Las Animas Mayor Clarifies March Police Call, Citing No Public Threat

A handcuffed man slipped his hands in front of him, stepped out of a Las Animas patrol car, and briefly fled the scene on March 23. Two days later, Mayor Charles Shupe published a public letter making clear what that incident was not: a manhunt, a school threat, or a public safety emergency.

The underlying case was a misdemeanor investigation tied to an alleged restraining-order violation. Officers had detained a suspect and returned with him to a residence when the detainee freed his hands, exited the vehicle while still restrained, and left before being re-apprehended. Shupe noted the incident occurred "across the tracks," distancing it geographically from local schools.

The letter took direct aim at the word "manhunt," which circulated on social media after the Las Animas Police Department posted to Facebook about the ongoing call. Shupe walked through the legal and operational definition of the term and stated the March 23 response did not meet it. The Facebook post was voluntary, not required by law, and was intended as a transparency measure under the department's new leadership.

"Our goal today is not to offer excuses, but to offer the facts," Shupe wrote. He added that a genuine public threat would have prompted direct protective instructions, not an informational update.

The letter is posted through city channels, where residents can also request additional incident details directly from the Las Animas Police Department or the mayor's office. The department has indicated that future public safety notifications will continue through those same outlets.