New details emerge in arrest and possible motive of Custer County shooting suspect

New details emerged on Wednesday of the arrest in New Mexico of a man suspected in the shooting deaths of three people and wounding of a fourth in Westcliffe on Monday.

U.S. marshals and New Mexico State Police arrested Hanme Clark, 45, of Westcliffe, Tuesday during a “high-risk, felony stop" just outside of Albuquerque, N.M.

Clark was arrested in connection with a Monday shooting that led to the deaths of Rob Geers, his wife, Beth Wade Geers, and James Daulton. Daulton’s wife, Patty Daulton, survived the shooting but sustained serious injuries. She was taken to Colorado Springs for treatment.

Clark and the victims were neighbors in the wooded, secluded Rocky Ridge Road neighborhood 8 miles north of Westcliffe.

Clark faces three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday.

The release states that Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith delegated the authority to arrest Clark to the Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Task Force Tuesday morning.

Deputy U.S. marshals from Colorado Springs, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Custer County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado State Patrol began coordinating prior to Tuesday, as authorities sought Clark, who was traveling in a white Dodge Ram pickup truck.

Smith told the media Tuesday that the truck was spotted in Chaffee County, but that he believed the suspect left by the time of the press conference held in Westcliffe at noon Tuesday.

According to the Wednesday press release, information was obtained around 1 p.m. Tuesday that Clark's pickup truck was traveling southbound on Interstate 25 toward New Mexico.

The suspect’s vehicle reportedly drove past a New Mexico State Police officer around 1:35 p.m. Clark was reportedly traveling south on I-25 toward Albuquerque. The officer followed the vehicle and identified Clark as the driver. Deputy U.S. marshals from the District of New Mexico as well as NMSP — including members of NMSP SWAT — coordinated and executed a plan to stop Clark.

Authorities took him into custody without incident, the release stated.

Clark was taken to the New Mexico State Police Office in Albuquerque for questioning and currently is being held at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque awaiting extradition back to Colorado.

Authorities said they believe the incident took place due to a land dispute between Clark and his neighbors. Smith said disputes over land borders and easements between properties had taken place for “years.”

“There’s a legal process called an easement,” Smith said during a Tuesday press conference in Westcliffe. “Some of the neighbors have a legal easement to drive through the suspect’s property. They’ve been through court numerous times with lawyers and things.

“As of today, the easement stands as the subdivision was originally created many years ago.”

The investigation of the incident is ongoing.

Court document sheds more light on shooting

According to an affidavit obtained from the Custer County Combined Court, at around 1 p.m. Monday authorities received a 911 call from Patty Daulton. Patty Daulton stated that four people were shot around 173 Rocky Ridge Road (the Geers’ residence) adjacent to 165 Rocky Ridge Road (a residence owned by nonprofit Herbal Gardens Wellness) in Westcliffe. The affidavit stated that Clark lived at the residence at 165 Rocky Ridge Road.

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A surveyor, William Dechaver, was listed as being present at the time of the incident in the affidavit. According to the document, Dechaver said he was assisting with the surveying of an address he believed to be Lot 33A when the shooting began.

Dechaver reportedly told police that he was with Rob Geers when Clark approached them and started yelling about trespassing. He said he believed Rob Geers was recording a video of the interaction as the shooting commenced. Dechaver told investigators that when Clark began shooting, he ran east for nearly half a mile to a neighbor’s house.

According to the document, on Nov. 17 Geers filed an “armed trespass complaint” that occurred Nov. 16. Rob Geers sent photos from cameras on his property to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. The document states that photos showed a male in hunting gear with his face covered, carrying a rifle. Rob Geers was reportedly adamant it was Clark and stated it was the fourth time he had trespassed. He also claimed that Clark and Nancy Medina-Kochis (presumed by authorities to be Clark’s girlfriend) had targeted him and his wife with harassment and trespassing. The affidavit states that Geers also was concerned with the presence of a weapon.

In a court filing with the 11th Judicial District Court of Colorado, dated Dec. 2, 2020, Herbal Gardens Wellness, Clark and Medina-Kochis filed a civil lawsuit against Steven Coppola and other Rocky Ridge neighbors.

The suit alleges that an easement located on a portion of Lot 33 of the Silver Cliff Heights Subdivision was never granted to Coppola because he voluntarily dismissed himself from a prior case establishing said easement. Despite this, the suit claims, Coppola was adamant that he was entitled access to the portion of land.

The property located at 165 Rocky Ridge Rd. was donated to Herbal Gardens Wellness by Sarah Carroll in 2019. The property borders Coppola’s.

Clark and Medina-Kochis are believed to live at the residence.

The plaintiffs alleged that since the property was donated to Herbal Gardens Wellness, Coppola made “numerous demands in a threatening manner to access the Property via the Easement, which Herbal has refused.” The threats included those of a violent nature, according to the court document.

Herbal claimed that it placed a gate on the property to protect its “employees” and “agents” from Coppola trying to access the easement. The court filing states that Carroll also was fearful of Coppola prior to donating the land.

The suit claims that Coppola had access to his property even in the absence of the easement.

The lawsuit claims that Coppola was “motivated by an extreme prejudice and dislike of individuals, like Medina, who are of Native American descent.”

Clark alleged that Coppola also made disparaging and false comments around the community and that damaged Herbal Gardens Wellness’ reputation.

Smith told reporters at the noon press conference Tuesday that he believes Clark is in the “ownership structure” of Herbal Gardens Wellness.

The filings also show that Medina-Kochis was a volunteer at the nonprofit and that she suffers from bouts of epilepsy which can be triggered by stress. The suit claims Medina-Kochis' condition required persistent medical care and that Clark was her caregiver.

The lawsuit is still pending, and no judgement has been made.

Check back to gazette.com for more information on the story as it becomes available.