LOCAL SERIAL SQUATTER WILL GO TO PRISON

A serial squatter — a person who fraudulently leases properties and fails to pay the rent, eventually being evicted before moving on to the next property and victim — was sentenced Tuesday in Adams County District Court to five years in prison.

William Schwab, 48, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to commit identity theft, according to the district attorney’s office.

The defendant’s wife, Heather Schwab, 43, was sentenced in September to six years in prison for felony identity theft in connection to serial squatting. She also entered a guilty plea in the case.

William Schwab was also sentenced Tuesday to pay restitution, though a dollar amount has not yet been determined, according to a news release.

The Schwabs are guilty of fraudulent conduct in leasing properties at 2756 East 139th Place, Thornton; and at 12188 Locust St., unincorporated Adams County.

The Economic Crime Unit of the DA’s office prosecuted the case. Schwab’s criminal record dates back to 2008 and includes similar acts in Colorado and Texas, prosecutors said.

Weld County town of Gilcrest evacuated due to suspicious device.

The small town of Gilcrest in Weld County was briefly evacuated Monday night because of a suspicious device found in a local school.

The Weld County bomb squad investigated the scene at Valley High School, according to the sheriff’s office. A reverse 911 call was sent to residents telling them to evacuate.

Investigators concluded later that “there is no threat to public safety after investigating a suspicious package.” The suspicious package was a utility locating device, the sheriff’s office said.

Gilcrest, which has about 330 residences, covers an area of less than 1 square mile.

It’s located about 13 miles south of Greeley, and has just more than 1,000 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

Container of crude oil catches fire at well outside Windsor.

Aspare container filled with crude oil caught fire Tuesday afternoon at a Noble Energy oil well.

The Windsor Severance Fire Department extinguished the fire just after 3 p.m., said Todd Vess, spokesman for the fire department.

Paula Beasley, spokeswoman for Noble Energy, said in a statement that “all personnel are accounted for and there were no injuries.”

Only the containers with the oil were damaged, Vess said.

The department received word of the fire just after 1 p.m. Tuesday, Vess said. The small site, located north of Highway 392 on County Road 25, does not have any current producing oil and gas wells, according to Noble Energy.

The fire occurred inside a spare tank, roughly the size of a shipping container, Vess said. Fire officials used a mixture of foam and water to put it out.

There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

Noble Energy has contacted the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and Weld County Office of Emergency Management, the company