PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KOAA) — A letter making its way to neighbors in Pueblo West claimed a sexually violent predator was moving in, except the man named in the letter is not one.
Jamie House lives in Colorado Springs, his fiancée, Mikiele Manasco lives in Pueblo West where he plans to eventually move. Not only did the letter falsely claim he’s a sexually violent predator, it also included a lot of sensitive information.
“This is just a whole new realm of ridiculousness and craziness,” Manasco said.
House said he first learned about this last week when a deputy with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office called him and said people had called the office about the letter.
- Listen to his story in the video player below.
“At first, I was wondering if it really was the sheriff’s deputy or if I was being pranked,” House said. He learned quickly; it was not a joke.
The letter went a step further and also named Manasco and her place of work. House’s social security number, birthday, and license plate number were even included in the letter.
“I’m extremely angry, upset, you know I feel violated, I feel frustrated like I want something to be done because you know other than trying to do this to clear his name, there’s nothing else we can do,” Manasco said.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to News5 that the letter did not come from their office, and they also do not send out letters when a sexually violent predator (SVP) moves into a neighborhood.
Instead, they put out a news release and update its website and social media pages with the information.
News5Investigates also looked up House’s information through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and national registries; he is not a sex offender or a sexually violent predator.
The letter includes what looks like a Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office logo, it also says it came from an “Officer M. Janson via Chief K. Henderson". There’s no chief because the Sheriff is in charge, and the Sheriff typically oversees deputies, not officers.
“I’m still kind of shocked,” Amanda McCullough who lives in Pueblo West and received the letter said, she learned it was fake from News5, “we’ve never gotten a letter like this before. So really, all that mattered to me was the subject “registered sexually violent predator”- that's all I needed to know, really.”
McCullough is a mother of two and took the letter at face value; she warned her 9 and 12-year-olds.
“My husband and I mentioned it to them right away and had to explain what a predator was,” McCullough said.
Colorado law does require law enforcement agencies to notify the public when a sexually violent predator moves into a neighborhood.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office does not send mail, but sends out news releases and updates its website and social media with the information.
As House lives in Colorado Springs, he also reported it to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), which confirmed an investigation is underway. The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office is also investigating.
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