It’s difficult to imagine a more severe form of long-term isolation than the past seven years of solitary confinement experienced by former Colombian rebel commander Simon Trinidad, the subject of this week’s Westword cover story, “Gone Guerrilla.” Serving sixty years for his (much-disputed) role in the kidnapping of three American…
On Monday night, while a lame-duck Denver City Council debated spending $400,000 to bus the homeless to a shelter on the outskirts of town, a dozen demonstrators and homeless advocates gathered in the rain in front of a locked public restroom on Welton Street by Sonny Lawson Field. A year ago,…
“You do not want to be a victim in this country.” — Tom Teves, father of Aurora theater shooting victim Alex Teves More than seventy victims of mass killings from the last twenty years and their families — many connected to the Aurora theater shooting and the Columbine massacre — have come…
Forsooth, the festivities of ye olde Colorado Renaissance Festival were greatly upset this Satyr-Daye by the young scallywag Connor Ward, aged 22, when the knave allegedly disturbe’d a jousting match, seize’d a sword from a nearbye haystack & absconde’d therefrom, with various citizenry in close pursuite, finally to be tackle’d…
Another shocking act of violence has shaken the Denver metro area. Two men were shot to death yesterday evening outside an apartment complex in Thornton. Right now, representatives of the Thornton Police Department stress that there’s no danger to the public at large and add that they’re talking to three…
In the world of Internet shorthand, “OMG” is a benign expression of surprise. But to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the initials stand for “Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.” And a report entitled “OMGs and the Military 2014,” on view below, argues that such groups are actively recruiting current…
The video onetime Coloradan Nathaniel Scheiern posted on his Facebook page circa May 4 comes with an all-caps warning/message: “GRAPHIC FOOTAGE. ADULTS ONLY. LESSONS WITH LIFE’S TESTS MAKES EASY A`s! The clip appears to be an ISIS terror video — and we’re not sharing it here because invective is followed by scenes…
Right now, the biggest story in Denver involves the sad death of a 23-month-old toddler. Javion Johnson is portrayed by family and friends as an adorable, friendly and lovable child. But the boy died yesterday morning…
Unfortunately, road rage incidents aren’t exactly rare in these parts. But the one involving Boulder’s Gary Strand is unique in our experience. That’s because his arrest on suspicion of felony menacing involves him allegedly hurling a pecan pie. No, we’re not making this up. According to 7News, the incident took place…
In a move that could have resounding consequences for corrections practices and the for-profit prison industry in particular, a Denver federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by nine federal immigrant detainees, who allege that a private prison contractor forced them to perform maintenance and cleaning jobs for…
The FBI has already identified 109 victims of Lucas Chansler, who’s been convicted in regard to what the feds describe as “an extortion scheme to produce child pornography.” But they think there are more. A lot more. According to court testimony, Chansler targeted 350 minors in 26 states, three Canadian…
In May, we told you about the arrest of Kyle Moore in Greeley after a police chase that got underway after Officer Jobe Costa fired a shot at Moore’s vehicle. A followup report featured commentary from Moore’s mother, Renee, who was highly critical of the police response in the case — including…
Yesterday was a busy day for Matthew Burry. He appeared in court after being formally charged with child abuse resulting in death. The victim was his four-and-a-half-month-old son, Dominic. Meanwhile, a report revealed that Burry is a registered sex offender whose parole was revoked last year. As noted in his…
Back in January, we noted that the Denver Police Department had started posting stupid criminal stories on its Facebook page, and shared some of the funniest examples. Since our original post, the DPD definitely hasn’t run short of material. Indeed, the department has shared a whole new batch of tales in which…
We at Westword love Capitol Hill’s Nob Hill Inn. The venerable watering hole was the subject of a feature in 2009, the same year we named it Best Dive in our Best of Denver issue. The venue also ranked highly in our 2014 roundup of best dive bars — and a few months…
A few months back, Evans-based Jenessa Rosenbach posted the following on her Facebook page: “Is every man on this planet on a fucking dating website! Losing hope there are good men out there. Is the man not being on dating websites really that big of a request lol. Can’t you…
This past month, John Bowlen, son of Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, was busted on a domestic violence beef that involved booze and whippets. He also told the 911 dispatcher that he not only owned the Broncos personally (he doesn’t), but also claimed to be the “blood of the city” in…
The daughter of Kathleen and Kenny Sanchez may be alive today because Kenny hit her in public when she was three-years-old. This may sound like a strange statement, but the facts of the case, as spelled out in an arrest affidavit on view below, provide a strong argument for it…
It was a grisly discovery. Patricia Richmond, 23, was found dead at a home owned by her future in-laws in Routt County, not far from Steamboat Springs. She was tied up and face down — and at this writing. At this writing, it’s unclear how Richmond died. But as those…
In 2008, the Denver Post published an article set at East Colfax’s Sand & Sage under the banner “Families Reach Last-Stop Motel.” Sadly, this headline proved to be prophetic in the case of a woman in her twenties. She’s dead and the person who shot her is on the loose at this writing. Here’s…
“Brett Ryan Mosher is 27 years-old and is a Parker resident.” He was arrested by the Parker Police Department for “Soliciting for Child Prostitution after engaging in communication with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a child.” “Also as a part of the April operation effort, 31 year-old…
It sounds a bit like the Dave Chappelle sketch about a blind white supremacist who doesn’t realize he’s actually black. But according to police, it actually happened in Colorado Springs. That’s where members of a historically black church have been terrorized for weeks by racist messages referencing the Klu Klux Klan…
