Colorado Springs Independent: After El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder conducted a bizarre news conference on Nov. 8 to hammer the Independent and its senior reporter, yours truly, his office cut off communications with me. Any requests I made, including for open public records made according to law, have since been answered to the Indy‘s editor, Matthew Schniper.

What triggered Elder’s ire was this story.

But First Amendment attorney Steve Zansberg of Denver says the Sheriff’s Office’s response doesn’t square with the law. Zansberg, on the Indy‘s behalf, wrote a letter delivered today, Dec. 13, to Elder saying his office “has denied Ms. Zubeck’s rights, available to any other member of the public, in retaliation for her exercising her rights as a journalist.”

Zansberg cites various authorities in making his point, and closes with: “I trust that upon review of the above authorities, and after consulting the County Attorney, you will immediately discontinue the practice of discriminating against Ms. Zubeck in retaliation for her editorial news coverage of your office, and will provide her equal access to your office’s records as you provide to any other member of the public.”

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