The Colorado park ranger accused of stabbing himself in a hoax that sparked a large-scale manhunt at Staunton State Park final August took a plea deal Monday.
Callum Heskett pleaded responsible to making an attempt to affect a public servant, a felony, and false reporting of an emergency, a misdemeanor, based on a news launch from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
The plea deal dropped extra prices of making an attempt to affect a public servant, tampering with proof, reckless endangerment, obstructing authorities operations and official misconduct from his case, based on Jefferson County court docket data.
Heskett was sentenced to a few years of supervised probation and ordered to pay greater than $16,000 in restitution, based on the district legal professional’s workplace. That quantity, which can be up to date within the coming days, accounts for the prices incurred by all of the businesses that responded to his faux misery name.
The former park ranger’s misdemeanor conviction is everlasting, however he was granted a deferred sentence on his felony cost, court docket data present. If Heskett fulfills the phrases of his probation, that cost might be faraway from his file.
However, if Heskett violates the probation settlement, he might be sentenced to the Colorado Department of Corrections for a interval of between two and 6 years.
The investigating officers’ principal concern when contemplating a plea deal was making certain that Heskett wouldn’t be allowed to work as legislation enforcement once more, Deputy District Attorney Michael Rex mentioned in the course of the Monday morning listening to, based on the news launch.
The stabbing hoax convictions will revoke Heskett’s POST certification and bar any future recertification, based on the district legal professional’s workplace.
Heskett radioed for assist inside Staunton State Park at about 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 19, claiming he had been attacked and stabbed by a stranger who fled the scene. The state park was shut down, all guests had been evacuated and a shelter-in-place order was issued for roughly 8,600 close by residents as legislation enforcement businesses looked for the fictional suspect.
Two days later, authorities confirmed the assault was an “elaborate hoax.” The former Colorado Parks and Wildlife ranger had researched belly accidents, together with how deep arteries are and the stomach’s anatomy, within the days main as much as the fabricated assault, based on his arrest affidavit.
Heskett, who authorities mentioned stabbed himself together with his personal pocket knife, was fired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Aug. 22, based on the company.
Heskett “was in a position of authority and trust” and “abused that authority” by making a false report that triggered a considerable legislation enforcement response, Deputy District Attorney Rex mentioned in the course of the listening to.
“Innocent third parties were inconvenienced and investigated as possible assailants, and likely numerous police reports went unresponded to as critical assets were deployed,” Rex mentioned. He known as the conduct “utterly incompatible with the responsibility, trust and duty charged of a law enforcement officer.”
Heskett was employed as a park ranger in March 2025 and assigned to Staunton State Park in May. He grew to become a ranger after washing out of coaching on the Lafayette Police Department.
He resigned when confronted with termination from the police division after receiving a large number of poor evaluations throughout his sole month of coaching, together with low scores in practically 90% of the coaching analysis classes, based on his personnel file.
Heskett did not reveal “sufficient proficiency in critical areas needed to be a police officer,” Lafayette Police Chief Rick Bashor wrote in Heskett’s termination letter. The letter was rescinded when Heskett elected to resign in lieu of termination on July 3, 2024.
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