Page 17 - AreaNewsletters "Jan 2022" issue

The re was rst noticed on the second oor of the building and was reported at 12:25AM by Castle Rock police o cers to sheri ’s deputies who were on duty in the basement of the building. The deputies and two dispatchers evacuated seven male prisoners from the jail. Four were taken to the Arapahoe County Jail and three were released on bond. Firemen from Castle Rock, Franktown, Parker, Jackson 105 Fire District and Larkspur fought the re but were unable to stop its spread. The re resulted in a total loss of the courthouse, estimated at $4-6 million, and burned numerous historical records and pictures. Fortunately, most of the county’s documents were recorded on micro lm and stored o -site. All of the records for cases in the District Court o ces were burned as were the records in the county clerk & recorder and treasurer’s o ces. The tax rolls for Douglas County were already on a computer in Je erson County at the Treasurer’s O ce who agreed to help with Douglas County tax receipts. Sheri Royal McKinster reported that deputies, re ghters and CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) were busy moving debris and attempting to locate the cause of the re. He added that his o ce had questioned one party, a “non-local female juvenile, and we are looking for more leads.” The county commissioners met in an emergency meeting Saturday morning and reported that many nearby businesses o ered space for the 40-45 county employees who worked in the courthouse. The sheri ’s o ce set up temporary quarters in the city police station, and court cases that were scheduled to be heard on Monday would take place at the Rock Bowl Bowling Alleys at 401 S. Wilcox. It was determined that the building was insured for $382,800, valuable papers for $10,000 and the building contents for $110,000, for a total of $502,800 An undated article reported that a 17- year old girl was taken into custody in connection with the Douglas County Courthouse re. It indicated that this was the same juvenile that was rst questioned after the blaze, and she was not a local resident. Roger Allott, the Assistant District Attorney, indicated that there would be a detention hearing and bond would be set. The DA’s O ce would most likely ask that the juvenile be transferred to District Court and stand trial as an adult. Continued on next page... 17 Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” • January 2022