Colorado Newspapers Stolen After Reporting Alleged Rape at Police Chief's Home
A local newspaper in a Colorado town has reported that hundreds of copies of its latest issue were stolen shortly after it published a report on a teenage girl's alleged rape at the home of a police chief.
The story has sparked outrage and raised questions about the lengths some are willing to go to hide the truth and protect a powerful family.
According to the Ouray County Plaindealer's report, the 17-year-old victim revealed to investigators that she was repeatedly raped by three different teenagers at a party in May 2023. Disturbingly, the alleged rapes are said to have occurred at the residence of Ouray Police Chief Jeff Wood. Chief Wood himself has not been accused of any crime.
An affidavit from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, obtained by the Plaindealer, reveals that the suspects had consumed alcohol and drugs on the day of the alleged crime. The victim, despite going in and out of consciousness, made it clear to the police that she had not taken any drugs.
From left to right: Ashton Whittington, Gabriel Trujillo and Nathan Dieffenderffer have been arrested for suspected sexual assault on a warrant from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Arrests have recently been made of Gabriel Trujillo, 20, Ashton Whittington, 18, and Nate Dieffenderffer, who was 17 at the time of the incident and is Wood's stepson. Denying the allegations vehemently, all three suspects have posted bail and have since been released from jail, according to Fox 31.
Chief Wood's stepson has not been identified by law enforcement as a suspect in the alleged rapes. But while Whittington is not accused of participating in the assault, he is facing charges for not intervening.
The Plaindealer's decision to publish the story on the front page of its Thursday issue apparently trigged massive thefts of papers in the small town. The newspaper's newsroom began reporting that a significant number of newspapers mysteriously disappeared within hours of publication.
The newspaper said someone put four quarters into each newspaper box to open the boxes before taking off with all the papers inside.
In a Facebook post, the Plaindealer revealed that copies of the newspaper were stolen from racks in Ouray and Ridgway. The paper said that an unidentified individual deposited money into each newspaper box to gain access before making off with all the papers inside.
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Expressing their concern, the Plaindealer stated in a newsletter, "All of our newspaper racks in Ouray and all but one rack in Ridgway were hit by a thief who stole all the newspapers. From what we know so far, it seems this person put in four quarters and took all the papers at these racks. It's pretty clear that someone didn't want the community to read the news this week. I'll leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions on which story they didn't want you to read."
The newsletter concluded with an unwavering message, stating, "If you meant to intimidate us, you just strengthened our resolve."
Acknowledging the seriousness of the situation, the Ouray County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they have received multiple reports about the missing papers. Consequently, an investigator has been assigned to the case.
The Plaindealer revealed that a suspect has been identified. However, the individual's identity will not be disclosed.