Firestone officials Wednesday approved an emergency ordinance to impose residency restrictions on registered sex offenders.
Prior to the newly elected members of the Firestone Board of Trustees being sworn in on Wednesday, the outgoing board unanimously approved the emergency ordinance as its last order of business.
The ordinance, which took effect immediately, makes it unlawful for any sex offender to reside with another sex offender within the town unless they are related as parent and child, as siblings or by marriage. Regardless of the familial relationship, no more than two sex offenders may reside together, the law specifies.
The ordinance goes on to say that the town is “aware of attempts to subvert the use requirements of the Firestone Development Code” and that the new law is “necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace,” among other things.
Former Firestone Mayor Drew Peterson, who was still mayor when the ordinance passed, said in an interview Friday that on April 19 residents made him aware of a registered sex offender having purchased a home in Barefoot Lakes with the intent of turning it into a residence for other sex offenders who were coming out of prison for the purpose of rehabilitation.
“The concern was that Barefoot Lakes is a young community with lots of young kids,” Peterson said. “Having that many sex offenders newly out of prison in the community was of concern … as a potential risk.”
Peterson made clear that the residents who alerted him to the matter did not have a problem with someone wanting to help people transition back into society after prison. Instead, he said their concern centered around the fact that several sex offenders would be living together in a family neighborhood where numerous children live and play.
Roohallah Mobarez, who is a registered sex offender and the founder and CEO of Mobarez Solutions, purchased a 6-bedroom, single-family home on Canoe Street in Barefoot Lakes, according to Weld County property records.
On its website, Mobarez Solutions states “We prioritize mental health and emotional wellbeing every step of the way with our trauma-informed approach. We work with community partners to connect individuals to supportive resources for mental health, emotional support, legal rights, employment and education.”
Neither Mobarez nor Mobarez Solutions showed up as an approved treatment provider for sex offenders in Colorado on the state’s Division of Criminal Justice website.
Mobarez did not return a request for comment Friday seeking information about who provides mental health services to his clients, their level of education and whether or not they are certified.
Roughly 140 people attended the Firestone Board of Trustees’ meeting Wednesday, and the board room erupted in applause when town officials voted to approve the emergency ordinance.
Firestone Town Manager A.J. Krieger said the town’s primary responsibility is to protect the health, safety and welfare of its residents and their families, in a statement issued Friday.
“Over the course of several days we heard directly from residents with specific concerns about the safety of their neighborhood. Staff promptly looked into the matter and determined that their concerns arose from an attempt to subvert the use requirements of the Firestone Development Code,” Krieger said in the statement. “To address the issue, the Board of Trustees took immediate action by adopting Ordinance 1041 to uphold the integrity of our community and protect our residents.”
