Hamric’s friends jumped into the water after him, and immediately felt themselves getting shocked. They sustained injuries themselves, but managed to pull Hamric out, WDBJ reported. One of the friends called for help, while another began CPR on Hamric.

Hamric was eventually rushed to a hospital by a rescue crew. He later died. Two of his friends sustained minor injuries.

Fire crews investigated the incident and an official with the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue Dive Team confirmed that there were electrical currents in the water where Hamric died, caused by stray voltage spreading from a dock at a private residence located nearby. No foul play is suspected in Hamric’s death, according to ABC13.

Who was Jesse Hamric?

Hamric was a Steamboat Springs native. At the time of the incident, he was visiting friends with his family. Hamric excelled on the football and baseball teams in Steamboat Springs High School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and had just graduated in May.

“Ever since I first met that kid, I mean, he’s like one of a kind,” Hamric’s friend Alex Schwab told KDVR. “You see him and you just, like, he always has a smile on his face.”

“Still can’t even like process it. I’m so upset by it,” he added.

Hamric was the son of Jay Hamric, the school’s principal, according to Independent. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of a recent Steamboat Springs High School graduate,” the school said in a statement. “Please take a moment to care for yourself, lean into those around you for support, and care for each other. Our thoughts are with all of you.”

A GoFundMe has been launched to “support the family and to fund a “Jesse Cyrus Hamric Foundation for Courage and Love”.” “Jesse was a dearly loved friend, bringing light and positivity everywhere he went, and he will be missed everyday,” the page reads.

A woman accused of filing false documents for federal COVID support for her online businesses — and of receiving almost a half million dollars before federal authorities cut her off — was recently convicted on all charges by a Denver jury.

Shambrica Washington, 39, was found guilty on all 31 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and false claims. 

The jury reached its verdict on June 28, the fourth day of what was scheduled to be a five-day trial in federal court.

Former Colorado data company executive convicted of mail and wire fraud, sold data on millions of people

According to federal prosecutors, Washington was the owner of Tiny Toes and Tiaras, an online luxury baby apparel boutique, and TrueLove’s Daughters, a non-profit focused on female empowerment. Between March and July 2020, Washington obtained loans from the Small Business Administration for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans and from JPMorgan Chase for two PPP loans for a total of $485,749.00. The applications for the loans contained false information about how many people were employed by her businesses and the businesses’ wages, revenues, and costs of operation, according to prosecutors.

Additionally, prosecutors claimed Washington used the illegally obtained money to purchase a car and a custom-built home, pay for elective surgery, and pay credit card debt and other bills. 

Washington also applied for millions of dollars in additional loans, grants, and tax credits which were not granted, according to prosecutors. These included a $6 million SBA grant intended for shuttered concert venues.  

Washington and her husband Jean Victor Damus lived in Fountain at the time of the infractions. They moved to Allen, Texas, in the fall of 2020. There, prosecutors claimed, Washington continued to file false information for federal COVID relief funds on behalf of at least one other company also based on high-end children’s fashion.

The couple sold their Fountain home for $420,000 but only needed a loan of less than $24,000 to complete the purchase of the $1,140,000 (assessed value) home in Texas, according to a search of online public records.

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A federal indictment was first filed against the couple in June 2022. Victor Damus reached a plea deal with prosecutors a year later and was sentenced last November on a single count of False Claims to the Internal Revenue Service. He received a sentence of three years of supervised probation. 

Washington, meanwhile, fought the accusations. Very publicly, in some cases. In the lead-up to the trial, an X account operated by a Shaye Damus of Colorado Springs railed on local, state and federal authorities: “KKK country N Colorado. Corruption stemming from local law enforcement N El Paso County all the way 2 the DOJ N FBI. When will it end,” was posted on March 7, 2023. “When will black people be free in this country?”

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Federal authorities claimed Washington failed to list her criminal record on at least one application for federal funds. Washington pleaded guilty to identity theft in El Paso County court in June 2020 – during the time she was allegedly filling out falsified federal applications. She was given a two-year deferred sentence in the county case along with 100 hours of community service. That county case has since been re-opened, however. Washington is scheduled to appear in a review hearing Thursday.

She faces a judge for the federal fraud sentencing in late September.

IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI Denver Field Office conducted the federal investigation.  

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – Authorities are investigating the crash of a vintage biplane in northwest Kansas that killed two Colorado residents.

A 1934 Waco YKC single-engine biplane crashed into a field in Sheridan County on Sunday. The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the pilot as 78-year-old David Allen and the passenger as 79-year-old Jeanne Allen, of Elbert, Colorado.

Both David and Jeanne died on the scene.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the cause of the crash.

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