Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Crime Watch on local news
Former middle school teacher pleads guilty to unwanted sexual contact with student
A former Mount Garfield Middle School teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student received a 30-day suspended jail sentence earlier this month.
David Hamilton, 61, pleaded guilty to non-consensual sexual contact, a misdemeanor. Three felony charges of sexual assault on a child were dropped by the court.
Hamilton was arrested in March, 2021 after a female student reported Hamilton attempted to kiss her on several occasions, and made inappropriate contact while hugging her, according to the arrest affidavit.
Hamilton was placed on administrative leave by Mesa County Valley School District 51 Jan. 5, 2021. The district later moved to terminate his employment. One of the conditions of his sentence is he is not allowed contact with anyone under age 18.
Other conditions of the sentence include registering as a sex offender and no employment or volunteer positions that place him in a position of authority over minors or other vulnerable people. Violation of those conditions could result in jail time.
MAN SENTENCED FOR VEHICULAR HOMICIDE
A Grand Junction man with three prior DUI convictions and who was out on bond after being charged with a fourth DUI when he was involved in a fatal crash on Riverside Parkway has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Rocky Sparks Jr., 43, pleaded guilty to DUI vehicular homicide. Charges of DUI with three plus priors, failure to display proof of insurance and driving under restraint were dropped by the District Attorney's office.
Police said on April 7, 2022 Sparks was driving a pickup truck eastbound on Riverside Parkway near 29 Road when he collided with another pickup truck pulling a trailer, which collided with a third pickup truck. A female passenger in Sparks's truck was killed.
Witnesses said the truck driven by Sparks lost control and smashed into other vehicles that were stopped at a red light, according to the arrest affidavit.
There were multiple alcohol containers on the floorboards of Sparks' truck following the crash, police said, and he did not know what happened during the crash when police interviewed him.
Sparks was previously convicted of DUI in 1999, 2015 and 2021, and was also arrested and charged with DUI in March, 2022.
A restitution hearing has been scheduled for March 29.
MAN SENTENCED FOR ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON
A Grand Junction man who police said was party to the shooting of a suspected drug dealer in January, 2022 has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Justin Sanders, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for aggravated robbery, 14 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon (served concurrently with the 14 years for aggravated robbery) and four years in prison for burglary.
Charges of attempted murder, felony menacing, theft, two counts of providing a weapon to a juvenile and two counts of aggravated robbery were dismissed by the DA's office
Police said Sanders was identified as being at the scene of the shooting by the victim, who survived his injuries. Police also said Sanders's DNA was found inside the car believed to have been driven by the perpetrators of the shooting.
Jacob Sears, 19, and a now 17-year-old juvenile were also arrested in connection with the shooting.
