Teller County man arrested for threatening to kill his kids

The Teller County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Thursday night for threatening to kill his three children and saying he was going to commit a school shooting.

A tipster told TCSO that Jason Smith was outside his house in a rural part of the county and was screaming at his children, threatening to kill them.

Smith also threatened a neighbor family and told them he wanted to be a school shooter, saying he was targeting an elementary school in Divide, according to the tipster. The sheriff’s office didn’t say this threat was related to the threat that prompted the closure of Woodland Park schools.

Deputies immediately went out to the house and got witness statements. They also found multiple guns — including several rifles and two pistols — in Smith’s house, but Smith isn’t legally allowed to own firearms due to past charges.

The sheriff’s office says Smith was arrested on charges of menacing, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, and harassment. He’s being held in the Teller County Jail until a bond hearing on Monday.

Smith’s wife, Nicole Desiray Smith, was also arrested and charged with obstruction and child abuse, though the details of her arrest weren’t provided in the news release. Other charges may be pending, according to the sheriff’s office.

The children, who ranged in age from 1-8 years old, are with the Department of Human Services.