Schools locked down, court evacuated over Telluride threats

The San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office says that a man threatened government buildings and school children on playgrounds in Telluride in a call to the Department of Agriculture Friday morning.

Telluride is located about 300 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.

The San Miguel County Courthouse was evacuated Friday and Telluride schools were placed on external lockdown. That means that the buildings were locked and secured with law enforcement presence, but classes continued inside.

The sheriff’s office says that Kenneth Krawchuk, 65, called the Department of Agriculture twice Friday morning. It says that during the first call, Krawchuk left a voicemail demanding an immediate call back about an animal abuse case. During the second call, about 30 minutes later, the sheriff’s office says Krawchuk claimed he had dynamite, threatened to blow up public government buildings and made general threats against children in Telluride school yards.

The sheriff’s office says that the Grand Junction office of the FBI helped it trace the call to Krawchuk. He was arrested in Cortez at 2:28 p.m.

The sheriff’s office says Krawchuck is known by local law enforcement for months of protests in front of the San Miguel County Courthouse earlier this year and that he is a transient.

Charges against Krawchuk are pending.