A Colorado police chief has been placed on administrative leave after his son-in-law and three other men were accused of raping a 17-year-old girl while she slept on the second floor of her home.
of City of Ouray Announces On Monday, it was announced that Police Chief Jeff Wood will remain on administrative leave “pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings surrounding the alleged rape” during a party thrown by his son-in-law at Wood’s home in May 2023.
The city hasn’t said exactly why Wood was asked to resign, but the move comes after a man stole a stack of documents from a rack and tried unsuccessfully to cover up a local newspaper’s report on the alleged crime. This took place more than a week after the news amplified. The story received national attention.
The city previously said it had been monitoring the case and Wood’s family ties since he first learned of the investigation in July 2023.
Wood did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
His stepson, Nate Diffenderfer, 18, was arrested in December on felony sexual assault charges, along with Gabriel Trujillo, 20, and Ashton Whittington, 18. The incident is being investigated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Dieffenderfer is accused of terrorizing a night of gang rape after a 17-year-old guest at a party at Wood’s home became inebriated and passed out.
The police chief’s son-in-law stopped her as she tried to fight back and scream, and the police chief and Trujillo dragged her into the bathroom and took turns violently abusing her, according to an arrest affidavit. That’s what it means.
Although Mr Whittington did not attend, he is said to have not intervened.
The next morning, the survivor woke up naked and grabbed a sweatshirt from a pile of laundry, which turned out to be Wood’s. A subsequent investigation turned up DNA on him, but not enough to indicate foul play.
According to the victim, the police chief was at home the entire time, but was asleep during the several hours of torture.
Wood told the Post last week: [the rape allegations] Approximately two months after the incident occurred. ”
“I do not believe it is appropriate to comment on the validity of the young woman’s claims at this time as she is expected to be called as a witness at trial,” Wood said in an emailed statement.
The charges became widely known when a local restaurant owner stole hundreds of copies on Jan. 18, the morning the Ouray County Plain Dealer reported the horrific accusations on its front page.
Paul Choate, 41; Accusing the Plain Dealer He claimed on social media that he carried out the robbery to protect the victim, saying he was trying to profit from the story.
Remarkably, Choate appears to have no connection to police, Wood, his son-in-law, or the other three men named in the criminal case.
This alarming incident sparked an outcry from the community calling for Mr Wood to resign.
