Sheriff’s office finishing Bond investigation

Former Rotary treasurer has been cooperative

The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office is finishing up its investigation of former Crested Butte Rotary Club treasurer Richard Bond. It is expected that the report will be passed along to the District Attorney’s office early next week. According to sheriff Rick Besecker, the six-week investigation entailed a lot of paper work and he said, “Mr. Bond has been very cooperative with the investigation.”

The formal inquiry started after “banking irregularities” were discovered with the Rotary account in early July. As a result, the financial concerns were reported to the sheriff’s office and the investigation started. A search warrant was served to the Community Banks of Colorado.
“Once our lead investigator Robert Summer returns from vacation, we will put our heads together and turn over the report to the D.A.,” said Besecker. “We don’t include a recommendation in the report but we will let it be known that Mr. Bond cooperated with the investigation.
“What happens after that is up to the D.A.,” he continued. “One of the elements that weighs into the decision making process is the non-violent nature of the crime. That usually grants more lee-way.”
Whether or not the victim of a crime insists on pursuing action plays a part in the D.A.’s decision to file charges or pursue a trial, but it isn’t the final word. The D.A. can make a judgment call. Sheriff Besecker was not at liberty to release details of the investigation report since it is not officially finalized.
Bond has resigned from the Rotary and other non-profit organizations of which he was a member. He is also on a leave of absence from his position as executive director of the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce.