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Silt trustee appears in court

Pete Fowler
Glenwood Springs correspondent
Aspen, CO Colorado

SILT, Colo. ” The Silt Town Trustee accused of stalking a woman said the accusations against him are “bogus.”

“I think they’re bogus, but I don’t want to make any more comments,” said Bobby Hays following a hearing for formal filing of charges Wednesday.

The 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed a charge of stalking against Hays. It’s a class five felony that could carry a maximum of three years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, according to Magistrate Lain Leoniak. She said if extreme circumstances are present, the maximum prison sentence could be extended to eight years.



Hays, 49, said in court that he would like to apply for a public defender.

According to an arrest affidavit, a Garfield County Deputy answered a 911 call at a residence in Glenwood Springs. A woman said Hays followed her home from a softball game and was blocking her driveway. The deputy arrived at the residence and contacted Hays in a blue Ford Ranger down the street, the affidavit says.




Asked what he was doing there if he lives in Silt, Hays said he was just driving around, the deputy wrote. The alleged victim told the deputy Hays has been following her and driving by her house since 2000. She said she moved to Denver, then back to the area three years ago, and that Hays resumed following her and driving by her house at that time, the affidavit says.

The affidavit says a man told the deputy he heard the alleged victim pleading with Hays to leave her alone. He asked Hays to leave and Hays said that the woman’s family was mean to him and his family, according to the affidavit.

The woman made a report to the sheriff’s office in 2002 that said Hays was following her, she was scared he would hurt her, and that Hays had said God told him they were married, according to the affidavit.

The alleged victim told the deputy that she had tried to get a restraining order against Hays previously, but that it was turned down by a judge, the affidavit says.

Hays remains free on $5,000 bond until his arraignment, set for Sept. 27.

The Aug. 8 town trustee arrest isn’t the only problem the Silt town government has faced.

There was the loss of its police chief, town administrator, town treasurer and community development director, along with the resignation of a town trustee and a current recall effort aimed at Mayor Dave Moore.

According to town clerk Sheila McIntyre, a new town administrator and community development director start work Sept. 4. That will leave all of Silt’s town positions filled, she said.

The recall petition must be returned by Sept. 14. Then McIntyre must prove its sufficiency and provide it to the town board. Next, a recall election must be held between 30 and 90 days after that date, McIntyre said.

The town’s charter only prevents someone from serving on the town board if they are actually convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, McIntyre said.

Hays was at Tuesday night’s town board meeting and said outside the courtroom he does plan on attending future town trustee meetings.

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