PARK COUNTY — In early 2019, Florissant ministry leaders Torin and Rena Smith were set to appear before a judge when neither one of them showed up at the courthouse.
Rena Smith had been convicted months earlier of witness tampering over a child sex crimes investigation involving her husband, Torin.
Torin Smith was expected to go to trial in 2019, but more than five years later federal investigators with the U.S. Marshal’s Office say he and his wife Rena are still on the run.
It’s a case that’s frustrated Sandi Polgar, who attended church with the Smiths, from the beginning.
“My position, I wasn't one of the victims, I wasn't a parent or relative of one of the victims, but I had been in that church, then I heard somebody spilling their guts and giving me all kinds of information on it. So that's how I got involved," Polgar said.
Polgar attended several court appearances when the pair was facing their charges. Years later, she said she’s still concerned about the victims if the Smiths don’t make it back to Colorado.
The couple attended a church in Lake George and helped run “Praise Mountain Ministries” in Florissant.
“Well they’re out there somewhere,” Polgar said, “you know, they [the victims] may never have justice, I don’t know.”
The U.S. Marshal’s Office said this case is active and ongoing, even years later the case is not considered cold.
About a year ago, Polgar came across something in the local paper, the Pikes Peak Courier. It was an ad asking for a special conservator to come forward in regards to Torin Smith’s property.
Polgar said there was a rumor Torin Smith had died of COVID-19 in 2022. The U.S. Marshal’s Service said they believe both Torin and Rena are still alive.
The U.S. Marshal’s Office says tips can help them out in an investigation like this, if you believe you have information on where they might be contact investigators at 1-877-WANTED2 or by visiting usmarshals.gov and click “submit a tip”.
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