The Estes Park Police Department is investigating reports of an alleged incident involving several minors being served liquor and of one or more sexual assaults, including of minors, that occurred Feb. 21 at the Twisted Griffin Pub and Restaurant located at 247 W. Elkhorn Ave.
According to Estes Park police chief Ian Stewart, the EPPD is the lead investigative agency in this case.
The establishment, which David Bard owned since December 2023, closed days before the reported incident.
Bard was also the owner of The Griffin’s Nest Coffee and Tea Pub, located just above the restaurant at 253 W. Elkhorn, and the Highland Bard, located across the street at 238 W. Elkhorn.
The three properties are held in trust by heirs of Jim Durward, an Estes Park dentist who built the West Elkhorn Centennial Plaza and Water Wheel Shops in 1976. It was reported to the Estes Valley Voice that steps were being taken to evict Bard from the properties prior to the incident for failure to pay his rents.
Parents of several teenagers allegedly victimized in the incident told Estes Valley Voice that an unnamed former employee of the Twisted Griffin served the minors alcohol.
Bard had employed some of the teenagers in his businesses, and word spread quickly via text messages and social media platforms to other adolescents in the community that a party to “use up” the liquor left over after the restaurant closed would take place that evening.
The parents who spoke with Estes Valley Voice described the teenagers as both females and males who are currently sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Estes Park High School. One or more recent high school graduates who have reached the age of majority, but who remain under the legal drinking age, may also have been included.
One parent, who asked that she and her minor child not be identified, said that her daughter had been given some type of “date rape” drug, in addition to being served alcohol, at the event. The parent reported that both photographs and video show the teenager intoxicated and in a state of unconsciousness. After the incident, the child was examined for physical and sexual assault and was referred to EPPD victim services for support.
Possible violations of state law that forbid alcohol service to minors may not be the only legal problems at Bard’s operations.
One parent whose daughter was at the incident reported to Estes Valley Voice that her daughter, who had been a server at the restaurant, has not been paid for her work.
Another parent accompanied her teenaged daughter, who had also been an employee, to talk with Bard about past due earned wages. The child was told she would be paid in cash.
A single mother of a young child told Estes Valley Voice that she began working at the Griffin’s Nest Coffee and Tea Pub when it opened in early 2024 and was paid with checks that did not indicate her hours worked, wages, tips, or withholdings.
The woman resigned in the early summer, but then returned to work at the coffee shop before the holidays. She reported that Griffin’s Nest paid her with checks that bounced and that she sought help from Larimer County for assistance to pay her rent because she was paid $1,100 less than the wages she earned.
According to Stewart, EPPD will provide the community with more information about the alleged liquor serving incident when the investigation is concluded. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Jenn Morrow at the EPPD at 970-577-3826 or jmorrow@estes.org.
Employees who have not been paid for their work should contact the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to file a report.
Suzy Blackhurst and Barb Boyer Buck contributed to the research and editing of this article.