Ouray County Plaindealer: Publishing a small newspaper feels like tiptoeing through a minefield each week. We debate the smallest details to identify potential hazards before taking a step.

In the case of last week’s edition, some of you have made clear you believe we misstepped, triggering an explosion.

We’re referring to the front-page story detailing allegations of a sexual assault. We used public documents to describe what the now-18-year-old victim told investigators – that she was repeatedly raped last May in the home of the Ouray police chief as the family slept upstairs. Three men, including the chief’s stepson, have been arrested. The story sparked outrage and disbelief that something like this could happen here. One person didn’t want anyone to read the story, and stole most the newspapers from our racks in Ridgway and Ouray in an attempt to prevent the public from reading it.

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