Nearly half of the Walsenburg Police Department was investigated or fired from previous job
WALSENBURG, Colo. (KRDO) — The resurrected Walsenburg Police Department consists of nine police officers and one administrator.
KRDO13 Investigates uncovered documents showing four officers, including the police chief, came under fire at their previous jobs.
Walsenburg Police Chief Bill Vinelli declined an on-camera interview, instead offering a statement.
"There are 1,000 cops with hiccups in the road, but I am trying to move forward instead of looking in the past."
Vinelli added that all his officers are POST-certified and have passed their background checks.
When asked about the investigation into him during his time at the Morrison Police Department, Vinelli declined to comment. Morrison denied KRDO13 Investigates' records request relating to the investigation because the investigation is still ongoing.
Tre'von Perry
The town of Monument fired Tre'von Perry in 2023 after he failed to disclose he had been arrested on four theft charges in Las Vegas in 2021. Court records show Perry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and paid the victims back. After that, the charges were dropped
When reached for comment, Perry told KRDO13 Investigates, "This is over two years ago. My POST is in good standing. This case is closed out, and I have moved on with my life with a fresh start."
Amanda Winters
On February 19 of this year, the City of Florence fired Amanda Winters with cause, citing a laundry list of allegations.
The allegations include, but are not limited to:
- Evidence mishandling. City staff cited five times that Winters allegedly didn't properly store evidence. At one time, it took 84 days before evidence was properly secured.
- Dereliction of duty. The City of Florence alleges Winters failed to properly investigate a Safe2Tell report and failed to recognize the urgency of the situation and potential safety risks.
- The city also alleges Winters made an unwarranted escalation of force when responding to a domestic violence incident, and more.
When reached for comment, Winters denied all these allegations and said she has retained a lawyer to fight the allegations.
David Baroz
In 2017, the Pueblo Chieftain reported that David Baroz and nine other Fremont County Sheriff's Deputies were placed on administrative leave. On August 14, Baroz was temporarily demoted to Patrol Deputy, but shortly thereafter, his rank was reinstated to Detective.
KRDO13 Investigates attempted to request the records around the reasons why Baroz was on administrative leave, but Fremont County denied the request. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office said they lost the records in a 2022 cyber attack.
Baroz declined to comment.
KRDO13 Investigates brought this information to Walsenburg Mayor Gary Vezzani.
Vezzani said he's not involved in police department hiring decisions and had no idea about these officers' past records. However, he pledged to review the city's hiring practices, "We're going to look into what our procedures are in the putting on staff and what level, you know, we accept and don't accept."
KRDO13 Investigates also reached out to the Third Judicial Attorney's Office, which represents Huerfano and Las Animas Counties. The DA said they have not been notified of any Brady violations from new hires at the Walsenburg Police Department.
