Chris Orlowski, owner of Calhan Bowl & Grill LLC, has talked with the district attorney in Colorado Springs regarding the early December closure of his Calhan building. In a Dec. 8 phone interview, Orlowski said Farmer’s State Bank illegally changed the locks on his building in Calhan. Farmer’s State Bank co-president Randy Pieper said the state of Colorado seized the building for non-payment of sales tax, which, Orlowski said, amounts to $1,400. However, Orlowski said the bank locked him out of the building on Dec. 1, and the state seized the building on Dec. 6.Sandra Loman, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Revenue, confirmed the state seized the building on Dec. 6 and said the state was not working with the bank. “When we seize a business, we seize and we lock it,” Loman said. “We would not have called them (the bank).” She said the state seized the building for non-payment of sales and withholding taxes.”The state just now seized the building,” Orlowski said. “The bank changed the locks prior to the state coming in.”Pieper said confidentiality laws prevent him from providing any other statements at this time.Editor’s note: The NFH will follow up this story in the Jan. 6 issue.
