again, Sheridan Municipal Court personnel say they have no record of the four-point ticket given to Kingsford. Sources say just as in the Marudas case, Runco ordered Kingsford's ticket destroyed. CBS4 also obtained a copy of that citation.
Kingsford did not return repeated calls from CBS4.
Both Marudas and Kingsford's tickets were written by Officer Barry Schwabauer. He declined to comment citing the newly opened internal affairs investigation into the vanishing tickets.
Sheridan, with a population of about 6,000, has a police department comprised of 40 employees according to Chief Vasquez.
For Runco, it's not the first time he's been accused of misconduct. When he was a sergeant, Runco was charged with public indecency for allegedly fondling a 17-year-old nude dancer at his bachelor party. A Denver County judge acquitted Runco, saying there may have been "incidental contact" between Runco and the stripper at the 1998 party, but the judge said prosecutors did not prove Runco caressed or fondled the dancer. Runco and three other members of the Sheridan police force were suspended with pay in relation to the party.
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