Boulder County, Colo. - On Aug. 19, at approximately 10:00 a.m., a deputy was requested to respond to the Imel Open Space property, located near 63^rd St. and Oxford Rd. in unincorporated Boulder County, by an open space ranger due to damage done to equipment belonging to Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS).

The property, which is owned and managed by BCPOS, is currently undergoing a prairie dog management project. The agricultural property is closed to the public for recreational purposes, so there should have been no visitors on the property.

Upon arrival, the deputy met with wildlife technicians to review the damage done to the equipment on the property. Damage was done to every utility vehicle and trailer on the property. The damage included slashed tires, wires and hoses cut, grass stuffed into gas tanks, shovels thrown into the pond, and seats and seatbelts slashed. There was an estimated $100,000 worth of damage done to the equipment.

A wildlife technician also advised that approximately 70 prairie dog traps were recently damaged, causing an estimated $5,000 worth of damage, at the Hillside Estates Open Space property, located near the intersection of Highway 52 and N. 79th St. It is unclear, at this time, if both incidents are related.

If you witnessed suspicious activity at or around either of these properties, please contact Deputy Tkach at ktkach@bouldercounty.org.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number is: 20-3679.

###

/s/ Carrie Haverfield, Public Information Specialist