Lisa Miles, once a familiar face in Castle Rock’s small-business circles and the woman who ran Burly Brewing, is now sitting in jail as neighbors say she betrayed people who trusted her. The longtime community booster, remembered as charismatic and plugged-in, is accused of taking money and gold coins from residents, a turn that has rattled Castle Rock and stirred up new worries about how personal finances and caregiving are handled in tight-knit towns.
Police arrested Miles on February 17 after a resident spotted her at a grocery store and called officers. She is being held in the Elbert County Jail on $75,000 bond and faces theft charges tied to two separate investigations: one involving alleged misappropriation of a widow’s accounts and another centered on missing cash and gold coins from an older couple’s home. These developments were reported by CBS Colorado.
Burly Brewing And The Business Background
Before the criminal allegations, Miles ran Burly Brewing and was active in the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, positioning herself as a champion of the local business scene. Behind the taps, though, the brewery’s finances eventually came under fire. Burly Brewing was later hit with lawsuits and placed under a court-appointed receiver amid complaints about mismanagement, a history documented by BusinessDen.
Allegations From Former Friends
Some of the most pointed accusations come from Mike and Jamie Hurdle, former friends of Miles, who say their doubts started with small inconsistencies in her stories. Those nagging questions, they told investigators, led them to what they describe as transfers out of a widow’s accounts. Mike says he tracked hundreds of thousands of dollars in movements and believes Miles ultimately took roughly $500,000, while Jamie recalled seeing a different side of the woman they once trusted, calling her "cold and calculating." Their accounts, along with details of how the arrest unfolded, were reported by CBS Colorado.
What Comes Next In Court
The next major step will be a preliminary hearing, a limited proceeding where a judge decides whether there is probable cause to send a felony case to trial. It will be the first real look at the evidence for the public and the earliest chance for prosecutors to lay out their theory while defense attorneys push back. For background on how preliminary hearings work and to follow case dockets, readers can consult the Colorado Revised Statutes and the Douglas County courts.
In the meantime, the case is dominating local social pages and neighborhood conversations, where residents are trading stories about caretakers, vulnerable neighbors, and who gets trusted with access to money. As the Douglas County matter moves through the court system, people who once knew Miles from the taproom and the chamber say they will be watching closely to see whether future filings and hearings reveal the full scope of the alleged scheme.
