affidavit: ex-wife stalked man before killing...

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Affidavit: Ex-wife stalked man before killing him By Robert Allen [email protected] A Fort Collins woman tracked her ex-husband’s movements for days before surprising him at his home and stabbing him multiple times, according to a court affidavit. Stephanie Theander is accused of killing Gregg Theander in early August before she attempted suicide in a local hotel room, according to her arrest affidavit. When confronted about the homi- cide, Stephanie Theander, 39, said she arranged for a Denver man to rough up her 48-year-old former hus- band but not to kill him. However, a witness saw a woman matching Stephanie Theander’s description wearing black gloves near Gregg Theander’s home near the time he was stabbed multiple times in the torso, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by The Coloradoan. Stephanie Theander is accused of first-degree murder and burglary. She is being held without bond in Larimer County Jail. Her case is set for a status conference Friday in 8th Judicial District Court. Stephanie Theander Theander says she hired man to hurt husband See THEANDER, Page A2

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By Sarah Jane [email protected]

As Harris BilingualImmersion School studentsTeagan Eoiarsky and EliasKaupang sprinted across thelawn outside the CSUNatural and EnvironmentalSciences building, one mayhave thought they were justkids being kids.

But Teagan, 9, and Elias,9, were making science edu-cation a breath-taking learn-ing experience Wednesdaymorning at the El Centro

Math, Science andTechnology Day by racingto identify animals andleaves native to Colorado.

“We’re doing some hands-on learning,” Kaupang said.“We’re getting to learnabout new stuff.”

“We get to learn about ourenvironment and math andnew technology,” Teaganadded.

Teagan wants to be amath teacher; Elias said the

The Coloradoanis printedon recyclednewsprint.

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PAGE B12

Affidavit: Ex-wife stalkedman before killing him

By Robert [email protected]

A Fort Collins woman tracked herex-husband’s movements for daysbefore surprising him at his homeand stabbing him multiple times,according to a court affidavit.

Stephanie Theander is accused ofkilling Gregg Theander in earlyAugust before she attempted suicidein a local hotel room, according to her

arrest affidavit.When confronted about the homi-

cide, Stephanie Theander, 39, saidshe arranged for a Denver man torough up her 48-year-old former hus-band but not to kill him.

However, a witness saw a womanmatching Stephanie Theander’sdescription wearing black glovesnear Gregg Theander’s home nearthe time he was stabbed multiple

times in the torso, according to thearrest affidavit obtained by TheColoradoan.

Stephanie Theander is accused offirst-degree murder and burglary.She is being held without bond inLarimer County Jail. Her case is setfor a status conference Friday in 8thJudicial District Court.

StephanieTheander

Theander says she hired man to hurt husband

Medical marijuana consultant Dave Schwaab gives change to aclient who purchased three different strains of medical mari-juana at Abundant Healing in November 2010. Opponents ofQuestion 300, a ballot initiative that would ban medical mari-juana dispensaries from Fort Collins, have raised nearly eighttimes as much as the ban’s supporters. RICH ABRAHAMSON/COLORADOAN LIBRARY

Opponents raisemore funds thansupporters ofdispensary banBy Kevin [email protected]

Opponents of a FortCollins ballot measure thatwould ban medical marijua-na businesses in the cityhave raised nearly eighttimes more money for theircampaign than supportersof the ban.

Citizens for SaferNeighborhoods, which iscampaigning againstQuestion 300 on the Nov. 1ballot, has raised $84,135 sofar and spent $59,262,according to campaignfinance reports filedTuesday with the cityclerk’s office.

Another group opposingthe ban — Families for Safe,Secure and RegulatedAccess — has raised $24,754for the campaign. TheWheat Ridge-based group,which has spent $5,033 sofar, has been funded by ele-

By Sarah Jane [email protected]

The Poudre School Districtschool board will vote Oct. 25whether to support a ban onmedical marijuana dispen-saries in Fort Collins.

The district’s expulsionrate for drug-related offenseshas risen 300 percent in threeyears, according to severalcommunity members whospoke at Tuesday’s boardmeeting, in favor of BallotIssue 300, which would bandispensaries in the city.

Parent Carl Maxey saidthat permitting the legal saleof marijuana even for med-ical purposes sends a confus-

ing message to youths aboutthe harmful effects of druguse.

“Medical marijuana dis-pensaries are bad for busi-ness, but they’re worse forour school-age kids,” Maxeysaid. “We’ve confused kids bysaying medicine comes in awrapper with THC levelsthree times higher than weever saw in college.”

Maxey said his sons, whoattend Cache la PoudreMiddle School and PoudreHigh School, have told himthe drug is “more readilyaccessible in schools than

PSD board to voteon whether to supportmarijuana center ban

ONLINEClick on this story atcoloradoan.com to see fullcampaign finance reports.

BY THE NUMBERSCampaign finance informationreported as of Oct. 9 related toQuestion 300, which would banmedical marijuana businesses inFort Collins:Concerned Fort CollinsCitizens (in favor)» Monetary donations: $13,965» In-kind donations: $14,578» Expenditures: $13,424Citizens for SaferNeighborhoods (opposed)» Monetary donations: $84,135» In-kind donations: $1,455» Expenditures: $59,262Families for Safe, Secure andRegulated Access (opposed)» Monetary donations: $24,754» In-kind donations: $22,070» Expenditures: $5,033To view the campaignfinance reports, seecoloradoan.com

See PSD, Page A2

See MARIJUANA, Page A2

Students find their way in STEM event

Irish Elementary School fourth-graders, above from front, Larisa Maes, 9, Ibon Horta, 9, and Nancy Escobar, 9, blindly maketheir way through the classroom Wednesday while wearing infrared goggles during the Infrared Adventures lab at ElCentro Math, Science and Technology Day event at CSU. The program brings local fourth-graders to campus to show themthe possibilities in the math, sciences and technology fields. Below, Laurel Elementary fourth-grader Joshua Sifuentes, 9,examines his EKG readings on the computer during the STEM event. PHOTOS BY V. RICHARD HARO/THE COLORADOAN

PSD fourth-graders playwhile learning science

See STEM, Page A2

Program at CSU demonstrates industry’s reach

See THEANDER, Page A2

Rams going GreenwoodCSU receiver hopes to build off career gamewhen No. 5 Boise State comes to Hughes Stadium.SPORTS, PAGE A12

future is still open, but he’dlike to pursue something intechnology.

“I’m good at taking thingsapart,” he said.

By participating in ElCentro Math, Science andTechnology Day, fourth-graders from Harris, Putnam,Irish and Laurel elementaryschools got a sneak peek intothe world of STEM, orScience, Technology,Engineering and Math, educa-tion.

“The program is designedto expose underserved popula-tions to the STEM fields,” saidRichard Salas, associate direc-tor of El Centro, a studentgroup that promotes Latinocultural awareness.

During the day’s events,students attended a variety ofhands-on learning stations,including a class calledKitchen Botany, where theytested their knowledge ofeveryday foods and learned

the difference between fruits,vegetables, roots and seeds.

After Kitchen Botany, stu-dents mixed their knowledgeof food, science and physics tomake liquid nitrogen icecream, similar to Dippin’ Dots.

“A lot of these kids don’talways have opportunities tocome to a university and learnabout science,” said CSU fac-ulty member Meena Balgopal,who taught Kitchen Botanywith some of her science edu-cation students. “We get themto come and find out thatlearning about science andmath is exciting and can beengaging.”

Other stations included a 3-D video and photographic tourthrough volcanoes on Earthand throughout the solar sys-tem, astronomy, biodiversityand “Mayan Math,” a stationpresented in English andSpanish.

“It’s a way to demonstrateand encourage all kids, andespecially Latino kids, thatmath has always been part ofour cultural heritage,” Salassaid.

Judi TerzotisPublisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (970) [email protected] KingInterim executive editor . . . (970) [email protected] Jack-RomeroBusiness development/advertising director . . . . . . . (970) [email protected]

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INFORMATION CENTERFor questions concerning news or to requesta correction on a story, call:Kelley KingSenior content editor . . . . (970) [email protected] BlumhardtLife editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (970) [email protected] DuffOpinion editor . . . . . . . . . . (970) [email protected] DuffSports editor . . . . . . . . . . . (970) [email protected] FerrierBusiness editor . . . . . . . . . (970) [email protected] GannonMultimedia editor . . . . . . (970) [email protected] fax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (970) 224-7899

CIRCULATIONDelivery deadlines within the city limits ofFort Collins, Loveland and Windsor are 6a.m. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. Saturdayand Sunday. Subscribers outside those cities’limits may receive papers later in the morn-ing. Subscribers who do not receive a paperby these deadlines may receive credit bycalling toll-free (877) 424-0063.

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A2, THE COLORADOAN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011 WWW.COLORADOAN.COM Local & StateIN BRIEF

Woman linked toForbes case arrested

DENVER — Police havearrested a woman accused oflying during an investigationinto a man who pleadedguilty to killing a Denverteen and attacking a FortCollins woman.

Police and court recordsshow 23-year-old KerryHumphrey was arrested Oct.5 on suspicion of attemptingto influence a public officialand was released on a per-sonal recognizance bond.

Prosecutors said Hum-phrey is accused of lying dur-ing the investigation ofTravis Forbes. He is servinga life sentence for first-degree murder in the deathof 19-year-old Kenia Monge,who disappeared after leav-ing a night club. He alsopleaded guilty to attemptedfirst-degree murder of LydiaTillman of Fort Collins.

Formal charges againstHumphrey haven’t beenfiled yet, and an arrest affi-davit has been sealed. It’sunclear if she has an attor-ney.

Pronghorn poachingunder investigation

Colorado Parks andWildlife officers are investi-gating after a buck prong-horn was found dumped in aparking area south of SoldierCanyon Dam, adjacent toHorsetooth Reservoir.

The animal was found par-tially field dressed, withmost of the meat and headintact between 7:45 to 9 a.m.Oct. 2.

Anyone driving alongCounty Road 23 that mighthave information about whodumped the carcass is askedto call Operation Game Thiefat (877) 265-6648.

Operation Game Thief isoffering a $500 cash rewardin this case. The group pro-vides rewards for informa-tion that leads to the arrestof a suspect in a poachingcase.

“Illegal take of big gameanimals and leaving themeat to spoil is an awfulwaste of Colorado’s wildliferesources,” said ChadMorgan, district wildlifemanager for Fort Collins.“This act is essentially steal-ing from Colorado’s citizensand whoever is responsiblecould face felony charges.We would appreciate anyhelp in finding the peoplewho did this.”

For more information,visit www.wildlife.state.co.us.

Coloradoan seeksstories about cancer

Each Friday in October,the Coloradoan is highlight-ing Breast CancerAwareness month by pub-lishing on pink newsprint andsharing inspirational storiesabout people in the communi-ty impacted by the disease.

Do you have a story to tell?Have you or a loved one beentouched by the disease? If so,send your stories and photosto the Coloradoan for inclu-sion in our special BreastCancer Awareness editions.

Send stories of 300 wordsor fewer and photos [email protected].

Submission deadline isFriday.

Roundtable focuseson HOA information

The Rocky MountainChapter of CommunityAssociations Institute, orCAI-RMC, will host a round-table from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.Oct. 20 in the conferencerooms at city of Fort Collins’offices, 281 N. College Ave.

There is no charge toattend, but participants areasked to register with theCAI-RMC at (303) 951-4973or online at www.hoa-colorado.org by Oct. 18.

The HOA Council and thecity of Fort Collins invite HOAleaders and homeowners to aninteractive discussion of top-ics important to the successfulmanagement of communityassociations. Several roundta-bles will be available, with spe-cialists in covenant enforce-ment, legislative issues, insur-ance and reserves.

For more information,visit www.fcgov.com/neighborhoods.

Coloradoan staff

Gregg Theander’s girlfriend, Ruth Ketola,found his body covered in blood at the foot of hisbed about 11 a.m. Aug. 8. She told the police dis-patcher she believed Stephanie Theander killedhim.

The Theanders had been separated since fall2010, and their divorce was final in May 2011.

Ketola told detectives she and GreggTheander had left for a weekend getaway Aug.5, stopping in Colorado Springs and other desti-nations before returning about 10:40 p.m. Aug.7.

About an hour earlier, a neighbor told policeshe saw a woman matching StephanieTheander’s description walking in the directionof her ex-husband’s house in the 2200 block ofCreststone Court.

Stephanie Theander told police she had beentracking her former husband’s bank accountsand knew from his credit card purchases that hewas on his way home from the trip after he madea purchase in Conifer. She said she went tounlock the door for the man she met at a Denverbar.

On Aug. 8, Ketola called Gregg Theanderabout 9:30 a.m. and left him a voicemail. She saidthat, by 11 a.m., he had not returned her call andshe began to worry. She called his workplace,Healthstyles Life and Fitness, and a co-workersaid he didn’t show up for work that morning.

Ketola used a key she had to GreggTheander’s home and went to check on him. Shesaw his luggage hadn’t been unpacked and triedto call 911 on the home phone but the line wasdead. She went to the master bedroom upstairs,but the door was locked.

“She said she attempted to kick down the doorand was unsuccessful. Ketola eventually madeentry into the room by using a power-weight as abattering ram,” according to the affidavit.

Ketola said Gregg Theander had received acall from Stephanie Theander before they leftfor the weekend trip, and Stephanie told Greggsomething to the effect that “she was ‘very con-cerned for your future,’ and ‘very concerned forRuth’s future.’”

‘Take care of the kids’At 12:24 p.m. Aug. 8, police received a request

for assistance at the Holiday Inn Express hotel inFort Collins. Stephanie Theander’s co-workertold police that she had checked into a room and

was known to be suicidal. When she didn’t showup for work that day, the co-worker went to thehotel to check on her, and Stephanie Theanderdid not answer the door.

A hotel employee found the security latch hadbeen secured from the inside. Peeking throughthe partially opened door they saw a womanlying on the floor next to the bed.

Police forced entry and found StephanieTheander semi-conscious. She was taken toPoudre Valley Hospital.

A suicide note found in her room asked herbrother “to take care of the children because‘there’s no one else to do it,’ ” according to theaffidavit.

Stephanie and Gregg Theander have two chil-dren, ages 9 and 10.

While at the hospital, Stephanie Theander tolda detective she had been feeling depressed andhad recently been researching suicide methods.When asked about her ex-husband’s murder, shesaid she had met someone “rough” at a Denverbar who “looked like he was capable of doing badthings,” and she asked him to hurt her formerhusband.

“Stephanie said she had sex with the man inthe back of an old Toyota and that their agree-ment was ‘implied,’” according to the affidavit.

She said his name was “Rick” and he is in hislate 40s with gray hair and brown eyes. She saidshe could do a photo composite and identify himin a lineup, but she declined to cooperate withoutan attorney, according to the affidavit.

Stephanie Theander said that after sheunlocked Gregg Theander’s home so the mancould get in, she talked with him on a prepaid cellphone he had given her, then threw the phone ina lake by Prospect Ponds, according to the affi-davit.

A neighbor who lives one street north ofGregg Theander’s residence told police that onAug. 7 — an hour before Gregg Theander andKetola arrived home — she saw an SUV parkacross from her house. A woman got out of thevehicle and turned toward Creststone Court asthough she was “on a mission,” and she waswearing a light-colored T-shirt, khaki-coloredshorts, black gloves and a gray backpack.

An SUV matching that description was foundto be registered to the Theanders, and the neigh-bor identified Stephanie Theander and one otherwoman in a photo lineup as possibly being theone she saw, according to the affidavit.

A nurse told an investigator that whenStephanie Theander was being wheeled into theemergency room Aug. 8, she said several times,“I did this to him because of her.”

ments of the United Food andCommercial Workers, orUFCW.

The committee has con-tributed another $22,000 to thecampaign through in-kindservices, such as staff time,according to its report. Aunion representative did notreturn a call seeking commenton UFCW’s role in the cam-paign.

Some local medical mari-juana workers have joined theunion, said Steve Ackerman,president of the Fort CollinsMedical Cannabis Associationand a dispensary owner.

The more than $108,000raised by opponents ofQuestion 300 eclipses the$13,965 raised by the groupthat placed the proposed banon the city ballot through apetition drive, Concerned FortCollins Citizens.

Group chairman BobPowell said more money isexpected to come in as thecampaign goes on, but for themost part the organization is“at the tail end of its spendingand everything is in place.”

“We’re just going to keeptalking to people,” he said. “Wedon’t have to raise a lot ofmoney.”

The majority of funding forCitizens for SaferNeighborhoods has come fromlocal medical marijuana busi-nesses. Donations also havecome in from marijuana busi-nesses and individualsaround the state and country.

Much of the spending hasbeen on campaign managersand political consultants. Thegroup hired Ben Prochazka,vice president of theWashington, D.C.-based con-sulting firm FieldWorks, tomanage the campaign.

Prochazka said campaign

workers have been reachingout to voters by “knocking onthousands of doors and mak-ing thousands of phone calls”to get out the vote.

Concerned Fort CollinsCitizens has raised its moneyfrom local residents and busi-nesses. It also has receivedmore than $14,000 in donatedin-kind services, primarily forgraphics, according to itsreport.

Its spending has beenfocused on printing, mailings,signs and automated phonecalls.

Scoot Crandall, executivedirector of TEAM Fort Collinsand a member of the group’ssteering committee, said thecampaign will focus on mak-ing presentations to communi-ty groups and laying out itscase for why medical marijua-na businesses are harmful tothe community.

If the measure is approved,the 20 licensed marijuanabusinesses in the city wouldhave 90 days to shut down.

The group has received apositive response from itscampaign, he said, but also hasencountered confusion aboutthe issue and medical marijua-na.

“It’s not medicine, and weare very concerned about theimpact it is having on ouryouth,” he said. “Folks justdon’t even fully understandthis thing.”

Dispensary owners are “in adefensive position,”Ackerman said, and have con-tributed substantially to thecampaign out of concerns fortheir businesses and patients.

Opponents of the ballotmeasure say banning dispen-saries would drive patients tocaregivers who are growingmarijuana in residential neigh-borhoods.

“A lot of people want tomake sure safe and securemedical marijuana survives,”Ackerman said.

alcohol.”“I’m scared for our chil-

dren,” Maxey said. “Let’s do theright thing for the kids.”

Mike Demma, advocate forTeam Fort Collins, a not-for-profit organization that strivesto prevent substance abuse inyouth, said the rise of medicalmarijuana dispensaries in Fort

Collins has communicated tostudents that the use of mari-juana comes without risk.

“The very term ‘medical’lends the perception that thissubstance has healing proper-ties, when the evidence of suchis negligible,” Demma said.“The kids in our city are sayingto us that they don’t perceive arisk in using marijuana andthat it’s very easy to obtain,whether legally with a medicalrecommendation or illegally

through friends and acquain-tances.”

Nancy Smith said the cam-paign for dispensaries is mis-leading, focusing on thepatients’ need for dispensaries.

“Closing the stores won’tstop the patients from receiv-ing their marijuana from acaregiver,” Smith said. “All apatient has to do is call the stateboard and get the name andcontact information of a care-giver in their area.”

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MarijuanaContinued from Page A1

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TheanderContinued from Page A1

By Steven K. PaulsonThe Associated Press

DENVER — Colorado authori-ties are treading lightly as theydeal with protesters who havemarched or camped out on stateand local parks as part of anationwide protest against cor-porate greed.

Gov. John Hickenlooper saideven he isn’t sure what legaloptions the state has to dealwith protesters who havecamped out at the state Capitol.Authorities in other cities alsosay they’re a bit befuddled.

So far, mostly peacefulprotests have been held orplanned in Denver, ColoradoSprings, Longmont, Boulder,Aspen and Fort Collins.

Colorado Springs policespokesman Sgt. Steve Noblittsaid Wednesday said there havebeen only a dozen or socampers at Acacia Park in

downtown Colorado Springsand that no ultimatums havebeen issued.

Noblitt said city ordinanceswere written to deal with home-less people camping on publicproperty and the city has set up ateam to deal with homelessissues, but they haven’t beencalled inyet.Butprotestersarguethat they aren’t homeless andthey’re not camping — they’reoccupying city property to rallyagainst government policies.

Breckenridge attorney JeffRyan, who has volunteered tobe on call in the event policetake action in Denver, said peo-ple have the right to peacefullyassemble to air grievancesagainst the government, but the

government also has the rightto regulate time, place and man-ner of the protests.

Ryan said authorities inColorado don’t want bad public-ity as long as the protests arepeaceful.

“We live in an age wherecameras are everywhere.They’re hesitating because theyfear possible repercussions,”Ryan said.

Colorado State Patrol Sgt.Mike Baker said that the statepatrol controls state propertyand the department was tryingto determine what action totake. He said some protesterswere engaging in unlawful con-duct on state property by set-ting up tents, while others arepeaceful protesters who movein and out around the clock andweren’t violating laws.

“It’s a sensitive issue,” Bakersaid.

A man walks through lines of tents Monday at Civic Center Park across from the Capitol in Denver.People protesting the government’s response to financial crises are camping at the park in what theyare calling a shantytown. ED ANDRIESKI/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

State authorities unsurehow to handle protests

PAGE A3Occupy Fort Collins protestersseek supplies, camp site