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0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Aug 11, 2005 | by THE GAZETTE

GPS stalking charges dropped

Charges against a man accused of stalking his wife with a transceiver linked to the Global Positioning System have been dropped.

Michael Carlson, 43, was arrested Feb. 11 on suspicion of stalking, harassment and false imprisonment.

Colorado Springs police said he planted a GPS recording device in her car to track her movements.

It was the first case Colorado Springs police could recall of someone being accused of stalking with a GPS device.

The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office determined it did not constitute felony stalking and dropped the charges 11 days later. Prosecutors then filed misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

Elizabeth Kirkman, chief deputy district attorney, said those charges were later dismissed, at the request of Carlson's wife.

NORAD, FAA to conduct training

The military will conduct a series of training flights over the Denver and Colorado Springs areas today in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The exercise will involve North American Aerospace Defense Command fighters and other aircraft in training missions designed to hone NORAD's ability to defend America's skies, the command said in a news release. Details were withheld to protect the integrity of the mission.

NORAD, a Canadian-United States command that monitors space and air threats to the continent, has conducted similar exercises throughout the United States and Canada since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and the start of patrols by fighter jets, the release said.

Since the attacks, NORAD fighters have scrambled or diverted from air patrols within the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility and over Canada more than 2,000 times to respond to possible threats.

NORAD is based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Hefley's office seeks interns

Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., is accepting applications from young people interested in an internship in his district office in Colorado Springs.

Fall internships begin Aug. 22 and end Dec. 16.

Interns are responsible for a wide range of jobs including constituent services and assisting with special assignments.

Individuals interested in a fall internship should contact Jason Lippert, 520-0055. The application is accessible online at www.house. gov/hefley and can be faxed to Hefley's district office at 520-0840.

Work set for Highway 24

Colorado Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be conducting guardrail repair on eastbound U.S. Highway 24 at mile marker 293 (intersection to Pikes Peak Highway, Cascade) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today.

Motorists can expect the left lane to be blocked.