11/06/2022
It should come as no surprise that a glorified real estate flier owned by an out-of-state billionaire is in the business of manipulating local politics. The Pilot and editor, Eli Pace, only dabble in journalism when it serves their desired narrative. Without an informed electorate, democracy is easily controlled by a hand full of individuals. Because the press is irreplaceable in maintaining democracy, it is the only business specifically protected in the constitution.
This is not a red or blue issue. The Pilot maintains the fantasy of the perfect mountain town at the cost of competent elected officials, ethical institutions, and public safety. The Pilot has refused to investigate credible allegations of obstruction of justice by Routt County Sheriff Garrett Wiggins and Undersheriff Doug Scherar. Both men maliciously conspired to protect a Routt County deputy from multiple felony allegations of stalking and domestic violence(DV) on and off duty. Studies have found law enforcement families suffer from domestic violence up to four times the average rate. This, combined with the fact that domestic violence is the number one cause of homicide for women, should require all law enforcement to have a zero-tolerance policy for abusers. Cops that don’t hold violent cops accountable put lives and the entire community at risk. The City of Moab, Utah, has recently been sued for 50 million dollars, citing bias based on a history of domestic violence(DV) by the officer that refused to arrest the man who murdered Gabby Petito. The Routt Deputy in question has been accused of bias for either jailing the victim or warning the victim not to report again, or she will go to jail. The record not only finds the RCSO covered for this dangerous deputy, but the Steamboat Police Department, District Attorney, and Colorado Bureau of Investigations all conspired to keep this dangerous individual on our streets with a gun. The deputy in question is still employed as a cop in the 14th judicial district following an incomplete background investigation.
It would be naive to think the abuse of public trust by the Pilot stops at ignoring reported batterers with badges. In fantasy town USA, government officials run to the pilot to head-off unflattering stories, all the while feeding unchallenged propaganda to the editor. This allows the corrupt behavior of the RCSO and other government institutions to go largely undetected. Aside from the blatant victim's rights violations found in the sheriff’s DV coverup, the department has a long history of retaliation against “undesirable” members of our community. In these cases, the Pilot becomes an unchallenging mouthpiece for the government. The obvious questions are never asked, and court outcomes that don’t fit the published narrative are left on the editing floor.
Unfettered, the corrupt behavior is queued up to repeat.
The Pilot has been asked to report on Sheriff Wiggins and Undersheriff Scherar’s election rigging effort to keep their ongoing crimes hidden. Garrett Wiggins and Doug Scherar have once again conspired to defraud and deceive the people when orchestrating fake campaigns designed to keep all challengers out of the race. In late 2021, Doug Scherar announced his candidacy for sheriff as a Democrat. At the time, Wiggins had his house for sale and claimed to “be on the fence” about a fourth term. In early February 2022, Jeff Steck announced his intent to run against Scherar as a Democrat. Shortly after, Garrett Wiggins joined the race as a Republican. After Scherar won the Democrat caucus, the Sheriff and Undersheriff were left to battle it out at the ballot box allegedly. In theory, one of these men would be out of a job come November, but the record shows neither candidate has run a competitive race.
In the real world, when an undersheriff publicly states that “I’m the better man for the job”, that employee is sidelined by the sheriff if not fired. During this so-called race, Scherar has remained the lead spokesperson for the RCSO. Neither candidate has an effective social media presence, with Wiggins' last post on his page, Garrett Wiggins, Routt County Sheriff, in 2020. At the Oct 11 election forum, Wiggins was a no-show. Despite mentioning the uncontested local races, the Pilot failed to mention Wiggins’ absence or that there was even a contested sheriff race. Wiggins is also the only local candidate that did not participate in the Pilot’s “Candidate Column” and has never been asked if he plans to fulfill his term, given the fact his house recently sold.
It is common knowledge within local law enforcement circles that the Routt County Sheriff's Office(RCSO) is rife with incompetence and dysfunction. The “kum ba yah” campaigns by these so call “honorable men” is a kick in the teeth to the hardworking and dedicated employees of RCSO, a stain on law enforcement, an affront to democracy, and a big FU to all citizens of Routt County.
I urge people to boycott the Steamboat Pilot unless needed to start a fire. I also suggest voting for Garrett Wiggins to expose that he never intended to serve the full term of office, run a real campaign, and conspired with his alleged opponent, Doug Scherar, to defraud the people of Routt County once again.
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