Man pleads guilty in Internet sex sting

EAGLE — An adult who planned to have sex with a 14-year-old girl faces one to five years in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, said Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.

John Mark Love, 39, of Grand Junction, pleaded guilty Monday to felony Internet luring of a child, Hurlbert said.

An investigation began in December 2006 when Love contacted an undercover detective posing as a 13-year-old girl (the fictitious girl turned 14 recently) in an Internet chat room, officials said.

Love had Internet and cell phone text message conversations with her and one telephone conversation, officials said.

Love drove his tractor-trailer truck to Eagle about 5:30 p.m. June 15 where he planned to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl at a fast food restaurant. A Sheriff’s Office detective was posing as the girl, authorities said.

Love planned to watch the movie “Ice Age” and then have sex with the girl in the truck, authorities said.

Love stopped to park his tractor-trailer truck at the Eagle County Fairgrounds and sheriff’s deputies arrested him, authorities said.

During an interview at the Sheriff’s Office, Love said he came to Eagle to have sex with the girl, officials said. Police also found the “Ice Age” DVD and player during a search of Love’s vehicle, officials said.

Postmaster ordered to pay up

EAGLE — Eagle Postmaster Samuel McGibbon pleaded guilty to a felony Monday and was ordered Monday to pay back $6,630 he stole from the Eagle Post Office, said Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.

McGibbon paid his wife, Evelyn McGibbon — who also goes by Evelyn McNair — $35,000 for landscaping and snow removal services at the Eagle Post Office that she never performed, authorities said.

Evelyn McGibbon said that she had been paid for “doing nothing more than submitting monthly invoices for contracts at the Eagle Post Office,” according to the arrest warrant filed in Eagle County District Court on May 9.

“We couldn’t prove $35,000,” Hurlbert said. “We could prove $6,630.”

“We don’t think that was necessarily wrong,” Hurlbert added. “It’s just this is what we could prove.”

Postal investigators said photographs showed “there had been no noticeable landscaping conducted at the Eagle Post Office,” the affidavit says.

Samuel McGibbon contracted with a company called Everclean Services. Four or five years ago, the company was launched by Evelyn McNair and operated from her Broomfield home address. Everclean has no regular clients and its sole contract is with the Eagle Post Office, the affidavit says.

Evelyn McGibbon’s charges include felony theft, Hurlbert said. Her case is pending, he said.

Evelyn McGibbon told investigators she opened the business under the name McNair because she and her husband are separated and she wanted to keep the business relationship separate, the affidavit says.

McGibbon admitted that McNair was his wife, and that he had concealed that information from postal employees and supervisors, the affidavit says.

McGibbon pleaded guilty to felony theft and misdemeanor failure to disclose a conflict of interest. McGibbon did not lose his job, but plans on retiring in October, Hurlbert said.

The Eagle Valley Enterprise contributed to this article.

Man’s sexual assault case dismissed

EAGLE — An illegal immigrant’s sexual assault case was dismissed Monday, said Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.

Prosecutors dismissed its case against Lissandro Almaraz, 25, of Minturn, because the woman who accused him of an Aug. 2006 rape decided not to go forward with the case, Hurlbert said.

The woman’s name is being held to protect her identity.

Almaraz was charged with sexual assault and criminal trespass, both felonies, and misdemeanor false imprisonment, Hurlbert said.

Hurlbert was disappointed that the case would not be prosecuted, he said.

“We also certainly understand what the victim had been going through all this time,” Hurlbert said. “So we certainly understand why she didn’t want to go forward.”

A jury acquitted Almaraz of two counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and third-degree assault, all felonies, in May.

Almaraz is being held in Eagle County jail and could be deported, authorities said.

Staff Writer Steve Lynn can be reached at 748-2931 or slynn@vaildaily.com.