Noticias

• Former Sheriff Deputy Sentenced for Child Pornography
• West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin Forum
• Celebrating Dark Skies

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Former Sheriff Deputy Sentenced for Child Pornography

Former San Miguel County sheriff’s deputy Jesus Damian Nieblas was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

According to court documents, Nieblas faced 31 counts, including sexual exploitation of a child and unlawful use of a controlled substance. Nieblas pleaded guilty to seven of the counts. The remaining counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Authorities said Nieblas was taken into custody in Mexico and transferred to U.S. Marshals in October 2025 after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation filed an arrest warrant related to possession of child sexual abuse material. He fled to Mexico in July after CBI executed a search warrant at his home and vehicle.

Nieblas worked for the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office from Aug. 1, 2020, to June 25, 2025. During that time, he served as a Norwood Public Schools student resource officer for a little more than a year, leaving that position in December 2024.

In addition to the prison sentence, Nieblas was ordered to pay more than $15,000 in fines, including contributions to victims’ assistance funds and programs addressing crimes against children.

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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: The West End Prepares for Drought, Norwood Considers Speed Limits, and Opioid Settlement Brings Money to the Region.

After an incredibly warm and dry winter, communities in the West End are planning for drought. Tuttle has the latest.

Tuttle: Tim Pierce of Nucla is a local water expert. He is the operator at Mustang Water Authority and the mayor pro tem of Nucla. He said that with snowpack being at a 30-year low, there is going to be significantly less water in the river, which will affect local municipalities, and everyone is on alert.

The town of Naturita has approved a drought contingency plan. The state of Colorado has as well. Nucla is working on its plan, which is expected to be completed any day, but it is more complicated because of Nucla’s raw water system.

Pierce also said that things could get very tough this summer. Right now, the reservoir is full, thanks to the Colorado Cooperative Company, the ditch company that feeds Mustang Water Authority, but there could be a push-pull between producers wanting agricultural water and the town trying to ensure potable water.

He said officials will be on high alert this summer, and restrictions may be necessary.

What could that look like? It could look like restricting the raw water. They’re already asking people to water lawns and gardens early in the morning rather than in the heat of the day because of evaporation and wasting water — just being vigilant, being careful with water is really at the forefront of discussions with local towns.

There was a meeting March 31 at the Nucla Community Center with Montrose County, where local entities were talking about workforce housing as it relates to the Four Seasons development in Mountain Village.

Pierce, along with Naturita Mayor Gene Greenwood, said anyone trying to establish workforce housing in the West End needs to have their own plan for water and cannot pull from this watershed.

With construction of a new school in Norwood, local officials are working through ways to keep drivers, and pedestrian safe through the work zone. Tuttle shares more.

Tuttle: There is a lot going on in Norwood right now with construction of the new school set to begin soon. Mayor Candy Meehan of Norwood said officials want to begin planning what traffic and streets will look like by summer, since groundbreaking could start as early as May on the new school, which will be adjacent to the Lone Cone Library.

Town Manager Sara Owens, along with San Miguel County Sheriff Dan Covault, has been working on Norwood’s traffic code, which has not been updated in some time. With construction of the new school, officials are anticipating heavy truck traffic, including gravel loads and various crews on site. They are concerned about children, cyclists and pedestrians, and are considering lowering the speed limit.

If the current limit is 25 mph, officials are discussing whether it could be reduced to 10 or 15 mph. Fifteen mph appears to be the most likely option. Covault said some vehicles naturally idle at that speed.

He said the change could be difficult for longtime residents used to a 25 mph limit, but it could significantly improve safety. It could also increase traffic fine revenue, as fines would rise with a lower speed limit, and serve as a way to help keep people safe.

The sheriff also said people can become “sign blind,” a phenomenon in which repeated exposure to signage causes individuals to ignore it. Because of this, he said any speed limit change would require communication and education efforts to inform the public.

The mayor believes a change to the law could be implemented by June. At the same time, the mayor and sheriff are also considering whether to create a one-way traffic flow system for construction access, with separate entry and exit routes.

Randy Harris, director of public works, said officials need to be cautious, as some backstreets may not be able to handle large trucks, particularly Naturita Street and San Miguel Street.

No plan was finalized at the board meeting, but discussions are ongoing about potential speed limit changes and how to ensure safety during construction of the new school.

Colorado received funding from an opioid settlement in 2024, and dollars are being distributed throughout the region. Tuttle has an update on where the funds are going.

Tuttle: There was $1.5 million available to the state of Colorado two years ago. The money is coming from major corporations that are supporting reparations or healing efforts for people who have been addicted to opioids due to overprescribing and addiction over the past several decades.

Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen was formerly on the Southwest Colorado Opioid Regional Council, which is managing a two-year plan to distribute those funds.

The Forum has been asking how those funds are being spent and what it looks like as the money trickles into local communities.

The Forum’s health care reporter, Kaitlyn Spor, sat down with council member Janet Rowland in Delta and Hansen to discuss who received some of the money and what it has been used for.

The funds are intended to help prevent substance abuse, educate the public, treat individuals, reduce harm, support people in recovery and assist criminal justice efforts.

About $2 million will have been spent by June. San Miguel and Ouray counties have received $400,000 of that total.

Juvenile services has been a recipient, along with the Telluride Medical Center and Tri-County Health Network. Some of the funding is going toward supporting high-risk youth and families. Other portions support treatment services and Narcan distribution.

For Tri-County Health Network, the funding is supporting a recovery access fund for counseling and therapy, including free therapy for people in need.

Hansen noted that no one in the West End has applied for the funds, but she questioned whether residents there may still be accessing services through the recovery access program.

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

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Celebrating Dark Skies

Staring up at the night sky can make people feel infinitely small and intimately connected to the world around them. Bob Grossman wants to protect that sky.

“As a young boy, back in the day before air pollution, I could lay on the ground in my backyard in my small town in the South and see this gauze of sky — it was all alight. Now you only see the bits and pieces of it because of air pollution and satellites going on and towns lighting up like crazy. Back in my youth I remember these amazing nights,” Grossman said.

Grossman lives in Norwood and is part of the Western Slope Dark Sky Coalition, a group working to help create DarkSky places across the region.

The coalition’s latest project is working to make San Miguel County an internationally recognized DarkSky Reserve.

San Miguel County would be the first county in the country to apply for reserve status.

“DarkSky International, which designates these reserves, says it’s precedent setting. It might inspire other counties to do that. It’s incredibly unique. There are only two other reserves in the country. We would be the third. There are only 24 in the entire world, so it really does put San Miguel County on the map,” Grossman said.

The other DarkSky Reserves are in Central Idaho and Big Bend, Texas.

DarkSky Reserves have a core zone surrounded by a populated periphery that includes policy controls to protect darkness.

Grossman said the Thunder Trails area in Norwood would be San Miguel’s core, with the rest of the county as the periphery.

He noted that getting a DarkSky Reserve designation would not significantly change the community, as San Miguel County’s land-use codes are already dark-sky compliant.

“The designation of a DarkSky Reserve compliments that by indicating to the international community that San Miguel County is dedicated to preserve that night sky,” Grossman said.

Grossman said the lighting codes follow smart lighting principles.

“We aren’t saying we’re going to take all your lights out. We just want you to use them in a smart way. The way it’s done is you only light when and where you need it. You lower the lumens to a low but safe level. You also lower the warmth of the light from a cold, harsh blue to a much warmer and relaxing yellowish or warm colors,” Grossman said.

Last but not least, he said, residents should put a shade on lights so they only direct light where needed.

While Grossman was drawn to the skies as a young child, he said it is not just about the stars.

“It’s a serious environmental problem because artificial light at night corrupts the circadian rhythm and that has a lot of negative effects on just about all life on Earth — except that which is in deep caves or in the abyssal ocean,” Grossman said.

Grossman said he hopes protecting the night sky will become embedded in being a good citizen.

“This is part of caring for your neighbor. This is part of caring for your landscape. This is taking care of your wildlife, your pets, your cattle, your crops — all of these things are involved. When you do something as simple as what I said, to me it’s a no-brainer. Do it,” Grossman said.

Grossman hopes to have the application designating San Miguel County as a DarkSky Reserve completed by the end of summer. He will host a presentation on the project on Saturday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lone Cone Library in Norwood.

There is also a Zoom link available at loneconelibrary.org or on KOTO’s community calendar.

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Lone Cone Library Highlights Young Norwood Artists

Creativity is abounding across the region, and artwork from the Norwood School District is bursting at the seams.

Next week, the Lone Cone Library will host a reception to open its spring art show, featuring work from Norwood elementary, middle and high school students.

The event will also include family crafting activities.

The Norwood Schools Spring Art Show opening reception will take place at the Lone Cone Library on Wednesday, April 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The art show will be on display through May 7.

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GMUG Encourages Forest Road Protection

Temperatures are rising and snow is melting across the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. With that, GMUG officials are reminding recreators to help protect forest roads and natural resources by avoiding travel in soft, wet areas and respecting seasonal road closures.

GMUG officials said that in spring, snow runoff often flows directly down Forest Service roads, making them soft and vulnerable to damage. When vehicles drive on those roads, it can create ruts and erosion, reducing access for future visitors, impacting wildlife habitat and creating safety hazards.

To protect the roads and keep public lands accessible, GMUG officials ask drivers and recreators to stay off wet or muddy roads and trails, respect gate closures, check conditions before heading out, and turn around when roads are soft enough to leave ruts.

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Low Snowpack Results in Destructive Wildfire According to New Research

Low snowpack years like this one often lead to a more destructive wildfire season.

That’s according to new research from Western Colorado University.

Scientists have long known that low snowpack is linked to longer fire seasons and larger fires.

But a study published in March showed that it also leads to more severe fires.

Study author Jared Balik said low-severity fires burn materials such as fallen tree branches, while living trees survive.

“If you have a high severity fire, though, those living trees can be killed, and the seed source that would propagate the next generation of that forest would also be consumed by the fire,” Balik said.

The study suggests that forest managers take advantage of high-snow years to conduct as many prescribed burns as possible.

Balik also said that because most fires are started by humans, the severity of the fire season is still within human control.

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Advocacy Groups Work to Track ICE Activity

As immigration enforcement increases across the region, some advocacy groups are working to track and verify activity on the ground.

The Colorado Rapid Response Network operates a hotline where residents can report possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in their communities.

Now, a similar effort is taking shape in Wyoming.

As KHOL’s Sophia Boyd Fliegel reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, the Wyoming Immigrant Advocacy Project recently launched a coalition of volunteers to verify reports of immigration enforcement activity around Jackson Hole.

The area has many vehicles from several federal agencies that manage surrounding public land, so knowing who’s who can get confusing and spread fear, according to the nonprofit’s executive director, Emily Gomez.

Volunteers with the ICE Watch hotline will dispatch to the scene of a reported sighting wearing blue vests.

“These are all trained volunteers to the scene to report on what they see. Confirm whether it is immigration enforcement agency or dispel,” Gomez said.

ICE appeared twice last year around Jackson Hole, in uniforms and plain clothes. Officers reportedly arrived in large SUVs with tinted windows and federal plates or no plates.

Gomez said that, after verifying sightings, volunteers will share information on social media and public WhatsApp groups.

“And if it is ICE, they’re there simply to observe what is happening and be able to report the facts,” she said.

She said volunteers are not trying to interfere with law enforcement but want to remind people what rights they have.

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Food Freedom Supports Cottage Food Businesses

Should home cooks have the right to sell food from their own kitchens? That question is at the heart of the “food freedom” movement now gaining traction in Colorado and beyond.

The Tamale Act, a bill making its way through the Colorado State Capitol, would open the door for more home cooks.

Rae Solomon reports for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance.

Story beings at 18:30.