CANON CITY - A peaceful protest was staged Saturday in front of the Fremont County Sheriff's office where three officers have been placed on administrative leave since January.

About 35 protestors attended the event waving signs urging change. Among those in attendance was Dolores Hiltz, whose daughter Candace was murdered in 2006 at the age of 17.

Apparent evidence from the Hiltz homicide was recovered in late December from a defaulted storage unit that once belonged to Fremont County Sheriff Lt. Robert Dodd. Dodd has been on leave from his job pending a Colorado Bureau of Investigation probe into the case.

"Yes, this has opened wounds, but doing anything is better than nothing," Hiltz said. "This is the first stand against corruption here in Fremont County, and this is not just about Candi."

Rebecca Cardinell said she is outraged by the thought of evidence being in a personal storage unit.

"I am heartbroken and I am a little pissed off by it all. Yes, we have some good sheriff officers, but this was not right," Cardinell said.

Also in attendance was Debi Weger, who was arrested by Fremont County Sheriff Sgt. Arin Hart. Hart was placed on administrative leave in March pending an internal affairs investigation into allegations that he has mishandled several DUI/DUID cases.

Weger said she was moving from one home to another and was weaving when Hart pulled her over. He ordered her to do a roadside test, which she said she did not want to do because of bad knees and recent surgery.

"He intimidated me into doing it, and I still have nightmares about it," she said. "My blood test came back with zero (THC). They were looking for marijuana, and when that didn't stick they went after me for careless driving.

"I have no criminal record and no driving violations in the nine or 10 years I have lived here. My case has been pending five months," Weger said.

Horse owner Penny Gingerich also attended the protest. She is under investigation for 64 counts of cruelty to animals after Fremont County sheriff deputies and other animal welfare authorities seized 63 of her horses from her Penrose ranch and a sale barn on Jan. 20.

A judge later ordered 24 of her horses returned to her after ruling the seizure was "overbroad."

Another protestor was Cheryl McDowell, whose son Brandon Atencio was shot and killed by Canon City Police officers who were attempting to arrest him Dec. 11, 2014. Atencio allegedly charged at the officers with a box cutter, but McDowell said she believes officers did not have to use lethal force against her son.

The two officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 34 President Russell Hickman attended the rally to talk to people about their concerns and get their side of the story.

"Everybody, even an officer, is innocent until proven guilty and has a right to defend himself," Hickman said. "The sad thing about this is it can be demoralizing to the rest of the force. It is rough being a public safety officer."

Hickman urged protestors to wait until all the facts are in and said the cases, "Should not be a reflection on all the deputies. There are a lot of good ones."

"This is a peaceful protest and we are just getting the word out," said Rick Ratzlaff, event organizer.

Ratzlaff was the person who bought the contents of Dodd's storage unit and discovered the items apparently related to the Candace Hiltz case in envelopes marked "Evidence."

Ratzlaff said he also hopes to organize a recall effort of Sheriff Jim Beicker.

"Recalls are very costly, time consuming and often fizzle out," Hickman said. "But I like democracy."

tharmon@chieftain.com