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Ex-Colorado Park Ranger Gets Probation After Guilty Plea in Staunton State Park Stabbing Hoax

Investigators cited body-camera footage with phone-search results to determine the Staunton State Park stabbing was staged.

Overview

  • Callum Heskett pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant and false reporting of an emergency.
  • A judge ordered three years of supervised probation and more than $16,000 in restitution, with the exact amount to be finalized within 21 days.
  • Prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges under the plea agreement, and his Colorado POST certification was revoked with a bar on future recertification.
  • Court records show a deferred sentence on the felony that can be removed if he completes probation.
  • The false report in August 2025 prompted a large-scale response that included SWAT, drones and aviation teams, a Lookout Alert to about 8,600 homes, and multiple school lockouts.