Half Of Rural Colorado Sheriff’s Department Indicted On Charges Including Abuse Of A Corpse

Half of a Colorado sheriff’s department person been indicted connected charges including nan abuse a corpse.

Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez, 63, resigned aft he and erstwhile lawman Keith Schultz, 45, were charged Friday pinch 4 counts of charismatic misconduct and 1 count of maltreatment of a corpse owed to their handling of quality remains connected October 2, 2024, 9 News reported.

A resident of Costilla County, conscionable northbound of nan New Mexico border, had called nan sheriff’s agency that autumn to study uncovering quality remains, including a skull, teeth and different bones.

Sanchez and Schultz, who resigned past fall, came to nan spot and collected nan skull, but near down nan different remains, according to a expansive assemblage indictment.

“Sheriff Danny R. Sanchez was coming astatine nan clip of collection, but was only connected segment concisely and was reported to beryllium much willing successful looking for arrowheads than investigating nan quality remains,” nan indictment stated.

The coroner’s agency later received nan skull successful what “appeared to beryllium a utilized insubstantial market bag, not a forensic grounds bag,” according to nan indictment.

The container had “no markings aliases labelling describing nan items, nan day aliases location of collection, nan personality of nan collector, aliases nan concatenation of custody related to nan evidence, and had nary portion aliases seals to protect nan integrity of nan evidence.”

The resident who recovered nan remains followed up pinch nan sheriff’s agency astir their investigation but was told nan lawsuit was closed. He past requested nan constabulary report, which was written connected December 31, 2024, astir 3 months aft nan discovery.

The resident contacted nan 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office connected August 18, 2025, prompting nan Colorado Bureau of Investigation to return to nan spot nan adjacent time to cod nan remains that were near behind, according to nan indictment.

Three different labor of nan sheriff’s agency were besides indicted Friday connected charges from a abstracted incident.

Undersheriff Cruz Soto, 43, Sergeant Caleb Sanchez, 25, and Deputy Roland Riley, 31, each look charges related to nan usage of unit against a personification experiencing a intelligence wellness crisis, according to nan report.

Caleb Sanchez is nan boy of erstwhile Sheriff Danny Sanchez. The expansive assemblage indictment successful that lawsuit says that Caleb Sanchez and Riley deployed Tasers connected a man having a intelligence wellness situation astatine nan sheriff’s department.

Soto was opinionated adjacent to nan deputies arsenic they deployed nan Tasers and did not do thing to extremity them, according to nan affidavit. The deputies progressive did not pass nan sheriff of nan incident, did not archive nan arena and a use-of-force investigation was ne'er conducted.

The younger Sanchez and Riley were each charged pinch second-degree assault, a felony, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Soto was charged pinch third-degree battle and 2 counts of nonaccomplishment to study unit — some misdemeanors — and 4 counts of charismatic misconduct.

In announcing nan indictments, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly said she’s committed to investigating and prosecuting crimes, sloppy of nan offender.

“I cannot and will not disregard violations of nan spot that a organization should person successful their police. No national of nan San Luis Valley should person immoderate doubts astir nan integrity of their constabulary force,” Kelly said during a Friday news conference.

An emergency region commissioners’ gathering was held Monday to name Joe Smith, a existent sheriff’s agency employee, arsenic nan impermanent sheriff. Voters will prime a caller sheriff astatine nan November election.

There are 7 rule enforcement officials connected unit astatine nan Costilla County Sheriff’s Office, according to nan Associated Press. The undersheriff and deputies indicted successful nan lawsuit are connected administrative leave.

Danny Sanchez, Soto, Riley and Caleb Sanchez are owed successful tribunal Wednesday morning. No tribunal day had been group for Schultz.