Silverton man victim of ATV rageCounty struggles to deal with backcountry drivers
September 14, 2006
By Shane Benjamin | Herald Staff Writer
A Silverton man was struck and pushed 25 feet by an all-terrain vehicle
when he asked the driver to get off his property.
REBECCA DROKE/Herald
Joe Jepson stands on his property north
of Silverton, where he was struck and
pushed 25 feet by an all-terrain vehicle
trespassing on his land on Sunday. The
assault left him with a broken left leg.
Joe Jepson, 54, suffered a broken leg, scrapes and bruises when the unidentified driver ran him over at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, seven miles north of Silverton. Jepson was on his property when the assault occurred. He will undergo surgery to repair his injuries early next week.
After Jepson asked two ATVers to leave his property, "One guy just hit the throttle and ran into me," he said Wednesday. "The guy who ran into me just split, and he left me lying there with a broken leg."
The second man seemed concerned, and asked Jepson if he needed a ride, Jepson said, but he quickly followed his friend. Jepson is hoping the second man will come forward with information.
Authorities said that without more information, the odds of catching the culprit are "not very high."
"Once we got out there, we scoured the area for the ATVs," said Deputy Shane Snider with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office. "But there were so many people coming and going with ATVs."
Jepson described the two ATVs as red and white and dark-colored. One of the drivers was wearing a yellow parka, he said.
At the Eureka campground, campers noticed two men load their ATVs and leave in a hurry, Snider said.
The incident can only worsen the perception that some residents have of ATVs, said Beverly Rich, a longtime Silverton resident.
"An incident like this happens, and it's just bad for the whole community because it makes everybody look bad," Rich said.
Snider said there is some tension in Silverton toward ATV riders, but for the most part, ATV riders follow the rules.
"There are always a few who wander out onto private property," he said. "Usually, we're notified, and we go out and issue them a criminal-trespass citation."
Jepson said dozens of ATV drivers disobey no-trespassing signs and wander onto his property every year. He usually shows them the property line and asks them to leave, he said, and they do.
The two men on his property last weekend were spinning doughnuts in wetlands and "raising hell," he said.
Jepson is scheduled for surgery on his left leg Tuesday. Doctors will perform a bone graft from his hip to replace bone in his leg, he said.
In recent years, the ATV craze has gotten out of control, Jepson said, and San Juan County lacks adequate enforcement to deal with the ATV community. ATVs are not required to display licenses, and they do not have to register in the areas in which they ride. Drivers also wear helmets with face guards that hide their identity. Residents, Jepson said, can do little to protect themselves against property damage - and now, assault.
"I'm in my own yard and on private property, and I was nearly killed by an ATVer who was clearly trespassing on private land," he said.
Snider said San Juan County and surrounding counties are working to address the problem. While last weekend's incident was rare, there has been an influx of ATVs, he said, and San Juan County has only four full-time officers. Next year, there likely will be an Alpine Loop ranger to police ATVs.
"That's something that the counties are working on now," Snider said. "I think next year, the county is going to have a little better hold on ATVs."
Anyone with information about Sundays hit-and-run assault is asked to call the San Juan County Sheriffs Office at 387-5531.
September 14, 2006
By Shane Benjamin | Herald Staff Writer
A Silverton man was struck and pushed 25 feet by an all-terrain vehicle
when he asked the driver to get off his property.
REBECCA DROKE/Herald
Joe Jepson stands on his property north
of Silverton, where he was struck and
pushed 25 feet by an all-terrain vehicle
trespassing on his land on Sunday. The
assault left him with a broken left leg.
Joe Jepson, 54, suffered a broken leg, scrapes and bruises when the unidentified driver ran him over at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, seven miles north of Silverton. Jepson was on his property when the assault occurred. He will undergo surgery to repair his injuries early next week.
After Jepson asked two ATVers to leave his property, "One guy just hit the throttle and ran into me," he said Wednesday. "The guy who ran into me just split, and he left me lying there with a broken leg."
The second man seemed concerned, and asked Jepson if he needed a ride, Jepson said, but he quickly followed his friend. Jepson is hoping the second man will come forward with information.
Authorities said that without more information, the odds of catching the culprit are "not very high."
"Once we got out there, we scoured the area for the ATVs," said Deputy Shane Snider with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office. "But there were so many people coming and going with ATVs."
Jepson described the two ATVs as red and white and dark-colored. One of the drivers was wearing a yellow parka, he said.
At the Eureka campground, campers noticed two men load their ATVs and leave in a hurry, Snider said.
The incident can only worsen the perception that some residents have of ATVs, said Beverly Rich, a longtime Silverton resident.
"An incident like this happens, and it's just bad for the whole community because it makes everybody look bad," Rich said.
Snider said there is some tension in Silverton toward ATV riders, but for the most part, ATV riders follow the rules.
"There are always a few who wander out onto private property," he said. "Usually, we're notified, and we go out and issue them a criminal-trespass citation."
Jepson said dozens of ATV drivers disobey no-trespassing signs and wander onto his property every year. He usually shows them the property line and asks them to leave, he said, and they do.
The two men on his property last weekend were spinning doughnuts in wetlands and "raising hell," he said.
Jepson is scheduled for surgery on his left leg Tuesday. Doctors will perform a bone graft from his hip to replace bone in his leg, he said.
In recent years, the ATV craze has gotten out of control, Jepson said, and San Juan County lacks adequate enforcement to deal with the ATV community. ATVs are not required to display licenses, and they do not have to register in the areas in which they ride. Drivers also wear helmets with face guards that hide their identity. Residents, Jepson said, can do little to protect themselves against property damage - and now, assault.
"I'm in my own yard and on private property, and I was nearly killed by an ATVer who was clearly trespassing on private land," he said.
Snider said San Juan County and surrounding counties are working to address the problem. While last weekend's incident was rare, there has been an influx of ATVs, he said, and San Juan County has only four full-time officers. Next year, there likely will be an Alpine Loop ranger to police ATVs.
"That's something that the counties are working on now," Snider said. "I think next year, the county is going to have a little better hold on ATVs."
Anyone with information about Sundays hit-and-run assault is asked to call the San Juan County Sheriffs Office at 387-5531.
