The Sopris Sun: On May 26, 2021, the Town of Carbondale released a statement that the Town had “retained Powers Police Consulting and Investigations of Grand Junction to perform an independent administrative investigation of the Town of Carbondale Police Department’s handling of the arrest incident that occurred at City Market in Carbondale on the evening of December 24, 2020.”

Carbondale resident Michael Francisco was the subject of that arrest, whose charges of obstruction of government operations, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest were dropped on May 18, 2021 as part of a deferred sentence agreement. 

According to Town records, obtained by The Sopris Sun pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act, the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act and C.R.S. § 24-72-303(4)(a), the Town paid a total of $3,200 (including a retainer of $2,500 on May 21, 2021) to Natasha Powers to conduct the investigation.

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