Police: Granddad Shoves Girl Close To Elk Herd (trying to get a better picture)

The Associated Press ^ | 06/28/06

[presidio9]

A 63-year-old California man faces child abuse and assault charges for allegedly shoving his 6-year-old granddaughter dangerously close to a herd of calving elk and then attacking bystanders who protested his actions.

Estes Park Police Commander Wes Kufeld said Harold Wellsted also faces a charge of second-degree assault for allegedly attacking an officer in the booking room of the jail.

A group of spectators near the Estes Park Visitor's Bureau information center was watching an elk herd Friday morning from behind a fence when a van with a woman, an older man and two young children got out. Despite a sign warning visitors against getting too close to the elk, the family stepped over the fence and approached the elk, which had been gathered on the nearby golf course.

Kufeld said the grandfather then pushed the girl toward the elk to take a picture. She began to cry when one elk reared up.

Kufeld said a 58-year-old woman yelled at Wellsted, which allegedly prompted him to hit her. The suspect also knocked down the woman's 82-year-old father, who had been using a walker.

The family then drove away but witnesses began taking snapshots of the van. Using those photographs, police were able to trace the family to Greeley, where police arrested Wellsted, according to the Rocky Mountain News.

Wellsted was also wanted on a child abuse warrant out of California, authorities said.

[ahayes]

Psycho!

[ClearCase_guy]

The suspect also knocked down the woman's 82-year-old father, who had been using a walker.

They say this like it's a bad thing ...

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN!

Dude, this was posted days ago!

[Sax]

Roll the old fart in granola and leave him out there for the elks.

[Sax]

Whoops, thought the 82 yr old did it - got the ages mixed up.

[presidio9]

I regret nothing.

[Red Badger]

Dumbass dufus!.......

[Sensei Ern]

I've seen worse behavior at a senior citizen home on bingo night. WHy is this news, and more importantly, while did you bother posting it on FR?

[garyhope]

"Psycho!"

Nah, just another warm, friendly "concerned" and "progressive "Democratic environmentalist" and "liberal".

Everything about the Dims always has to be in parenthesis, because nothing about them is real.

[Froufrou]

I like that! Granola. What's with this guy?

[1Old Pro]

Wellsted was also wanted on a child abuse warrant out of California, authorities said.

Yep, but I guess he was going to fight that one claiming that throwing a youngster into the rapids was O.K. because whe had an underwater camera and wanted to get up close to the salmon run and hopefully get a good shot at the Grizzly lunching on the fish.

[ahayes]

Where do you see something about his political affiliation?

[presidio9]

WHy is this news, and more importantly, while did you bother posting it on FR?

MOre importantly, why did you bother reading it? Literally thousands of threads get posted to FR every day. Stick to the ones that interest you. That way, everybody wins.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

Hmmm... Looks like I'm gonna hafta call my Frat in Greeley to keep an eye on this guy... you know, as a community service.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

Hmmm... Looks like I'm gonna hafta call my Frat in Greeley to keep an eye on this guy... you know, as a community service.

[Gaetano]

California whack-job alert part 9,999,999

[MeanWestTexan]

Call twice.

[scouse]

family stepped over the fence and approached the elk, which had been gathered on the nearby golf course.

When I was a member of the Moose, we used to play golf every Saturday morning, but nobody ever took our photos.

[garyhope]

I didn't.

I'm just making my usual, biased, pejorative, right wing fanatic judgment and name calling presumption that he's a big stinking, hypocritical "liberal" Democrat.

Why? Does it bother you? Do you really care?