Evan Ebel, the man thought to have killed pizza-delivery man Nathan Leon and Colorado prison chief Tom Clements, cut off his electronic ankle bracelet, and it took his chief probation officer nearly four days to do anything about it. Ebel was a hell-raising inmate and a model parolee. The question,…
On the eve of a 25-week trial that promised to focus on claims of poor training and worse management, the nation’s largest private prison company has reached a settlement with nearly 200 former inmates over a 2004 riot at the Crowley County Correctional Facility in southeastern Colorado. The uprising, which…
In August, we told you the very strange story of David Moe, a preschool teacher arrested on child-porn charges. At first, parents feared he might have molested kids under his supervision, or taken disturbing photos of them, especially when info surfaced about a “hugs journal” that appeared to be sexualizing…
Deep within each college student beats the heart of a crime fighter. This statement may seem absurd, but not to the folks with the CU-Boulder police. Department personnel recently nabbed Javier Silva-Acosta on fraud-related charges just three hours after sharing information about him on social media. Moreover, Acosta’s arrest is…
Update: At this time yesterday morning, we followed up on our coverage of the shooting at Saturday’s 4/20 celebration by sharing the image seen here of a man the Denver Police Department identified as a suspect. The headline on the post (see our original coverage below) asked the question, “Do…
We’ve been reporting about the shootings at the 4/20 Civic Center Park rally on Saturday, as well as the continuing search for a suspect caught on video. Watching developments closely is event organizer Miguel Lopez, who’s having difficulty getting around the better part of two days since the startling incident…
Tom Clements, the reform-minded head of the Colorado Department of Corrections who was murdered at his home last month by a parolee, makes a posthumous appearance in a new video advocating for one of his favorite causes: more substance abuse treatment for chronic, low-level offenders, freeing up costly prison beds…
Sex-assault offenders are typically either known to their victims or are strangers to them. But seldom are they both at the same time — which makes the circumstances of the crime for which nineteen-year-old Brandon William Johnson has been accused even weirder and more disturbing than it would be otherwise…
In most cases, an order for prosecutors to make sure the defense team has access to all of their documents is commonplace. But there’s no such thing as business as usual when it comes to the Aurora theater shooting. In a newly released document on view below, 18th Judicial District…
Christopher Padgett, eighteen, is accused of being a busy boy. The Denver District Attorney’s Office is charging Padget with nine counts of arson related to blazes all set on the same night within three blocks of each other in the Park Hill neighborhood. The Denver Police Department account can be…
The surviving victims of the Aurora theater shooting and their families have had well-documented issues with the charitable support coming from around the state and the country. The problems got so bad that Governor John Hickenlooper was forced to step in and appoint Ken Feinberg to serve as a “special…
Unfortunately, we hear all too commonly about middle school or high school coaches accused of sex crimes in these parts. But we can’t remember another allegation of a similar offense against a local referee before the arrest this week of Stephen Amador, 52, on suspicion of unlawful sexual contact, times…
In 2008, a woman was brutally raped by two men. But the case remained unsolved for years, until a DNA hit led to the arrest of Connie Liphford for the crime. Liphford was sentenced for the crime a year ago this month. Now, Domonique Huntington, charged with being the second…
Rollin Oliver pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Denver police officer Celena Hollis last June. The 22-year-old faces a sentence of sixteen to 26 years in prison according to the plea agreement, which is on view below. The original charge of first-degree murder/extreme indifference was…
Update: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office recently issued an alert for two alleged white supremacists thought to have been in touch with Evan Ebel shortly before he allegedly killed Colorado prison boss Tom Clements in March. The first of the pair, James Lohr, 47, was arrested in Colorado Springs…
Unfortunately, instances of child abuse resulting in death happen far too frequently — especially considering that “once” qualifies as “far too frequently.” As a result, the sentencing of Donald Scarlett to more than four decades behind bars for the killing of 22-month-old Michael Harris was expected to be fairly routine…
The Denver Police Department has announced that Matthew Mann, 38, had prompted a “modified lockdown” yesterday at Denver Health Medical Center, where he used to work. At this writing, the facts of the case remain sketchy. But Mann’s Facebook page states that he recently ran his own gun-related business and…
A Portland man has been arrested for harassing the families of victims of the Aurora theater shooting. Kevin Michael Purfield, 45, is accused of “e-mailing, calling and using social media to contact various family members of victims of the theater shooting,” the Portland police say in a statement. “None of…
Update: Felix Trujillo, the first-ever escapee from Denver’s new jail, slipped away in a deputy’s jacket and alleged help from law-enforcer Matthew Andrews; see our previous coverage below. Now, following the arrest of another accused accomplice, 47-year-old Marilyn Reeves, Trujillo has surrendered to authorities. But plenty of questions remain, with…
Fox News reporter Jana Winter was not forced to take the stand today and testify about her unnamed sources. Instead, the judge in the Aurora theater shooting case ordered Winter back on August 19. By then, an attorney for suspect James Holmes said several outstanding issues should be resolved. She…
Update: We’ve been reporting about a fatal stabbing on a Number 15 RTD bus near Federal and Colfax yesterday afternoon. A short time ago, the Denver Police Department revealed that Isaiah Moreno, twenty, had been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder. Now, the Denver coroner’s office has identified the victim:…
Chris Bates’s reaction to the Aurora theater shooting last summer was one shared by countless other Coloradans. “I felt this really strong urge that I had to do something,” says the Fort Collins artist. But Bates was initially at a loss as to what. After listening to a talk about…
