Alamosa City attorney served temporary restraining order in dog incident, trial set for July
By Owen Woods | owen@alamosacitizen.com
ALAMOSA City Attorney Erich Schwiesow will be served with a temporary civil protection order after allegedly harassing a family’s livestock guard dog numerous times in Alamosa County.
Edwin Mondragon, who owns a livestock farm on County Road 106 South, filed the temporary order in Alamosa County Court on Tuesday, June 21. A trial date for July 11 was set to determine if the protection order is to be made permanent.
According to Mondragon, Schweisow routinely rides his bike down the 106 South. The first incident, he said, happened about a year ago when the dog briefly chased Schwiesow down the road. After the first incident, the dog was locked up, but Mondragon said that he lost two of his goats to coyotes because of this.
Since then, Mondragon said there were three or four more incidents where he alleges Schwiesow taunted the dog and threw rocks at it, while filming it all on his phone as a way to prove the dog was aggressive.
The incident that led the Mondragons to file for a temporary restraining order happened on May 25 of this year. Schwiesow stopped his bike in front of the property and began to harass the dog, while the Mondragon’s teenage children were present, according to Mondragon A brief argument took place, after which Schwiesow allegedly said that the next time the dog charged him, he’d bring a gun.
Initially, the Mondragons didn’t know who Schwiesow was. They notified law enforcement after each incident and were told by Alamosa County Sheriff’s deputies to try and get him on film and find out who he was. Mondragon stated that they attended a city council meeting in the spring, where they were able to positively identify that it was the city attorney.
Appearing virtually, Pueblo County Judge David Lee Lobato presided over the case and found that the testimony that Mondragon gave and the described, repeated and “antagonizing” behavior and comments made by Schwiesow posed a threat to the health and safety of the Mondragons, their children, and their animals. Judge Lobato signed the order and set the trial date.
During the trial, each side will be allowed to request a continuance. They are entitled to call witnesses who can show up voluntarily or through subpoena, and cross-examine those witnesses.
The protection order states that Schwiesow is not allowed within 100 yards of the Mondragons, their properties on County Road 106 South, and their animals.
Schwiesow was unavailable for comment on the matter. City Manager Heather Brooks said she was unaware of the situation. She said it sounded like a personal matter and not a city matter, and couldn’t provide any comment.
