Residents of abandoned Colorado town furiously call for arrests of officials: Should alarm every taxpayer

They’re furious the government left them high and dry.Residents of a small Colorado town abandoned by its government angrily called for the arrests of local officials — declaring that the town’s tainted drinking water and ship-jumping elected officials “should alarm every taxpayer.”The tiny town of Hartman, CO, home to just 30 people, was left in the lurch with a hazardous water supply and zero leadership after an alleged embezzlement scandal and political infighting escalated to physical violence, according to residents and reports this week.The bizarre case of civic dysfunction — in which elected officials suddenly resigned after allegations of fraud and violence — enraged locals, who said officials ditching their civic duties is potentially criminal.“Hartman didn’t just fade away; its leadership handed the keys to the county and walked out the door, leaving the residents to deal with the fallout,” fumed resident Shawna Casey, a moderator of the Hartman Colorado Voice Facebook group.“Residents are left carrying all the weight: You paid your property taxes, but your community won’t see the benefit of them.“Your local water safety is reduced to a temporary, band-aid chlorine pump managed by outsiders.You no longer have a local mayor, clerk, or trustee board.”Town officials who abandoned their posts should potentially face prison time, she said.“Dissolving a town does not erase personal criminal liability, financial fraud, or civil rights violations committed while in office,” she wrote.“When a municipality dissolves, its administrative structure disappears, but the illegal acts of individuals remain subject to state and federal prosecution.”She didn’t specify who should be charged or for what.“HARTMAN WASN’T JUST ABANDONED — THE SYSTEM FAILED IT,” raged another unidentified  “moderator” of the Facebook group.“[It] is a case that should alarm every taxpayer and every resident of a small municipality.”The town,...