SteamboatToday.com • September 18 2026

Keep Bears Wild educator talks tips and tricks to keep bears away during ‘unprecedented’ year

With Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local law enforcement agencies reporting the highest levels of bear activity on record, Christy Bubenheim, lead educator of nonprofit Keep Bears Wild – Steamboat, is encouraging community members to stay “bear aware” and is raising awareness on the plethora of strategies residents can take to avoid potential encounters with the animals. 


According to records from CPW, Routt County has seen a nearly 410% increase in reported bear incidents from last year, w...

SteamboatToday.com • September 17 2026

Routt County bear incidents surge 410% from previous year

Routt County has seen a nearly 410% increase in reported bear incidents compared to last year, with 952 incidents reported in the county through Sept. 10 compared to 187 incidents reported in 2025 through the same date, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife records. 


This year, 13 bears in Routt County have been euthanized, and nine have been relocated as of Sept. 10, representing a dramatic increase from last year, when no bears were euthanized or relocated, the records show.


As of Sep...

SteamboatToday.com • September 9 2026

Police chief updates Steamboat City Council on decommissioning Flock cameras 

Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett updated City Council this week on the process of removing Flock cameras and automated license plate readers from the city. As of Thursday, Sept. 3, the cameras have officially been decommissioned and are not collecting data.


The Tuesday update came two weeks after a packed, often tense public forum where Beckett defended automated license plate reader technology as community members questioned privacy risks, data-sharing issues and potential misuse....

SteamboatToday.com • September 7 2026

Hayden Police Department terminating Flock contract, bagging cameras

The Hayden Police Department will terminate its contract with Flock and put plastic bags over its two cameras following a public hearing on automated license plate reader technology at the town council’s Thursday meeting. 


The decision comes less than a week after the Routt County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would be terminating its contract with Flock and was in the process of deactivating its cameras, and less than two weeks after Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett ordered t...

SteamboatToday.com • September 2 2026

Routt County Sheriff’s Office ending Flock contract, in process of deactivating cameras

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office is ending its contract with Flock Safety and is in the process of deactivating all automated license plate reader cameras in unincorporated Routt County, according to a statement released Wednesday. 


The announcement comes after Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett ordered the immediate deactivation of all Flock cameras within Steamboat city limits on Thursday, one day after a packed, often tense public forum where Beckett defended the technology as co...

SteamboatToday.com • August 26 2026

Steamboat Springs police chief defends use of Flock cameras

In a public forum packed with 80-plus people Tuesday night, Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett defended Flock camera technology and underscored its benefits — while also acknowledging a wide range of concerns and objections voiced by community members. 


The two-hour session in Steamboat’s Centennial Hall, facilitated by former City Council President Jason Lacy and attended by another 70 people via Zoom, was announced in late July as discussions on the use and potential abuse of Flock...

SteamboatToday.com • August 6 2026

Steamboat Springs police chief outlines crime threats, staffing strain in candid council update

Steamboat Springs Police Chief Mark Beckett gave city council a candid update on the state of the police department this week, outlining rising violent and property crime rates, a surge in child pornography and sexual assault cases, and the toll of chronic understaffing on investigations and officer mental health.


At council’s regular Tuesday meeting, Beckett presented the department’s first basic crime data since he became police chief in 2023, detailing new metrics on domestic violence, dru...

SteamboatToday.com • August 4 2026

Steamboat man charged after allegedly pulling gun on 2 people near Columbine Drive

A Steamboat Springs man has been charged with menacing with a weapon after allegedly pulling a handgun on two people during a road rage incident, according to an affidavit for arrest. 


Patrick Bushley, 27, was charged with menacing with a weapon, a Class 5 felony; prohibited use of a weapon, a misdemeanor; and knowingly and improperly storing a handgun in an unattended vehicle.


On Friday, July 31, a Steamboat Springs Police Department officer responded to a report of an “armed person” near...

SteamboatToday.com • August 4 2026

Steamboat man allegedly breaks into Chief Theater, lights fire in toilet

A Steamboat Springs man has been charged with arson and burglary after breaking into the Chief Theater and lighting a fire in the toilet of the bathroom, according to an affidavit for arrest.


Cameron Lichnovsky, 33, was charged with arson in the fourth degree, a Class 2 felony; burglary in the second degree, a Class 5 felony; and criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. 


On Wednesday, July 29, a Steamboat Springs Police officer was dispatched to the Chief Theater due to a report of a burglary. 
T...

SteamboatToday.com • July 27 2026

Behind the scenes of the Fishhook Fire base camp

When some people think of wildfires, they often picture the spectacle: helicopters, towering smoke, flames reaching the sky and firefighters gathering en masse to risk their lives to save lives, property and nature alike.


But just as important — and sometimes overlooked — are the bodies and minds that coordinate with remarkable precision to make large-scale wildland fire response possible in the first place. 


Though the Fishhook Fire north of Rabbit Ears Pass is now near full containment,...

SteamboatToday.com • July 13 2026

Started hours apart, 2 Routt County fires challenge local response

Routt County’s first two notable wildfires of the season ignited within two hours of each other Sunday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders, road closures and a multi-agency response across the region. 


The first wildfire start, located just north of Rabbit Ears Pass and four miles southeast of Mount Werner, had spread to at least 100 acres as of 2:15 p.m. Monday. That fire, called the Fishhook Fire, was first reported around 12:30 p.m. Sunday and was zero percent contained as of Monday, ac...

SteamboatToday.com • March 10 2026

Two Steamboat men arrested after alleged attempted break-in caught on home video

Steamboat Springs Police arrested two local men for allegedly attempting to break into a Steamboat Springs home last week. 


According to the affidavit for arrest, Connor Impara, 27, and Chad O’Brien, 30, of Steamboat Springs were arrested last Wednesday and charged with criminal trespass in the first degree and criminal attempt to commit a felony, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor criminal tampering in the second degree.


A Steamboat Springs police officer responded to a report of a sus...

SteamboatToday.com • February 26 2026

Man allegedly smuggles cocaine into Routt County jail

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office charged a man Thursday with smuggling cocaine into the county jail, according to an arrest affidavit. 


Anthony Falcon, 36, was charged with introducing contraband in the second degree, a Class 6 felony. 


Falcon was initially arrested at 1 p.m. Wednesday by Routt County Sheriff’s deputies on suspicion of flight to avoid prosecution, a charge accusing him of leaving the state to evade a pending case. 
At around 2 a.m. Thursday, while Falcon was in custody, t...