Keith Pearson, 60, a former Estes Chamber of Commerce president, allegedly drove his ATV while nude in a public hiking area when he contacted several victims, according to details District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin shared about the open misdemeanor public indecency case at a town board meeting Tuesday evening. Pearson is charged with four counts of public indecency, and his next court date is set for June 16.
Colorado’s 8th Judicial District includes Larimer and Jackson counties. McLaughlin included updates about four ongoing cases of local interest to Estes Park in his annual report to the board.
“I intentionally don’t give a lot of details about these cases because, open cases, we have ethical obligations about pre-trial publicity,” McLaughlin said. “And I do always like to remind folks any case that we’re talking about that is still open, charges are just an accusation and they remain innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
McLaughlin briefly discussed a five-year-old case that has been delayed by various competency evaluations. Jacobo Mendoza, 44, faces charges of kidnapping and attempted murder and is undergoing a mental state evaluation.
“Competency proceedings take a really long time to wind their way through the process, but that does not mean we have lost track of that,” McLaughlin said. “We have attorneys specifically assigned to that competency court. They’re appearing on these cases, they’re monitoring these folks. The goal is let’s get folks restored so that we can prosecute a case, get justice and convictions on these cases.”
David Anthony Morales, 45, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of serving alcohol to and contributing to the delinquency of minors at a party in February 2025 at the Twisted Griffin Pub and Restaurant, where he had been a chef. He was sentenced Tuesday on the two misdemeanor counts to 60 days in jail, 36 months of probation, and 100 hours of community service.
Morales also recently pleaded guilty to felony charges of failing to register as a sex offender. This is his second offense for failing to register. His sentencing for the felony is scheduled for July 27.
Paul Todd Howarth, 72, was charged with 4th-degree arson and criminal mischief in the Feb.27 fire at the Expedition Lodge. He had a court appearance on June 11 in Larimer County and is due back in court again on July 23. At this time, the court is reviewing issues of the defendant’s competency.
McLaughlin shared a slide with two pie charts comparing case-filing-type percentages between the Estes Park Police Department and the 8th Judicial District as a whole from 2017-2025.
Notably, Estes Park had fewer traffic and drug cases, but a higher rate of DUIs. Of cases filed in the 8th District, 26.4% were traffic, 12.3% were DUIs, and 10.5% were for drugs – compared to 20.2% traffic, 22% DUIs, and 3.8% drugs in Estes Park.
“I noticed that Estes was a lot higher percentage-wise on DUI, although a lot lower percentage- wise on drugs, other stuff,” Mayor Gary Hall said. “It was just an intriguing kind of statistic.”
“Some of that traffic in some of those other agencies is just a bigger part of what they do,” McLaughlin said.
Because traffic is a little lighter in the Estes Valley, some of the other categories take on a larger percentage.
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary or concerning to me about these stats,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin also discussed programs the district attorney’s office launched in the last several years. Veterans court offers jail diversions with community support for military veterans. And a local bias and hate crime hotline was launched late last year in response to concerns about increased threats against immigrant, Jewish, and LGBTQ+ communities.
People should still call 911 in an emergency, but the hotline provides another avenue to report concerns. The hotline number is 970-498-7150.
McLaughlin shared a graph showing the exponential increase in digital evidence over the last decade. In 2024, investigators processed 98 terabytes, which was a 45% increase from the year before.
“We’re now getting a ton of bodyworn cameras, cell phone downloads, computer downloads, records returns from social media, things that didn’t really exist in cases even six, eight years ago,” McLaughlin said. The district attorney’s office is working with agencies such as the Estes Park Police Department to address this increased burden.
Trustees approve evidence technology contract for the EPPD
Jeremiah Polucha, a commander with the Estes Park Police Department, gave trustees an overview of the technology the department uses before they approved a five-year contract with Axon Enterprise Inc. for upgraded body-worn cameras, Tasers, drone software and digital evidence management tools.
The agreement will cost the town $380,341.26 over 60 months, with annual payments of $75,997.20 beginning in 2027. The previous five-year contract totaled $272,894, with annual payments of $58,645.53.
Polucha said the renewed agreement includes upgraded body-worn cameras and Tasers, along with new software and evidence management tools designed to improve operations and accountability.
One addition is Axon Air DroneSense, which allows the department to livestream video from its two DJI Matrice drones in the same manner as body-worn cameras. The department uses drones during large community events, such as festivals and parades, as well as during tactical incidents, fires, and search-and-rescue operations.
The contract also includes Axon Performance, a supervisory review and accountability platform that helps department leaders evaluate body-camera usage and determine whether officers are complying with department policies and training requirements.
Trustees unanimously approved the contract.