Officials continue to stonewall on Colorado district’s election interference case

Sources close to the investigation of election interference in the Roaring Forks Colorado Public School District board race told The Lion a summons has been issued in the case.

But despite multiple attempts, public officials will neither confirm nor deny to The Lion the existence of the summons.

The alleged suspect, accused of stealing a school board candidate’s campaign signs, has previously been identified by a prominent social media group as Megan Talbott, the former teachers’ union president who now teaches in an elementary school for the district. 

A public record search revealed Talbott was registered as a Republican in 2012 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and has no apparent previous criminal record. 

The source told The Lion the charges on the summons include four counts of theft, two counts of evidence tampering and two counts of election interference – figures that have been widely shared on social media. 

The two evidence-tampering counts carry the greatest exposure, with a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in jail per count, to a total of nearly two years in jail if the sentences were imposed consecutively. 

Previously, The Lion reported the victim in the case believed authorities were trying to intimidate her to keep her quiet. 

Now, three weeks after the alleged incident, local law enforcement and court officials thus far have declined to notify the public of the progress being made in the case, or even confirm the existence of the case. 

The Lion reviewed Eagle County Court’s public docket through December 2025 appearances and found no listing under the name of the suspect. 

However, a source close to the investigation told The Lion a sheriff’s deputy stated he had personally served the suspect with a summons with a Dec. 19 court date. 

Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek declined to confirm the existence of any summons and directed The Lion to file a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request for information. 

“You can submit a Colorado Open Records Act on this matter through the Sheriff’s Office website and my team will assist to the extent they are able,” van Beek wrote in an email. 

The alleged theft occurred in the days leading up to the November school board election, when several campaign signs belonging to a candidate were missing. 

A police report was filed and the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation, according to local media reports. 

Social-media discussion quickly circulated the suspect’s name and several Facebook posts identifying the individual involved have been shared in local community groups. 

The Lion attempted unsuccessfully to reach Talbott by phone and email for comment. 

To verify whether a summons had been filed, The Lion contacted both the Eagle County Clerk and the Fifth Judicial District Court Administrator’s Office, which oversees the county court in Eagle. 

The Eagle County Clerk flatly refused to do a name search on the summons. 

The Fifth Judicial District also declined to verify whether a summons had been filed, stating requests must be submitted through an online records form and must include identifying information such as the subject’s date of birth. 

The online docket search consulted by The Lion requires nothing more than a name. However, online dockets often lag real-time filings. 

Because of this gap, journalists routinely call court clerks to check for newly filed or not-yet-posted records and clerks usually accommodate those name-only searches as part of standard practice. 

However, court staff would not confirm whether the case even exists, citing procedural requirements for record searches, such as securing date of birth. 

As of Tuesday, no such entry exists under Talbott’s name. 

The candidate who reported the sign theft told The Lion she was not aware of any official update and had not been informed by law enforcement about the status of the case. 

She did say she subsequently spoke with Eagle County Deputy Justin Clayton, who assured her that Talbott was served a summons. Calls by The Lion to the deputy went unreturned. 

Campaign-related thefts can qualify as election interference under Colorado law, depending on intent and circumstances. The maximum fine for each count of election interference is $750.