Happy hump day, Longmont! The Boulder County Fair begins today and exactly like Lionel Richie, the Oscars, and Longmont City Council meetings, you can expect it to last all night long.
Today — a six-year long criminal case nears an end, the Longmont Recreation Center is closing its pools for a month, and an emergency plane landing
Let’s dive in.
TOP STORY
🌎 Man pleads guilty nearly six years after causing explosion in Longmont hotel
A case that’s lasted nearly six years, involves a standoff, a man barricading himself inside a hotel room, and an explosion, is nearing an end.
The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that Leon Gladwell pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and a crime of violence. He faces up to 32 years in prison.
What happened?
The case stems from an incident in September 2020 after Gladwell had been paroled while serving a sentence for second-degree murder.
“Despite his conviction, violent behavior in the Department of Corrections and the lack of support available in the community, the state released him to a homeless shelter in Boulder,” the Boulder County DA stated.
Sept. 24, 2020: After an alert from Gladwell’s therapist, the Longmont Police Department CORE team and a parole officer contacted Gladwell at his hotel room at the Residence Inn in Longmont.
While contacting Gladwell, police removed two knives from him. Soon after, Gladwell retreated into his room and could be heard moving things in front of his door.
Because Gladwell violated his parole by having knives, the parole officer decided to apply for an arrest warrant, which was authorized by a judge.
Later that afternoon, Longmont SWAT officers and the parole officer returned to the hotel but Gladwell refused to cooperate, barricading himself inside his room. Following attempts at negotiation and de-escalation, a large explosion ripped through Gladwell’s third floor bedroom window.
Gladwell appeared in the window frame holding items in his hands and appeared to be setting off another explosive device. A Longmont Police officer fired his weapon and hit Gladwell before taking him into custody.
Moving forward:
In the years that followed, the case faced significant delays due to competency proceedings and other legal issues, according to the Boulder County DA. Gladwell now faces between 10-32 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October 9 at 10 a.m.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation, and we are grateful no one was seriously injured,” Boulder County DA Michael Dougherty stated. “With this guilty plea, this nearly six-year quest for justice is coming to the right conclusion.”
Headlines
3 Big Things
Courtesy: City of Longmont
Longmont Rec Center pools to close for over a month: All pools at the Longmont Recreation Center will close on Monday to make way for the installation of a new interactive water play feature, the City of Longmont announced yesterday. The closure includes the lap pool, leisure pool, hot tub and lazy river. However, the sauna and steam room remain free game, along with the rest of the facility. Until pools reopen on September 19, Sunset Pool and Centennial Pool will have extended hours. The city will host a grand re-opening party on the 19th at 11 a.m. to celebrate the upgrades.
Longmont biotech company raises $3 million: Longmont-based environmental diagnostics company, Biota Inc., announced it’s just closed a seed round — the earliest formal stage of startup funding — receiving $3 million in investments. Biota specializes in providing accelerated testing for PFAs, also known as forever chemicals. These are chemicals used to make consumer products — like nonstick cookware or microwave popcorn bags — that are resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease and water and are extremely slow to break down. Investing was led by Burnt Island Ventures and DeepWork Capital, as well as Antler, which led Biota’s previous financing.
Plane makes emergency landing in Longmont: A Mooney M-20E airplane had to land in a field east of the runway at Vance Brand Municipal Airport yesterday morning after the pilot began experiencing engine issues, according to a Federal Aviation Administration news release. There were two people inside the plane and no injuries were reported.
Last Call
Today’s weather will be mostly calm, clear and sunny with a brief period of patchy smoke in the afternoon, while temperatures will peak at 87 degrees, per the National Weather Service.
Gas prices are remaining stable in the Boulder-Longmont area and even dropped a few cents since Monday. Today’s average now stands at an average of $4.09 per gallon, according to AAA.
Longmont City Council voted unanimously to continue its contract with Longmont Public Media for video services.
The Boulder County Fair begins today.
The Longmont Sustainability Coalition is meeting tomorrow. Learn how you can get involved here.
Bearded Brewer has a new beer on tap.
Longmont City Council member Jake Marsing is hosting virtual office hours Friday at 10 a.m.
The Longmont Public Library’s teen spaces and collections will be unavailable due to a remodel of the area starting Monday. It’ll reopen next Saturday.
Until next time,
The Longmont Brief
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