JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — The former seasonal Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) ranger accused of an "elaborate hoax," claiming he was stabbed in August at Staunton State Park, pleaded guilty Monday to two counts.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office arrested Callum Heskett, 26, on several felony and misdemeanor charges on Aug. 21, 2025. He faced charges of attempting to influence a public servant, tampering with evidence — which are both felonies — false reporting to authorities, reckless endangerment, obstructing government operations and second-degree official misconduct, the sheriff's office said.
On Monday, Heskett pleaded guilty to attempt to influence a public servant and the false report of an emergency. The remaining counts were dismissed as part of his plea deal Monday.
Heskett was sentenced to three years of probation under supervision and to pay restitution of approximately $16,000. The district attorney's office has 21 days to finalize an exact amount.
As part of the plea agreement, Heskett's certification for law enforcement in the State of Colorado is revoked and he is barred from future certification to prevent him from working in law enforcement in the future.
Heskett admitted to using his radio on Aug. 19 to report that he was involved in a "physical confrontation with a subject" when he was working as a CPW seasonal ranger at Staunton State Park.
When authorities arrived, they found Heskett kneeling in a grassy area along the service road. A deputy saw that Heskett was holding a 3- to 4-inch pocket knife, which appeared to have been stabbed into his lower left abdomen, as Denver7 previously reported from Heskett's arrest affidavit read.
At the scene, Heskett told the first responders that he had been traveling up the service road in a CPW Jeep when he saw a man hunched over near a tree, so he stopped to check on him. He claimed that the man stood up, cursed about "the police," charged at him, grabbed his pocketknife and stabbed him, the affidavit read. Heskett told deputies he was able to deploy pepper spray, and after that the man fled into the woods. At some point during the altercation, Heskett said the suspect punched him in the back of his head and "took him to the ground," the affidavit read.
He provided a description of the man to authorities, and then Heskett was brought to an AirLife helicopter, which transported him to a nearby hospital for surgery. At the hospital, a crime scene analyst collected DNA swabs from Heskett. After this, Heskett told authorities he remembered the suspect was wearing a glove, according to his arrest affidavit.
Meanwhile at the park, the search for the alleged "suspect" had started, with crews on the ground and in the air. A Lookout Alert was sent to 8,600 homes in the area, and multiple schools were put on "lockout" status.
Prior coverage:
- CPW seasonal park ranger accused of stabbing hoax did not pass training at previous police department
- Staunton State Park stabbing incident was 'elaborate hoax' and ranger is arrested, sheriff's office says
- CPW ranger stabbed at Staunton State Park in 'targeted attack,' suspect is on the run, sheriff's office says
During the investigation, authorities noticed inconsistencies in Heskett's story.
Investigators reviewed the body-worn camera footage from deputies at the scene and noted that Heskett did not appear to have any grass or dirt stains on his back — something they found unusual since he had said the suspect tackled him to the ground. He did have a dirt stain on his knee, and had been kneeling when authorities first arrived. They also did not notice any wounds to his head. The footage did show him appearing to send texts and possibly taking a photo or a video with his phone, Heskett's arrest affidavit read.
An analysis of his phone records showed that he had made several searches online regarding how deep arteries are in the lower abdomen and abdominal anatomy. One search read, "$1mil for each time you get stabbed," according to Heskett's arrest affidavit.
Prior to CPW, the City of Lafayette confirmed to Denver7 that Heskett worked at the police department from Oct. 2, 2023, to July 2, 2024. Lafayette Police Chief Rick Bashor sent a termination letter to Heskett after the 26-year-old failed to pass field training. The termination notice was rescinded, though, because Heskett resigned in lieu of termination. Heskett's resignation letter shows he resigned from his position on July 3, 2024, which is the same day he received the termination letter from the chief.
*Denver7's Stephanie Butzer contributed to the background information in this report.
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