Author: Mackenzie Bodell
-
Judge accepts new plea agreements for Return to Nature owners
Jon and Carie Hallford will not see 2026 trials after all, as an El Paso County judge ruled to accept the most recent plea agreements for the pair on Dec. 22, despite heavy opposition from families who used their funeral services. The Hallfords came under a multi-agency investigation in October 2023 after an inquiry into their Penrose…
-
Judge accepts new plea agreements for Return to Nature owners
Jon and Carie Hallford will not see 2026 trials after all, as an El Paso County judge ruled to accept the most recent plea agreements for the pair Monday, despite heavy opposition from families who used their funeral services. The Hallfords came under a multi-agency investigation in October 2023 after an inquiry into their Penrose Return to…
-
Return to Nature: Judge accepts Hallfords’ plea deals despite some families’ objections
Jon and Carie Hallford will not see 2026 trials as an El Paso County judge ruled to accept the most recent plea agreements for the pair Monday, despite heavy argument from the victims. The Hallfords came under a multi-agency investigation in October 2023 after an investigation on their Penrose Return to Nature site 35 miles…
-
Teller County deputy, son of sheriff, enters plea deal after DUI
CRIPPLE CREEK — Teller County Sheriff’s Deputy Chase Mikesell, son of Sheriff Jason Mikesell, pleaded guilty Thursday to driving under the influence. As part of the plea agreement, the remaining charges from an August crash were dismissed. Chase Mikesell, 26, appeared out of custody for the sentencing in Teller County court. A special prosecutor from…
-
Teller County deputy, son of sheriff, enters plea deal after DUI
Teller County Sheriff’s Deputy Chase Mikesell, son of Sheriff Jason Mikesell, pleaded guilty Thursday to driving under the influence. As part of the plea agreement, the remaining charges from an August crash were dismissed. Chase Mikesell, 26, appeared out of custody for the sentencing in Teller County court. A special prosecutor from the 23rd Judicial…
-
Man accused of assaulting, attempting to kidnap Colorado Springs woman sentenced to probation
The man arrested after reportedly threatening to stab and kidnap a woman at a spa in Colorado Springs earlier this year avoided any jail time during his sentencing on Monday. Thomas McCarley, 54, was arrested on Jan. 28 after Colorado Springs police responded to a call of a disturbance involving a man with a knife…
-
Suspect in fatal May shopping center shooting will see 2026 trial
A trial date was set on Monday for the man accused of a shooting at a Colorado Springs shopping center that left one person dead. Emmanuel Cooley, 50, was arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting Bryan Parada, 38, in the parking lot of the Park Hill Shopping Center on East Pikes Peak Avenue on May…
-
On the docket this week: Quail Lake assault suspect, Custer County homicide suspect back in court
Last week in 4th Judicial District courtrooms, the man convicted of causing the death of a Fountain police officer was sentenced to over 100 years behind bars, and a teen facing first-degree murder charges entered into a plea agreement. More hearings are in store for the upcoming week, including the sentencing for a Teller County…
-
Hallfords waive court appearances, March motions hearing set in Carie’s case
The owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home waived their appearances in state court at a hearing Friday that offered little new information but did set the table for a another hearing to go over the possibility of mental condition evidence being introduced in Carie Hallford’s case. Jon and Carie Hallford came under federal…
-
Man who caused death of Fountain police officer receives maximum sentence
The man found guilty of causing the death of Fountain police officer Julian Becerra was sentenced to 132 years behind bars on Thursday. Devon Bobian, 34, was found guilty at a jury trial in May 2024 on five charges for leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a car chase throughout El Paso County that resulted in Becerra’s…