Former GOP Chairman: Woman facing animal cruelty charges previously considered a security threat
The former chairman of the El Paso County Republican party said the woman facing animal cruelty charges was previously a security threat.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office served Sherri Brunzell a citation for cruelty of animals. Brunzell owns the horses living in a barn with more than a dozen rotting horse carcasses. Some horses’ ribs were showing and their hooves were damaged.
Sherri Brunzell and her husband Rick Brunzell have spoken before the El Paso County commissioners numerous times. Commissioner Amy Lathen said the couple is memorable.
“They are quite confrontational, often angry about different things the board has been doing,” said Lathen.
She said she saw Rick Brunzell give an interview to a reporter, and used a different name. The move prompted her to investigate the couple.
“We said, ‘Hey, wait a minute, why are they in here, at republican headquarters at the time, giving false identities and causing all these issues. What’s going on with that?” said Lathen.
The issue was brought to the then chairman of the El Paso County Republican party, Eli Bremer.
“From what we could tell, at least three different names that people had come to me and said, ‘I think that person is going by this name, I think that person is going by this name.’ Then we caught them at our office one day using a fake name,” said Bremer.
Bremer sent an email to the couple, banning them from its headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Bremer said the Brunzells posed a security threat.
“If what you want to do is promote your ideas, you use your own name. If what you want to do is a little more sinister, then it makes sense to start using other names,” said Bremer.
In an email exchange between the executive director of the El Paso County Republican party Bill Roy and Bremer, Roy said Rick Brunzell admitted to using the fake name “Juan Valdez.”
Bremer lifted the ban on the Brunzells. However, he said his employees continued to monitor the couple.
“They are involved with a lot of shady political groups that we are always tracking and wondering what they are up to,” said Bremer.
The Brunzells fly an upside down American flag outside of their Colorado Springs home.
Sherri Brunzell’s family has influenced Colorado Springs history. Her dad was Fred Sproul who developed the Security area. The Sproul family was also one of two families that gave land for the Colorado Springs airport.
KRDO NewsChannel 13 has made multiple attempts to contact the Brunzells by phone and at their home. The couple has not returned requests for interviews.
