Early reports that Colorado Springs Police Detective Paul Patton had been arrested included few details. All we knew is that he was suspected of attempting to influence a public servant, first-degree official misconduct and false reporting to authorities. But now, a police report obtained by the Colorado Springs Independent, among…
In general, we celebrate mothers who support their daughters, particularly during those difficult teenage years. Selina Ramirez certainly did so in their case of her sixteen-year-old — but the folks at the Denver District Attorney’s Office aren’t cheering. Instead, prosecutors have formally charged Ramirez, 38, with assault and more. That’s…
Hayden May’s alleged robbery of an Aspen dispensary wasn’t exactly the perfect crime. After all, everyone in the shop reportedly knew who he was — which explains why he apologized during the heist. Presumably, he’s the one who’s sorry now. May fled the state after making his big score, and…
Earlier this month, 22-year-old David Wheat Jr. was killed after being shot eleven times by Fort Collins police officers. The incident shares elements of two themes we’ve been exploring in this space of late. The first is suicide by cop, recently decried by the Las Vegas Police Department as a…
There have been no shortage of officer-involved shootings in the metro area of late. Incidents include the gun-down of armed suspect Chisom Nwandilibe near 17th and Broadway and the April wounding of wanted identity thief Kyle “Twitch” Moore in Greeley. Now, it’s Boulder’s turn. Late last night, a Boulder police…
The number of homicides that took place in Denver during the first half of 2015 — twenty — is fairly typical. For example, we cataloged twenty homicides during the first six months of 2012, and 22 in 2013. But that doesn’t make the latest ones any less tragic for the…
The probable cause statement in the name of Arnoldo Banuelos tells a harrowing tale. According to the document on view below, Banuelos, 26, held his ex-girlfriend captive for two days, sexually assaulting her repeatedly over that span. The victim’s persistence in trying to reach family members (and their efforts to get…
Fox31/CW 2’s Greg Nieto…
Typically, traffic jams on Interstate 25 are caused by accidents or high volume. But that wasn’t the case yesterday afternoon in the Colorado Springs area. What was initially thought to have been a crash is now being investigated as a suspected kidnapping of a woman that didn’t end until a…
Earlier this year, we told you about the death of James Damon and arrest of Georgie Hand after the couple took a pair of hostages — a deputy and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife official. Now, the Moffat County District Attorney has reportedly deemed Damon’s killing justified — and new information offers more insight…
Last night’s news brought horrifying flashbacks of the Aurora theater shooting. A man in Lafayette, Louisiana opened fire in a crowded movie theater showing the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck. Two people were killed and nine others were injured before the thus-far-unidentified gunman took his own life. Most reports immediately made…
A state inmate who was left a quadraplegic by police bullets during a bungled car-theft sting operation — and who subsequently filed a lawsuit against the officer who shot him — was quietly released from prison earlier this month on a special medical parole, after serving roughly one third of…
The Denver District Attorney’s Office has charged Anthony Dennis, Michael Francis and Amber Groessel in separate incidents involving assaults on peace officers or first responders. But if this description makes the matters seem simple, police reports reveal oddities about each of them. The alleged weapons include scratching and spit —…
The mother of five who was reportedly murdered in the Castle Rock home of her brother this past weekend hasn’t been officially identified yet. Neither has her estranged husband, who’s suspected of committing the crime and then attempting, unsuccessfully, to kill himself. However, 7News maintains that the victim was Kirsten…
We all know that designating someone as a Facebook friend doesn’t necessarily denote friendship in real life. The story of Desmond Smith makes that abundantly clear. The fourteen-year-old was shot dead over the weekend in Colorado Springs — and now, one of his Facebook friends, eighteen-year-old Raymond Rogan, is among…
The story of a pit bull now known as Beefcakes is a crime — one for which Russell Middleton has been arrested. However, the tale has a happy ending that reveals the compassion of the folks at the Longmont Humane Society, not to mention the generosity of plenty of folks…
More than 48 hours after bullets flew, there are still more questions than answers about a drive-by shooting that killed one person and injured two others. At this writing, the Denver coroner’s office has yet to publicly identify the homicide victim. Moreover, no suspect information has been released, even though…
On June 21, Stephanie Romo Santoyo posted on Facebook about her father, William Romo-Rodriguez. “Happy father’s day to the best dad in the world! We love you so much! Thank you for everything and for all your support!” she wrote. Less than two weeks later, the messages were infinitely sadder. One…
Last month, we reported that Gary Ridgway, widely regarded to be America’s most prolific serial killer, is now living in Colorado — in one of the state’s Supermax facilities. Upon his arrival, he joined some disturbing company. In 2012, we published our choices for the ten most notorious Colorado Supermax prisoners,…
It was only a few minutes. But in the hushed courtroom, where nearly all eyes were on the judge Thursday afternoon, the wait for the verdicts seemed like it lasted many more. The jury had entered moments before with an armful of manila envelopes. Inside were 165 verdict forms, one…
It’s a truism among criminal justice scholars that crime doesn’t pay — or, as the Denver Post used to sneer in big black type back in the heyday of Bonfils and Tammen, “Crime Never Pays.” Offenders who wind up with a prison record are less likely to find gainful employment…
Did James Holmes know right from wrong when he walked into a sold-out Aurora movie theater nearly three years ago and began shooting? Or was he so mentally ill that he can’t be held responsible for murdering twelve people and injuring seventy others? That’s what a jury will have to decide…
