Ridgway businessman apologizes; theft sparks national media coverage
A Ridgway business owner has been cited on suspicion of petty theft after he stole most of the printed copies of last week’s edition of the Ouray County Plaindealer from racks in Ridgway and Ouray, an act that triggered coverage from media outlets across the country and as far away as Great Britain, including the New York Times and the Washington Post.
The Ouray County Sheriff ’s Office cited Paul Choate, 41, who admitted to stealing the newspapers early on the morning of Jan. 18. He returned them to the Plaindealer office Thursday night with an apology and offered to pay for the papers.
The Plaindealer had already had another 250 copies printed for distribution when he returned the stolen papers. The new copies were redistributed by Friday morning.
In addition to petty theft, sheriff ’s deputies are asking that Choate be charged with interference with lawful distribution of newspapers. That is a civil infraction that carries a potential fine of up to $2,500 for the amount of newspapers stolen in this case. The state legislature passed that law in 2022.
The Jan. 18-24 edition of the Plaindealer featured a front page story detailing a 17-year-old girl’s allegations she was raped at least three times by two different men at the home of Ouray Police Chief Jeff Wood. The alleged attack occurred in May 2023.
Three suspects, Gabriel Trujillo, 20, and Ashton Whittington and Nate Dieffenderffer, both 18, were arrested in December and have been charged with felony sexual assault. Dieffenderffer is the stepson of Wood. He was 17 at the time of the alleged crime, and while juvenile court records are normally not a matter of public record in Colorado, the Plaindealer is naming Dieffenderffer because he was 18 at the time of his arrest and because of the serious nature of the allegations.
Copies of that edition were stolen from 12 racks in Ridgway and Ouray. Investigators were able to identify Choate using several leads and video surveillance, which showed Choate insert quarters into the vending racks at several locations and remove all the newspapers inside.
Choate, who owns Kate’s Place restaurant in Ridgway, admitted he took the newspapers because he was upset by the front page story.
Based on the number of newspapers distributed to racks in Ridgway and Ouray last week and the time frame in which the newspapers were stolen, the Plaindealer initially believed more than 200 newspapers were stolen. A large trash bag that Choate dropped off at the Plaindealer contained roughly 180 newspapers.
The theft was not connected in any way to the three defendants in the case, their families or the Ouray Police Department or other local law enforcement agencies.
Choate has offered varying reasons for why he stole the newspapers. In a phone call to the Plaindealer on the afternoon of Jan. 18, during which he declined to identify himself, he accused the newspaper of attempting to profit off the story of the sexual assault allegations. He also accused the newspaper of harming other businesses and individuals in the community in the past through its reporting.
He criticized the placement of the story on the alleged sex assault case on the front page, above the fold, saying it overshadowed positive news.
An image of the front page of the Jan. 18-24 edition of the Plaindealer. Paul Choate, 41, of Ridgway, admitted to stealing copies of the newspaper from racks in Ridgway and Ouray. He criticized the placement of the story above the photo of the San Juan Skijoring event, saying it overshadowed positive news.
“You know, there was such a good event held this weekend with (San Juan) Skijoring and such a positive situation. And for a gang rape of a local victim to be posted on top of that event, I don’t understand. I don’t understand what you guys did to Taco del Gnar. I don’t understand what you guys did to our former sheriff. I don’t understand what you guys did to the KOA in the pandemic,” he said.
The Plaindealer reported last year about a foodborne illness outbreak that occurred at Taco del Gnar, a Ridgway taco shop, that sickened more than 100 people. State health officials still have not determined the source of the outbreak. Two customers have filed lawsuits against Taco del Gnar.
Choate also criticized the Plaindealer’s coverage of former Sheriff Lance FitzGerald, who had a series of alcohol-fueled domestic violence incidents, one of which resulted in a drunken-driving arrest. That led to county voters recalling FitzGerald with more than 90% of the vote in 2020.
Choate’s complaint about the KOA involves the campground off County Road 23, whose previous owners flouted COVID-19 rules at the outset of the pandemic.
Regarding these past stories he cited in explaining his reason for taking the papers, he said, “It’s all for profit for you, in my eyes. And that’s why I did what I did. I’ll double whatever the cost was for the papers. But this is my way of boycotting. And I don’t care. I’ll report myself, if you like,” he said.
Later in the call, Choate complained the Plaindealer had printed inaccurate information in several stories, including the story about the alleged sex assault. The Plaindealer asked Choate several times to provide the correct information so the newspaper could look into it and print a correction, if necessary, but he did not provide details.
In a post on social media Monday, Choate offered a different explanation for why he stole the newspapers. He claimed he was “appalled” by the graphic details in the article and said he wanted to support victims of sexual assault.
