Noticias

• Brandon Baker Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Child
• Telluride Sends Complaint to Ethics Commission
• West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin Forum

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Brandon Baker Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

Brandon Baker is facing federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child.

Baker, a former preschool teacher in Telluride, was indicted Tuesday, Feb. 24, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states: “The indictment alleges that, over the course of several years, Baker used or attempted to use a minor to produce visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct, transported a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity, and received, transported and possessed child pornography.”

Baker was charged with nine counts, including one count of sexual exploitation of a child; two counts of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; one count of receipt of child pornography; one count of transportation of child pornography; and four counts of possession of child pornography.

Baker is being held in Iowa without bond.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized the charges are “merely an accusation,” and Baker is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

On Jan. 30, 2026, a special agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations filed a criminal complaint alleging Baker engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child in Iowa in 2013.

The complaint recounts that in 2024, Baker was questioned by the Telluride Marshal’s Department following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after an image on Baker’s computer was flagged as child sexual abuse material.

Marshal’s deputies executed a search warrant and seized several items from Baker’s home, including an SD card for a digital camera.

The complaint states that following a forensic review of the items, multiple images of child pornography were found on the SD card from November 2013.

Law enforcement identified a boy in the images. The special agent interviewed the boy, who confirmed he had a sexual relationship with Baker when he was a minor.

Prior to the federal charges, Baker was arrested in Jan. 2026 for sexual exploitation of a minor in South Carolina, where he had been working as a teacher at a preschool.

On Thursday, the Telluride Marshal’s Department issued a statement saying it is aware of the federal charges and has been, and continues to, cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in an active, multijurisdictional investigation. Because the investigation is ongoing, the town said it will not provide additional details at this time.

The statement adds that anyone with information related to the charges or who believes they may have relevant information to the ongoing investigation in Colorado and Iowa is encouraged to contact Telluride Chief Marshal Josh Comte at [email protected] or by calling 970-728-8448.

The town also encourages anyone in need to contact local resources such as the San Miguel Resource Center, the Telluride Medical Center, or dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Baker is due to appear for an arraignment hearing in U.S. District Court in Iowa on Friday, March 6.

If convicted of the alleged charges, Baker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Telluride Sends Councilmember Complaint to Ethics Commission

The Town of Telluride will convene its Ethics Commission for the first time in nearly 20 years.

“The clerk’s office did receive an ethics complaint against councilmember Kristen Permakoff for the disruption and language used during a special council meeting with the town of Mountain Village.”

Telluride Town Clerk Tiffany Kavanaugh made the announcement at Tuesday’s Town Council meeting.

She said that when Town Council receives an ethics complaint, members typically decide whether to hold an investigative hearing before an ethics hearing to determine what took place.

“In this specific case, an investigative hearing really isn’t necessary because we know the behavior occurred. We all were there and witnessed it, there’s a recording of the meeting, and then councilmember Permakoff apologized and admitted to it last council meeting. So, the question isn’t really whether the behavior occurred, the incident occurred. We all know it did. The question is, did it violate the ethics code?” Kavanaugh said.

The ethics complaint was filed by Julia Fallman and states her belief that “publicly disparaging a constituent during an official meeting fails to meet the standard of integrity, fairness, and conduct ‘above reproach’ that the Code requires of Town officials.” Her complaint adds, “such behavior undermines public trust and discourages civic participation, a cornerstone of local governance.”

Town Council had the option to hear the complaint as a board, send it to the Ethics Commission for a hearing or dismiss it.

If the complaint is sent to the Ethics Commission, that body may also dismiss it. If a hearing proceeds, the commission will make a recommendation to Town Council, which can decide to publicly censure or reprimand Permakoff.

“A public censure is typically a resolution that’s passed by the town council, laying out findings of fact. Then typically it makes a statement that you don’t think that person should hold office anymore. Another action or penalty that could occur would be a formal reprimand, which is typically a vote by town council, and again that’s a public statement made by town council. The reprimand could include things such as removing that councilmember from their liaison roles with boards and commissions,” Kavanaugh said.

Kavanaugh noted that none of the options — and no option — would force Permakoff to leave Town Council.

Mayor Teddy Errico said he favors sending the complaint to the Ethics Commission.

“I know sometimes our council gets falsely accused of having too much internal control over things like this. So having a third party look at this, and have them determine if it’s a valid complaint, and if she’s violating it or not. That’s my preference on where to send it,” Errico said.

Councilmember Elena Levin said she is torn, given the workload it would place on town staff and the lack of meaningful recourse.

“The behavior that happened, I think we can all agree, was unacceptable. I wonder if it actually violates our ethics code,” Levin said.

Councilmember Dan Enright said he does not want it to appear that council is avoiding a difficult decision.

“Part of being an elected official is when a difficult, subjective choice is put in front of us, making a call and standing on it. I think by passing it to the ethics commission, we are somewhat passing the buck. It can feel to me that it’s trying to have somebody else make a hard decision for us,” Enright said.

Councilmember Ashley Von Spreecken said she sees it differently.

“I didn’t interpret it as us passing the buck. It was more that we have an ethics commission with members of our community so they can weigh in to us and give other feedback. Ultimately, we still have to make a decision based on their feedback. I don’t think it relinquishes us of responsibility,” Von Spreecken said.

Permakoff recused herself from the discussion.

In a statement to KOTO News, Permakoff stated the issue is not an ethics violation. She acknowledged the complaint “expresses the very reasonable expectation” for civility and decorum from elected officials, but she believes the incident does not violate the Town of Telluride’s ethics policy. She went on to say she believes the community is ready to move on. She said “if we are willing to be more gracious about each other’s humanity, we can get back to the real work of making our community more resilient. The work I was elected to do.” Finally, she said the issue was already addressed through a public and private apology.

The remaining council members voted unanimously to send the complaint to the Ethics Commission for a hearing. A hearing date has not been set but will take place after the March 17 Town Council meeting.

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West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin Forum

Today on the West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin forum KOTO’s news team chats with editor Regan Tuttle. In today’s headlines: Nucla teacher recognized by VFW, the Rebrith of Nucla’s Main Street, and a Basin Clinic Update.

The San Miguel Basin Forum is a locally owned and operated newspaper out of Nucla, Colorado. Visit SanMiguelBasinForum.com for biweekly news, events, and local happenings in the West End.

Nucla High School teacher, coach, and counselor Debbie Wytulka was named Colorado High School Teacher of the Year by the VFW

Tuttle: She was nominated by the VFW in Nucla, but it is part of a larger district that serves other towns and communities such as Dove Creek, Mancos and Durango. There is a pool of recommendations that first goes to the district level, and those nominations are then sent to the state. The state VFW association decides who to choose as Teacher of the Year for the high school level, and it selected Debbie Wytulka.

She does so much, Principal Sarah Bryce said, behind the scenes. Not only is she a school teacher — and has been for years — she’s the high school volleyball coach, she’s the high school counselor, and she really checks so many boxes in what the VFW is looking for. For this year, they specified it was citizenship, innovation, resourcefulness, passion. School leadership just really agree she’s doing all of that, in her restorative justice practices with kids, with the business classes that she teaches, life skills, passion on and off the court.

Everyone is excited for Mrs. Wytulka to receive this honor. They are cheering her on as she goes up against 50 other teachers nationwide for possible selection as the VFW’s High School Teacher of the Year in the United States.

Main Street in Nucla has seen some shifts, but is now at a time of rebirth

Tuttle: It’s hard for some people because the Fifth Avenue Grill closed Feb. 20, effective immediately. It was a shock, and a lot of people were nervous in the West End, especially because Nucla’s Main Street seems bare. It seems quiet, and there appears to be a lack of storefronts.

At the same time, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. It is actually the truth that Main Street is in a rebirth. Ailene Smith and Cathy Bennett are opening a new space, Deli, Drinks and Desserts. That’s going to be coming forth in March. They’re going to have all kinds of things for breakfast and for lunches. They really want to cater to the high school kids who get to walk off campus. They’re going to have tons of coffee drinks and boba teas. They’re really excited to do what they’re doing.

They’re also super excited that across the street from them, the Fengel family is opening a coffee shop and bookstore. This is Miranda Fengel’s lifelong dream. She’s going to be serving espresso and other baked goods in a bistro-style café. Her father, who was a longtime local in the region, Telluride to Nucla, passed and left her a collection of incredible books that she’s going to be sharing. She wants to create this quiet space where people can come in.

Then a lot of people know that the Tooker family, they’re doing things behind the scenes too. They did buy the old Merc building — most recently Red’s, the grocery store in Nucla. But they also own the Creamery building, this historic structure that adjoins. So they’re going to have another two spaces too that are emerging.

And Ailene Smith said, don’t lose hope. Main Street doesn’t go away. It just changes. And that’s what’s happening in Nucla right now.

The Basin Clinic in Naturita had its monthly board meeting recently to talk operations and service

Tuttle: Kaitlyn Spor, our health care reporter, attended the latest Basin Clinic Board of Directors meeting in February. The clinic is working on reporting some of its data for clinical quality measures. They’re doing really well with depression, diabetes and substance use screening.

The clinic said it can do better with some cancer screenings for breast or colorectal cancer. At the same time, Basin Clinic is struggling because it is seeing more people for urgent needs. That’s where that lapse in data is happening.

The clinic is working on patient surveys and gathering more data about levels of satisfaction. It is also working on a state program related to Medicaid so providers have the ability to virtually connect. That’s especially helpful in a remote and rural place like Naturita, where the Basin Clinic is located.

The clinic is still working on funding for X-ray technology. At this point, it is looking at partnering with Montrose Regional Health, which is already working with smaller clinics to offer storage and technology for X-rays. This could be a good option.

The clinic is also moving forward with plans to start a campaign for a critical access mini-hospital. Consultants who have helped with the process attended the meeting. One consultant has done some estimations and believes that this type of hospital, if run well, would see 7,500 patients annually. He believes the project is feasible.

The plan would require the Basin Clinic to move from its current status into a taxing district and then establish the hospital through that district. The process would begin with the November election, when voters will decide.

* This reporting is supported by the Telluride Foundation

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Brendan Forrest Plays the Tiny Circ Desk

The Wilkinson Public Library’s Tiny Circ Desk Concerts return Friday featuring music from singer-songwriter Brendan Forrest.

The concert series features bite-size live performances at the second-floor circulation desk every Friday in February.

Brendan Forrest will perform at the Circ Desk at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. The event is free and open to all ages.

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Bear Conflict at Six Year High in 2025

Colorado Parks and Wildlife saw an increase in bear sightings and conflicts in 2025.

According to CPW, there were roughly 5,300 reports last year, 15% higher than the average of the previous six years. Nearly half of the reports involved property damage, including sheds, garages, homes, vehicles and fences. About 60% of incidents were linked to trash, roughly 20% involved livestock, chickens and beehives, and around 15% involved bird seed, pet food, barbecue grills, coolers and refrigerators.

CPW relocated 52 bears and euthanized 78 in 2025. In San Miguel County alone, two bears were euthanized after breaking into homes in Telluride and Mountain Village.

CPW urges residents to report bear sightings early to prevent conflicts that could lead to euthanasia. Officials also reported an increase in roadkill as bears moved in search of scarce natural food.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates 17,000 to 20,000 bears live in the state, and most incidents involve bears seeking human food.

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Colorado Senate Approves Bill Allowing Lawsuits Against Immigration Officers

The Colorado Senate has approved a bill that would allow people to sue immigration officers in state court for constitutional rights violations.

As the Colorado Capitol News Alliance’s Lucas Brady Woods reports it’s part of Democrats’ efforts to protect against what they see as federal overreach.

During debate on the Senate floor, the bill’s sponsors cited recent violence in Minneapolis, where federal agents shot and killed two American citizens. Sen. Mike Weissman of Aurora said the bill would give Coloradans a way to hold officers accountable.

“There was talk up here of lawsuits and lawyers. Yeah, yeah, this is a bill to let people, if their rights are violated, file a lawsuit, because that’s how you enforce your rights in this country,” Weissman said.

Republicans opposed the bill, with some defending immigration officers. It passed the Senate along party lines and now moves to the House. Lawmakers are also considering bills that would set new rules for how immigration authorities operate in Colorado and how local law enforcement works with them.

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Hope Scheppelman Challenges Rep. Jeff Hurd for Republican Nomination

Hope Scheppelman, who served 30 years as a critical care nurse, is challenging first-term Congressman Jeff Hurd in the 2026 Republican primary for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KVNF’s Lisa Young spoke with Scheppelman about why she’s running.

Story begins at 20:25.