Police chief, twin brother on leave from department after theft charges filed

The chief of the Center Police Department and a sergeant, twin brothers, have been charged with theft and placed on administrative leave.

Aaron Fresquez, the police chief, and Sgt. Adam Fresquez are accused of operating a private K-9 training business while on duty at the department in the San Luis Valley and using city resources. The 35-year-old brothers trained dogs for other police agencies and then kept the money that should have gone to the town of Center, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Friday.

Aaron Fresquez was also cited with a misdemeanor count of official misconduct.

The charges were filed after a year-long investigation by the CBI at the request of the 12th Judicial District Attorney. The district attorney has asked the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office serve as special prosecutors to avoid a conflict of interest.

The brothers were served summons to appear in the court at a later date.

The city has appointed Lt. Eidy Guaderama as interim police chief. — Judith Kohler, The Denver Post

Police cite more than 300 motorists with expired, phony license plates

Denver police cited 339 drivers for having expired or fake license plates during a week-long crackdown along the Interstate 25 and Interstate 70 corridors — finding one plate that hadn’t been updated since 2019.

The Denver Police Department Traffic Operations Division worked with the Colorado State Patrol and the Aurora and Colorado Springs police departments during the last week of September to enforce expired vehicle registrations and expired temporary license plates.

Authorities were also on the lookout for cars with missing license plates. Any vehicle on the road without a plate is considered suspicious and motorists should expect police officers to stop such vehicles to investigate lawful ownership, Denver police said in a release.

— John Aguilar, The Denver Post

Motorcyclist killed in crash

A motorcyclist is dead after being fatally hit by a car Saturday night in Denver, police said.

Denver officers responded to a crash near Federal Boulevard and Harvard Avenue around 6:57 p.m. Saturday, police said in an emailed statement to The Denver Post.

The driver of the car involved in the crash was issued multiple citations for careless driving and failure to yield the right of way on a left turn, police said.

— Lauren Penington, The Denver Post