Former Weld County Deputy fired, charged with domestic violence harassment
A former Weld County sheriff's deputy was recently fired after being investigated for alleged harassment and domestic violence.
Former Deputy Thomas Lamb, 37, was fired by the sheriff's office, Weld County Sheriff Steven Reams told CBS News Colorado.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) | 1-800-787-3224 [TTY]
Lamb was arrested by Eaton police on Feb. 17, according to court records. The arrest was entered into a statewide police misconduct database earlier this month.
Records also show that the victim, another police officer who CBS News Colorado is not naming, was granted a mandatory protection order against Lamb on Feb. 21.
Lamb is accused of harassing the alleged victim when she tried to end a relationship between them. On one occasion, he called her 19 times in a 10-minute period -- prompting her to block Lamb's personal and work phone numbers -- an arrest report for Lamb says. He then called her 11 times in a 3-minute period on another phone.
In a 2-hour timespan, Lamb allegedly tried contacting her 56 times. The victim said she texted Lamb multiple times telling him to stop trying to contact her and that he told her he knew her location at various times.
She told investigators she feared for her safety and thought Lamb "may try to do something to her."
On several occasions, the victim said during arguments, Lamb would not let her leave the bedroom. If she was able to get out of the room, she said she would take her daughter to another room and lock the door, but Lamb would try to force his way in.
Investigators said they saw over 20 text messages from the alleged victim to Lamb telling him to stop texting her, as well as sexually explicit messages sent by Lamb. In one text message, she told Lamb he was making her "extremely uncomfortable."
According to the arrest affidavit, Lamb operates a Facebook account under the name Jasper VanSpyker. The only active account using that name shows past jobs in Colorado and a photo of a person in a hoodie holding a baseball bat with the face blacked out.
Photos posted by the Weld County Sheriff's Office on its Facebook page show Lamb visiting an elementary school.
The alleged victim in this case told a neighbor that she started sleeping with a gun out of fear Lamb would show up at her house.
Court records show that Lamb is out on a $1,000 bond and is due back in court on April 13.
Reached by phone Tuesday, an attorney representing Lamb said they have no comment on this case.
A request for more information about Lamb's time at the sheriff's office is pending.
RELATED: Domestic violence: Where to get help in Colorado
Colorado's Domestic Violence Program is part of the Colorado Department of Human Services and works with and helps people find community-based domestic violence advocacy programs.