Tag: 18th judicial district
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Aurora man accused of sexually assaulting an infant sentenced to prison
The Aurora man arrested in September 2024 on suspicion of sexually assaulting an infant and possessing thousands of pieces of child pornography was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday. Aaron Mocalkins, 31, faced over 20 felony charges, including sexual exploitation of a child, sexual assault of a child, cruelty to animals and more.…
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Judicial Department paid $155,000 in settlements from 2 judges’ misconduct
The Judicial Department paid more than $155,000 to former employees and their attorneys in connection with the misconduct of two trial judges who the Colorado Supreme Court publicly disciplined in 2024. Last May, the Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione for failing to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff…
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Colorado lawmakers suggest chief justice’s request for new judges may be nonstarter
Some members of the legislature’s powerful budget committee cautioned Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez on Tuesday that it would be difficult to justify a spending increase for new judgeships in light of substantial cuts to be made elsewhere. Márquez appeared before the Joint Budget Committee to field questions about the Judicial Department’s $813.2 million budget request for the…
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Colorado Springs man gets prison sentence for meth and fentanyl trafficking
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A traffic stop led to a major drug bust, and now a 23-year prison sentence for Colorado Springs resident Michael Hemersbach, 36. Hemersbach pleaded guilty Nov. 7 in a Douglas County courtroom to possession with intent to manufacture or distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to…
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Colorado Springs man gets prison sentence for meth and fentanyl trafficking
A traffic stop led to a major drug bust, and now a 23-year prison sentence for Colorado Springs resident Michael Hemersbach, 36. Hemersbach pleaded guilty Nov. 7 in a Douglas County courtroom to possession with intent to manufacture or distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to manufacture or distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to manufacture or…
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Ex-Douglas County judge’s errors stack up as appeals court reverses another conviction
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Douglas County defendant’s convictions because of an error by former District Court Judge Patricia Herron, continuing a pattern of reversals in her cases. Herron retired late last year, having been an 18th Judicial District Court judge since 2016. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Colorado Attorney…
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Allegations against ex-Arapahoe County judge encompassed sexual comments to staff, improper influence in case
Documents provided by the Colorado Supreme Court revealed in detail the cascading allegations against former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione, who resigned last year and was censured earlier this month for misconduct towards staff and colleagues. The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline initiated multiple investigations against Scipione, beginning after two 18th Judicial…
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Appeals court overturns restitution order due to Douglas County judge’s extreme delay
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday overturned a Douglas County judge’s order for $12,500 in crime victim restitution, which she issued nearly two years after the defendant’s sentencing and several months after the state Supreme Court told trial judges to pay attention to the 91-day deadline in the law. Before the Court of Appeals, both the…
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Colorado Supreme Court recognizes defendants may appeal magistrates’ probable cause rulings
Addressing an issue never previously decided, the Colorado Supreme Court clarified on Monday that criminal defendants do have the right to appeal a magistrate’s decision that probable cause exists to hold a trial on the charged offenses. Colorado law provides for preliminary hearings, whose purpose is to screen out cases where prosecutors do not have probable…
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Eagle County convictions reversed for prosecutors’ misconduct
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Eagle County man’s convictions earlier this month because a trial judge permitted a pair of prosecutors — including one who is now running for district attorney — to misstate the law on self-defense to jurors. A jury acquitted Robert Fergus-Jean of more serious offenses like assault and attempted murder, but convicted him…