Police: Fired schools chief died of apparent suicide while under investigation

A Jeffco Public Schools chief who was fired while under investigation for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse material died in a Maryland national historic park from an apparent suicide, sheriff’s officials said Friday.

David Weiss, 47, of Morrison was found dead at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park in Williamsport, Md., just after 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Day, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Sheriff’s officials responded to the park after receiving a 911 call, Capt. Josh McCauley said in an email.

The agency declined to release further information about the case because of the ongoing investigation.

Weiss was in Maryland visiting family for the holidays, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Weiss’ official cause and manner of death will be determined after an autopsy by the Baltimore medical examiner’s office, which can take up to 90 days.

Weiss was fired from his position as Jeffco’s chief of schools in December after the sheriff’s office began investigating him, according to previous reporting. The investigation will continue, Jefferson County officials said Thursday.

— Katie Langford, The Denver Post

“Record breaking” traffic could clog I-70 mountain corridor, CDOT warns

Skiers, riders and holiday travelers could experience “record-breaking” traffic on mountain segments of Interstate 70 this weekend, according to Colorado’s Department of Transportation.

The agency wrote in a news release that drivers on the interstate should plan for extended delays, as traffic could rival records set in 2020, when New Year’s Day last fell on a Wednesday.

Options for travelers to the Western Slope and Colorado’s high country who don’t want to use their own vehicles include CDOT’s Bustang, Snowstang and Pegasus buses as well as the Winter Park Express, operated by Amtrak and Winter Park Resort.

CDOT’s online traffic map also offers live updates on roadway conditions affecting I-70.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center continues to rate the danger of avalanches in popular ski spots as “considerable,” warning skiers to steer clear of slopes steeper than 30 degrees. “In the past few days, backcountry travelers triggered many avalanches from a distance,” the center’s website reads. “You can easily trigger avalanches large enough to bury or kill a person.”

— Max Levy, The Denver Post