Brown pursues Columbine cover-up claim

Father of threatened teen seeks support from 2 Jeffco officials

Charley Able, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 23, 2005 at midnight

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GOLDEN - Randy Brown, who for nearly six years has claimed county officials conducted a cover-up after the Columbine slayings, sought support Tuesday from Jefferson County's two new commissioners.

Brown also traded verbal jabs with County Attorney Frank Hutfless during the meeting.

"I am sure that you are aware that this county has been involved in the concealment of important documents regarding the Columbine tragedy," Brown told Commissioners Kevin McCasky and Jim Congrove.

Brown's son, Brooks, was threatened with death on a Web site operated by Eric Harris in 1998, just months before Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 of their Columbine High School classmates and a teacher before killing themselves in the April 20, 1999, school attack.

"You may not be aware that approximately 61 students have been killed in school shootings since Columbine," Brown said in requesting commissioners to lobby for release of records he said were kept secret in the alleged cove-rup.

"I believe that the information still being kept secret about the Columbine tragedy by the sheriff's department, the district attorney's office and the diversion program, and the school district can save the lives of innocent children," he added.

Brown contends that had investigators followed up on the death threats against his son, the Columbine attack might not have occurred.

Congrove asked Brown for specifics on the materials he wants released, including what Brown said are "thousands of pages" missing from investigative reports.

Brown offered a few examples, including the draft search warrant affidavit generated by his report of the death threat against his son.

Brown also accused Hutfless of conspiring to keep that document and other evidence from the public.

Hutfless, who was appointed by McCasky and Congrove in January, was county attorney at the time of the attack, but resigned under pressure in 2001 during a dispute with previous commissioners.

"I believe that he (Hutfless) is involved in the cover-up," Brown said.

Hutfless then took the unusual step of responding, under oath, to Brown's claims, which Hutfless called "defamatory and malicious."

"I am doing my best to suppress my outrage," Hutfless said.

Hutfless said the "secret" meeting Brown cited only briefly touched on the search warrant affidavit.

"The purpose of that meeting . . . was focused on administrative issues associated with Columbine: how to get electricity to the people who were down on the site, how to increase or improve communications, how to secure the site for investigation and, probably most secret of all, how to secure portable toilets and where to place them," Hutfless said.

McCasky and Congrove expressed confidence in Hutfless, but offered to meet with Brown to discuss his call for release of any remaining Columbine evidence.

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