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ARAPAHOE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE The Detail Newsletter - February 2022

'TEARS OF JOY' AS FAMILY THANKS DEPUTIES & NEIGHBOR FOR SAVING DAUGHTER

This story began on January 9 around 3:30pm. The sheriff's office got a 911 call about kids who fell into an icy pond. Three deputies responded to the apartment complex. While en route, dispatch aired over the radio that one of the kids wasn't breathing.

15 ft. deep pond at the Addison at Cherry Creek Apartments at 9100 E. Florida Ave.

Turns out three children, ages 4, 6 and 11 were playing on the pond when they fell through the ice. A neighbor, Dusti Talavera saw it happen and ran onto the pond. She managed to pull out two of the children, but struggled with the third. Then, she fell in herself. Thankfully, a teenage boy threw her a rope and both Talavera and the boy pulled the girl to safety.

"My instinct was to run outside and help them," said Talavera. "It was just, save the kids. They're just children, I was worried about them. I didn't think about myself."

Deputies arrived within minutes but 6-year-old Zakiyah Williams wasn't breathing. Deputy David Rodriguez removed her wet coat and immediately began life-saving CPR. Also assisting him was Deputy Blaine Moulton and Deputy Justin Dillard. They continued CPR until South Metro Fire Rescue arrived. Zakiyah was then transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Arapahoe Sheriff Deputies and South Metro Fire Rescue trying to revive Zakiyah Williams

The local news media wanted details, so a press conference was held two days later at the sheriff's office. The deputies, firefighters and Talavera all shared their experience about what happened.

Press conference at the sheriff's office
We're all fathers and we all have young kids. It's hard to see a little girl whose face is blue and not breathing, but we're blessed with great training and we did what needed to be done until South Metro could step in," said Deputy Justin Dillard.

At the time of the press conference, Zakiyah was still in serious condition in the ICU. Then, miraculously, the very next day, she was back home with her mom and dad for an emotional reunion with those who saved her life.

"She saved my baby and I just really want to thank her," said Tashaira Williams.
Zakiyah's mother, Tashaira Williams, hugs Dusti Talavera

The story had a happy ending. Zakiyah survived a terrible accident which, for many kids, often turns deadly. Because of that, the national news media came calling too. Watch the story on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.

Our citizens in Arapahoe County also took notice and sent us kind letters like the one below.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche also honored the first responders at their hockey game on January 22 against the Montreal Canadiens. All proof that sometimes our biggest triumphs come from our greatest tragedies.

Deputies Moulton and Dillard celebrate with Walter Williams, Zakiyah's father

COURT DEPUTIES KEEP INMATES MOVING

Most people think of deputies as patrol officers or traffic cops, but what many don't realize is they have other important jobs too -- like maintaining safety in the jail and providing security for the courts.

Lt. Craig Reams briefs his staff of court deputies every morning

Court Services is comprised of 2 lieutenants, 4 sergeants and 52 deputies who everyday, escort inmates to and from their court appearances through an underground tunnel.

"We are responsible for making sure each inmate makes their daily court appearance, whether in-person or by video," says Lt. Craig Reams. "We also escort inmates from the neighboring juvenile facility as well."
Lt. Craig Reams gets ready to help transport inmates to District Court

While some deputies are busy moving inmates from jail to court and back to jail again, others are providing security to the entire courthouse campus -- two district court buildings in Centennial and the county courthouse in Littleton.

The deputies are tasked with protecting the court staff, the public and jurors as well as maintaining order in the courtroom.

They also transport prisoners to and from other jurisdictions throughout the state of Colorado as well as travel nationwide picking up prisoners who've been arrested by other law enforcement agencies on Arapahoe County warrants.

Deputies return an inmate to another jail facility in a different county

Court deputies earn a salary of $66K - 94K per year. However, to become a court services deputy, you must first serve at least one year as a detentions deputy. To join our team, click the button below.

DEPUTIES FIND STOLEN PUPPY, RETURN IT TO PET STORE

When a 14-week old Maltese puppy was stolen from the Aquatic Dog Pet Store on E. Iliff Ave. on January 21, the store owner was heartbroken. She filed a police report and Investigator Beau Baggett was assigned to the case.

"I worked this case non-stop all week long. I'm glad we were able to locate the dog and safely return it to the pet store," says Investigator Baggett.

Fortunately, the thieves were caught on surveillance video when one of them, a female wearing a black and white jacket, picked up the puppy, put it in her jacket and walked out of the store.

A tip led Investigator Baggett to a home in Westminster where he brought along our self-appointed 'pet detective' Deputy Gagnepain, a dog lover herself, to help recover it. The thief eventually surrendered the dog as shown on the body worn camera video below.

The woman who stole the dog is now facing a felony theft charge. The dog was worth $2,400.

We're happy to report, the little Maltese is now back at the pet store safe and the store's owner is grateful for our excellent pet detective skills!

Watch the story below on FOX31 News.

'COWBOY COP' CAPTURES RUNAWAY HORSE

Whoooaaa! Stop that horse!

The wild scene went down on a Saturday afternoon in Centennial. Dispatchers got a call of a runaway horse on S. Parker Rd. near E. Broncos Pkwy. Turns out the horse had escaped from a nearby field. It tried to make a clean getaway but Deputy Sebold was much too quick. You see, Sebold happens to be on our Mounted Patrol Unit. He, along with other deputies cornered the horse in an apartment complex.

“We still had no trailer and no way to get the horse home. The simplest idea was to ride him back,” said Deputy Ian Sebold. "But there was no saddle and no halter, so I just hopped on."
Deputies followed along in their vehicles to allow Sebold to safely ride the horse back to its home.

Lt. Chris Gulli, who was working with Sebold, grabbed his phone and filmed the short video below that went viral.

We are glad to report the horse was safely returned to its owner in 'stable' condition.

Read more about the runaway horse adventure in the Miami Herald story below.

STAY SAFE DURING AN EMERGENCY

Whenever a large disaster strikes like the recent Marshall Fire in Boulder County, we're always asked about our Emergency Alert System in Arapahoe County.

Our notification system is called ArapAlert and citizens, residents and visitors are urged to sign up for alerts that warn of dangerous or severe weather, floods, fires, chemical spills, evacuations, major crime and other emergencies.

With ArapAlert, public safety agencies can call, text or email individuals and businesses. To sign up for ArapAlert, just scan the QR code below to receive notifications on your home phone, mobile phone, work phone or email. You pick where and how you get them.

ArapAlert is offered to residents who live in Arapahoe County. The City of Aurora is not part of ArapAlert -- the city has it's own notification system.

For more details on ArapAlert, click the button below.

What makes Centennial such a great place to live?

Why do more than 110,000 people call the City of Centennial home? Because it's consistently rated one of the best cities in the U.S. to live, work and raise a family. The video below is currently airing on Public Television stations nationwide as part of a show called "Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid." We hope you'll take a few minutes to see why we love being the law enforcement partner to the City of Centennial.

Deputies: we appreciate you!

January 9 was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and we couldn't let the day go by without honoring and thanking our deputies who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve the citizens of Arapahoe County. We appreciate you, we support you and we thank you.