Half of Sheriff’s Office Indicted for Abuse of a Corpse, Excessive Force.

A grand jury in southern Colorado handed down indictments Friday against five members of the Costilla County Sheriff’s Office, including the sheriff himself and his son, prosecutors said. The charges stem from two unrelated incidents, one involving the reported mishandling of human remains and another tied to the alleged use of force on a man during a mental health crisis.
According to the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Danny Sanchez and former Deputy Keith Schultz each face one count of abuse of a corpse plus five counts of official misconduct. The allegations center on events from October 2024.
A resident had discovered a human skull, teeth and other remains on private mountainous property and reported it to authorities. Court documents say Deputy Schultz responded first and told the man the office would return to collect everything. When Sanchez and Schultz came back later, they allegedly took only the skull and left the rest behind, placing the skull in an unmarked paper grocery bag with no labels, seals or chain-of-custody paperwork.
The man later reported that teeth with dental work were missing and no other remains were recovered, according to the indictment details reviewed by multiple outlets including the Associated Press and Colorado Sun.
In a separate case from February, Undersheriff Cruz Soto, Sgt. Caleb Sanchez (the sheriff’s son) and Deputy Roland Riley face charges including second and third degree assault, official misconduct and failure to intervene or report use of force.
Documents allege that a man experiencing a mental health crisis was at the sheriff’s office building when officers encouraged him to go to a hospital voluntarily. He reportedly decided he wanted to leave and was not told he was under arrest. When he started walking away, the officers allegedly tased him and used physical force, resulting in broken ribs, the filings state. No criminal charges were ever filed against the man.
Four of the seven sworn officers in the small department were among those indicted, the district attorney’s office noted. All five men turned themselves in and were expected to post bond.

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