Help me fight government over-reach.

Living a modern-day David & Goliath tale.

On March 26th, 2021 I was fortunate enough to buy my dream house in my home state of Colorado. When my home was advertised the listing said “Bear Creek running through your backyard!” When I found out I got the house I couldn’t believe my luck: I’d found something incredible and won the sales bid in the midst of America’s epic housing crisis. Even in the middle of winter, with the creek frozen over and the property covered in snow, I fell in love with the land and imagined how peaceful it would be to enjoy the creek and my new home when summer arrived. Unfortunately, that day never came.

As the weather warmed my nightmares began.

What I expected to be my private backyard oasis quickly turned into a Public day-care & water park for 55+ visitors a day. Apparently this had been ongoing for ~35 years and wasn’t disclosed to me. Not being from the specific area, I had no way of knowing what I didn’t know. When I bought in the winter there was no evidence of public use.

Additionally, the house came with a “land improvement certificate” that showed the property was private and a survey I had done confirmed the land I bought was mine. Furthermore, private land owners, including me, have been paying property taxes on it for ~100 years.

When I tried to exercise my property rights I was harassed and made to be a villain by the community I was so excited to join. My small town demanded the government take action to take my land and I was soon sued by all three of my Jefferson County Commissioners in an unprecedented move against a civilian to:

• Take my land via adverse possession (squatters rights, basically);

• Take my land via accretion (argument that the creek moved over time and now my land is their land); and

• Take my land for Public use via Prescriptive Easement (I continue to own the land & pay taxes but have to allow the Public into my backyard).

When big government makes a legal attack like this against a private property owner, like me, they do so in hopes that I won’t have enough money or courage to fight. They hope I can’t afford to defend what’s mine. With their unlimited resources, and lack of regard for how taxpayer money is spent, they can fight a never-ending legal war of attrition to take land from a private property owner.

They do this knowing that there are Public parks, with creek access, less than 1 mile in either direction of me. They do this knowing they have un-utilized county land right next to mine, with creek access, that they could open up immediately and at no cost to taxpayers.

They do it because they think they can get away with it and win. They do it with no regard for me, a lone land owner, and an underdog.

But I’m going to fight for what’s right.

Unfortunately, despite the success I’ve had in life, with this lawsuit and the money it takes to hire lawyers (I have 3!) nearly everything I’ve ever worked for, and every penny I’ve ever saved, is at risk of being depleted overnight and may not be enough to fight my Goliath of a government.

At the request of so many of my generous TikTok followers I am setting up this GoFundMe so that others who take concern with my plight can help an underdog like me fight big government for my right to property.

Thank you for reading this far and for caring about the struggle of a stranger.