A former Montezuma County sheriff’s deputy and former Cortez police officer face charges of official misconduct, according to a news release Tuesday from 22nd Judicial District Attorney Will Furse.
The two were involved in separate investigations by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations that concluded in April, according to Furse.
Former Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Sgt. Adam Alcon faces a charge of felony theft between $2,000 and $5,000 charge and a first-degree misconduct charge.
Former Cortez police officer Reuben Liska faces a first-degree misconduct charge, according to Furse’s release.
Both misconduct charges are Class 2 misdemeanors, Furse said.
Liska is being charged in connection with a Jan. 21 incident in which he allegedly had “inappropriate physical contact” with someone who reported a crime, Furse said. The district attorney added that a CBI investigation began the day of the incident. Police Chief Roy Lane said he was put on administrative leave the same day, and he resigned during the investigation.
“We received a complaint, and we turned it over to CBI right away,” he said.
Liska was hired by the police department in 2016, after leaving his previous job as a deputy in the Sheriff’s Office. Lane said he believes the misconduct was an isolated incident, and he doesn’t plan to make any department policy change as a result.
“No other charges exist in that case,” Furse said, “but it’s something, obviously, that should not be happening during his time on duty.” He added that both suspects are “innocent until proven guilty.”
Alcon had worked for the sheriff’s office for 11 years and four months when he was terminated as a result of the investigation on April 24, Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said. Alcon is suspected of stealing sheriff’s equipment between Jan. 1 and April 1, including an ITT night vision goggle set, a patrol rifle scope and about 200 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition. Nowlin said a department employee found out in April that the items were being sold, and CBI investigators traced them to Alcon.
Nowlin also said department policy has changed as a result of the crime, and he’s not aware of evidence that Alcon had stolen equipment before.
“Right away, we tightened up our inventories even more,” he said. “We now require supervisors to verify their policies on a regular basis.”
According to Furse, if convicted, Alcon could face 12 to 18 months in the Department of Corrections and/or a fine of $1,000 to $100,000 for the Class 6 felony. A Class 2 misdemeanor is punishable by 3 to 12 months in jail and/or a fine of $250 to $1,000.
Although the investigations started at different times, the CBI concluded them only recently, and the findings of the investigation led to the charges, according to Furse’s release.
This article was reposted on May 3 to correct the class of the misconduct charges to Class 2 misdemeanors. The district attorney’s news release was incorrect, according to DA Will Furse.
