The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 17

I The Daily Sentinel Wednesday, September 10, 2003 9B Volunteer pilots keep hopes aloft Denver to pay $50,000 to members of motorcycle group By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Standing on a runway in Oma- climb well above $1,000 depend-ha, at 2.30 a.m., four weary ing on the type of aircraft. Many pilots cried together after saying of the pilots dont own a plane goodbye to a man they had and must rent them for the known for only two hours. flights. Then they reboarded their When Angel Flight pilots are plane and flew back to Denver In unable to get their patients where near silence. When they arrived they need to go, theyve been home shortly before sunrise, It known to buy a cornmercial air-was hard to sleep.

line ticket. They couldnt forget the man Thats rarely necessary any-Who had been desperate to see his more, in Colorado at least, daughter before she died. Denver based Frontier Airlines, It really hurts to be in the which employs several pilots who presence of someone who is suf- belong to Angel Flight, this year fering like that, said Kevin began offering the group up to 40 Kauffman, who flew his Beech free seats each fiscal quarter. King Air turboprop on the Aug. 4 Russon said the group is only mission.

But its a privilege to beginning to tap into the need for give that gift to them when they the service, need it. He attributes that to the vast- Kauffman and the other pilots ness of the Western United States, Cory Tipton, Gordon Allott the trend toward centralized med-and Marcus Lame are part of a ical care in large cities and de growing network of aviators do- clming levels of medical insur-natmg their time and flight costs ance coverage, to transport people in need. Insurance is not paying for They belong to Angel Flight, a the treatment, much less the nationwide charitable organiza- transportation, he said, tion of 5,000 volunteer pilots. The Flying commercially for recur-group recently merged with Air- ring medical treatment can cost LifeLine, a similar organization, families $10,000 or more. Yet another group, Corporate An- The group's biggest problem is gel Network, provides cancer pa- getting the word out to doctors tients trips in vacant seats on cor- and hospitals, particularly in ru-poratejets.

ral areas, Russon said. Despite In Colorado, Angel Flight is regular visits and phone conver-Still relatively young and small, sations, he still finds that key per-with about 200 pilots and 35 other sonnel at some hospitals dont volunteers, but its growing know about Angel Flight, quickly. Last year, the Colorado Others cant believe its really wing flew 290 missions, up from free. just seven in 1999. Those missions People ask Why are you do-were worth at least $1.5 million.

ing this? said Tipton, wmg lead- Cancer patients living in re- er in Colorado. We have to tell tnote areas, family members who them, Seriously, this is free, heed to be with loved ones hospi- There is no catch. Flying is what talized far away, children and we like to do, and We want to help adults stricken with diseases that you. require highly specialized atten- Finding pilots to volunteer, on tion in other cities all have the other hand, is easy, used Angel Flight. The group also Don Johnson, a retired United delivers donated blood and disas- Airlines pilot and Angel Flight ter relief.

member, said hes going to fly ei- i When you write a check to a ther way. He would rather fly charity, you never see where that someone on a medical mission money goes, said Rick Russon, than take off from Centennial assistant wing leader for Angel Airport, fly around for a few Flight in Colorado. "But when hours and return, you look right into the eyes of the For Kauffman, who owns a person youve helpied, its Denver-based oil and gas busi-indescribable. ness, the motives are more per- The cost of each flight is paid sonal. Several years ago, Kauff-by the pilot Missions average man, now 47, was struck with $500 to $600, but the cost can life-threatening complications By IRE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER The city of Denver will likely pay $50,000 to settle claims filed by 18 people after police raided a Hells An gels clubhouse in 2001 and detained other members of the group earlier this year.

Assistant City Attorney John Eckhardt would not detail what led to the proposed settlement The deal reached with 11 people involved in a 2002 federal lawsuit, including the owner of the clubhouse, and seven other group members detained and questioned by police this year received initial approval from the City Council on first reading Monday night. The Councd is expected to give its final approval next week. Hopefully, this will send a message to the Denver Police Department that they cant stereotype people, said David Lane, one of the attorneys for the bikers. If these Hells Angels are committing crimes, go get em. If theyre not, they have a right to associate with whoever they want to associate with.

Police Chief Gerry Whitman declined to comment According to the lawsuit, members of the Hells Angels were gathered at their clubhouse, 3257 Navajo in July 2001 when several Denver police officers ordered them outside at gunpoint. The members were handcuffed and forced to sit on the curb while the clubhouse was searched without a warrant, the lawsuit said. The motorcycle riders also complained that some of them were forced to partially disrobe so that tattoos and scars could be photographed. As a result, the lawsuit said, the bikers suffered emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life and other pain and suffering City officials denied the allegations, saying officers were justified in detaining the bikers and searching the clubhouse At a motorcycle swap meet early this year, Lane said, officers detained and questioned seven other members of the Hells Angels. That group threatened to sue, and the city negotiated a single settlement for both cases.

Papers filed with the lawsuit asserted police wrongly believed illegal activity was taking place. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is an organization devoted to enhancing and promoting the lifestyle of motorcycle enthusiasts, the groups filing said. The defendants harbored a belief, albeit incorrect, that Hells Angels clubhouses are places in which illegal activities are conducted. The defendants also wrongly believe that all or most members of the Hells Angels are outlaws and criminals. Assistant City Attorney Stan M.

Sharoff drafted a letter of apology to the group. CORY TIPTON, COLORADO WING LEADER for Angel Right, back to camera, carries a box containing units of whole blood bound for Salt Lake City to Angel Right volunteer pilot Scott Behringer at Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield. from a strep infection from dental work. My way of coping with the blessing of having survived, my way of thanking God for that, is to give other people an opportunity to be closer to their loved ones when theyre ready to pass away, or to receive medical care to save their lives, he said. Of the many missions hes flown, however, delivering the father to Omaha last month was the most touching.

The man, a truck driver, had been outside Los Angeles when he learned the condition of his teenage daughter, who had leukemia, had worsened. She had 12 hours or less to live. The man couldnt drive to Omaha in time, so doctors in Nebraska contacted Angel Flight. Because the man was approaching Las Vegas, they to put him on a Frontier flight from1 the Nevada city Denver International Airport. At DIA, Kauffman and would pick him up and fly him Omaha in the hopes he could while his daughter was alive.

Dozens of Angel Flight scrambled to coordinate the trip. The plan worked. The man able to be with his family and daughter for about four hours she died. In life, youre either a spectator or a participant, Kauffman said. Theres a great sense of in this, beyond your your family and your community involvement.

It helps you yourself as a complete human being. decided to crew to arrive still volunteers was his before fulfillment job, define People who read newspapers are students with better grades. It all starts with newspapers. Justices warn colleagues after ruling on meth lab case Time for ceramic tile? Come see us today! Carpetime Family owned operated since 1975! 245-4753 2320 1-70 Business Loop www.carpetimegj.cam By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DENVER The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that police did not have probable cause to search a Canon City home, because the last information they had of an illegal methamphet-amine operation there was a month old. In a sharply divided 4-3 ruling Monday, the dissenting justices accused their colleagues of issuing an opinion that literally defies common sense, and warned it could severely hamper efforts to discover methamphetamine laboratories.

Justice Gregory Hobbs, writing for the majority, said an informant told police that he was at the home of a man named Wade Paul Miller on Dec. 9, and had smoked methamphetamine that 1 Miller manufactured there. The Informant also said Miller kept supplies in his kitchen to manu-facture the drug. Police arrested Miller upon discovering a methamphetamine laboratory during a raid at the house exactly four weeks later. Hobbs and the majority said that because the only information linking the alleged illegal activity to the home was stale, the search was improper and evidence seized in the raid cannot be used against Miller at trial.

Justice Ben Coats, writing for the minority, said the affidavit for the Jan. 6 search clearly indicated that an officer had discovered a methamphetamine laboratory during a raid of Millers home five months earlier. Miller was charged with manufacturing and distributing the drug and was released on bond. That raid, along with the informants tip, and a tip from a second informant that Miller was inanufacturing meth at several pther locations, justified the January search, the minority said. There was no reason to believe Miller had mysteriously stopped manufacturing methamphet-amine at his home and removed all evidence of his operations there," Coats wrote.

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