The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 1

THE DAILY Western Colorados chronicle of record since 1893 Forecast for tomorrow: Cloudy High: 59 Low: 43 Vol. 102, No. Ill Friday, March 10, 1995 Grand Junction, Colorado 35C newsstand 50 pages IBadkcinuniihry IbroiiMhia Rapist guilty of violating his probation, faces 64 years Christopher TomlinsonDaily Sentinel Sharyn Wlzda Daily Sentinel Rapist Shannon Bear Smith admitted Thursday that he violated his probation by having repeated, unsupervised contact with two Mesa County teen-age girls. At a hearing in Glenwood Springs, Mesa County District Judge David Bottger revoked Smiths probation and advised him he faces up to 64 years in prison. Bottger will sentence Smith on April 28.

The hearing marked the end of a year long effort by the Mesa County Probation Department to prosecute Smith, 22, for violating his probation. It also marked the first time Smith's friends and family have spoken out to defend a young man they describe as shy and gentle, whom they say has been the victim of a series of misunderstandings. Smith in 1993 was sentenced to six years of probation after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting four Glenwood girls, ages 12 to 14, in 1991. He was then 18. Probation was on the condition that he not have any unsupervised contact with girls younger than 18.

But probation officers began filing complaints against Smith in February 1994, saying that he had engaged in repeated unsupervised contact with two Mesa County juvenile girls. The department also complained that he skipped required sex-offender counseling and appointments with his probation officer. Smith disappeared in April 1994, before the charges could be heard in court. After his story was featured in January on the television program Unsolved Mysteries, a viewers tip led FBI agents to Mesa, where they arrested Smith. He waived extradition and was brought back to the Western Slope last month.

At Thursdays hearing, Smith pleaded guilty to having contact with the Mesa County girls and missing his counseling and probation appointments. He also pleaded guilty to additional viola-tions stemming from his disappearance. Prosecutors did drop one charge, supplying a juvenile with alcohol. Because thats considered a crime, prosecutors would have to prove the charge beyond a Christopher TomlinsonDaily Sentinel The Colorado Mountain Club is appealing the Grand Mesa cross-country skier use. The group is asking that about 5 percent Travel Plan because it sets aside only 1 percent of the mesa for of Grand Mesa be designated for cross-country skiing.

Cross-country skiers fight for more terrain than is included in Grand Mesa Travel Plan Moons response is that perhaps some areas should be off-limits to skiers, and used exclusively by snowmobiles. Im very concerned about safety, she said. When you have big machines operating at high speed, they might not see skiers until its too late. Losing the Mesa Lakes area, including the West Bench that leads from Mesa Lakes to Powderhorn, and the Water Dog Reservoir area on the east side of Colorado Highway 65 was a major reduction in skiing terrain, Moon said. Glasgow said the area hasnt been lost to skiers.

We understand there has been a longstanding agreement, he said, referring to the 1982 courtesy closure. It had been working and was still in existence. But apparently the Colorado Mountain Club doesnt care for the informal nature of this agreement. Another skiers group, the Grand Mesa Nordic Council, wants to see problems worked out, but isnt as concerned as Moon and the Colorado Mountain Club. I dont think its as big a crisis as theyre painting it, said Tom Ela, secretary for ue Nordic Council.

Its a problem that lead to problems." Ela said his group hopes the status quo can be maintained, particularly in the Mesa Lakes area. Bob Sllbernagel Daily Sentinel Backcountry skiers want more terrain on Grand Mesa exclusively for skiers, and, they say, the Grand Mesa Travel Plan only sets 1 percent of the mesa for skier use. The travel plan was completed in December, and Regional Forester Elizabeth Estill is to rule on appeals to it Thursday. "Where we think thetes some hope of resolving issues weve been meeting with groups involved, said Matt Glasgow, with the headquarters for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest. One of those is the Colorado Mountain Club.

We have met with them, but I dont think its been successful. In January, the Colorado Mountain Club appealed the travel plan, claiming that the plan overturns the historic understood closures to snowmobile use of traditional back-country skiing areas. The appeal asks that the Mesa Lakes area, including West Bench, Water Dog Reservoir, Lake of the Woods and Bull Basin areas, all be closed to snowmobiles, as well as the Crag Crest Trail area. In the travel plan, only three areas on the Grand Mesa are designated exclusively for cross-country skiing County Line, Skyway, and an area around Ward Lake. Hcwever, all of those areas have groomed ski trails, the Mountain Club said.

None have the kind of terrain that backcountry skiers want. Jo Ann Moon is a Colorado Mountain Club member and Palisade resident who has been skiing on Grand Mesa since she moved to the valley 15 years ago. Moon and other backcountry skiers paid little attention over the past four years as the Forest Service developed its Grand Mesa Travel Plan. The plan seemed about summer use, not winter, she said. It wasnt until October that Moon learned that the Mesa Lakes area, which was off-limits to snowmobilers through a 1982 courtesy closure accepted by snowmobilers, would now be considered open.

When I saw the map, and saw how it had changed, I came unglued, she said. The three areas designated on the map for cross-country skiers only amount to about 1 percent of the terrain in the Grand Mesa National Forest, Moon said. Even if you include all the areas Colorado Mountain Club is seeking, it would only amount to about 5 percent, she said. However, Forest Service officials and snowmohilers point out that no area of Grand Mesa is closed off to cross-country skiers. One of our concerns is if you start segregating uses, you create a checkerboard and you run out of area pretty fast, Glasgow said.

Rapist Shannon Bear" Smith could be sentenced to 64 years in prison for violating his probation by having repeated, unsupervised contact with two Mesa County teen-age girls. reasonable doubt unlike the other violations, which require a lesser legal standard. Glenwood Springs District Attorney Milt Blakey said because Smiths admission of any one of the violations allows a judge to revoke his probation, dismissing the alcohol charge doesnt affect his sentence. While Bottger revoked Smiths probation, that doesn't guarantee Smith will go to prison. Colorado law requires revocation within five days of a plea, but doesnt preclude Bottger from sentencing Smith to another probation term.

Bottger coyld also sentence See RAPIST, page 9A Nations jobless rate takes dive in February State Democratic Party chief asks Campbell to resign seat 4-year low. It had been at 5.4 percent in December, but took a sharp spurt upward in January. President Clinton hailed the report as evidence that the economic strategy pursued by our administration has worked. He held out the creation of 6.1 million new jobs during his tenure as reason to stick with his policies and reject the Republican tax-cut plan, which he said was too expensive. Normally such a strong jobless report could send shock waves through Wall Street as investors braced for the possibility that the economic recovery, about to enter its fifth year, is not slowing enough to keep inflation under control.

Associated Press WASHINGTON The nations unemployment rate improved dramatically last month, falling to 5.4 percent as increased jobs for secretaries, restaurant workers and other service employees jumped by the largest amount in nearly a year. The Labor Department said today that total payroll employment grew by 318,000 workers in February, the best showing since November, with much of the strength coming in a big jump in business hiring of temporary office workers. The drop of 0.3 percentage point in the unemployment rate pushed the jobless level back down to a Bob Sllbernagel Daily Sentinel The pew chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party today asked Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell to resign his Senate seat, be appointed to it by Gov. Roy Romer, and stand, for re-election in 1996.

Campbell, who stunned the political world a week ago by announcing his shift from Democrat to Republican, isnt up for re-election until 1998. He has said he feels no obligation to step down before then. But Mike Beatty, who was elected head of the state Democratic Party on Saturday, said standing for re-election in 1996 is the only honorable thing for Campbell to do. "If you have faith in the voters and are confident they elected you for your vision and philosophy, then you should not be afraid to run again on that platform as a Republican, Beatty said in an open letter to Campbell. If you are proud to be a Republican, as you have stated, then you should be proud to run as one, in 1996, Beatty said.

"This compromise will accomplish two very important things, Beatty said. First, it will allow you to remain a U.S. Senator and continue to represent the people of Colorado, he said. Second, by standing for re-election as a Republican, you will have the opportunity to take your switch in convictions directly to the people. Campbell could not be reached for comment.

Source Depertmenl of liter WHA ON 4A People 6A Sports IB Television 6B Weather 7A Around the region Buelneee Cleeelflede Comics Croeeword 3A Editorial 6B Horoecope 7B Local newa 5B Markets 6A Obituaries In todays Sentinel iNDEXiiO KINDLY PERSONA ISNT A STRETCH FOR MR. ROGERS Inside JORDAN MAY JUMP BACK TO NBA, REPORTS SAY See page 2B I i.