Tag: boulder county
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Is not sharing caring? For hikers and mountain bikers, it’s a question around Colorado’s busiest trails
Should some trails be for bikes only and other trails for people on foot? Or should there be rules on which direction bikers, hikers, runners and equestrians move? Or should there be certain days of the week for certain uses? Maybe not sharing is caring? Across the Colorado Front Range’s increasingly complicated recreation landscape, these…
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Boulder County prosecutor improperly used defendant’s silence as guilt, appeals court finds
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a Boulder County defendant’s sexual assault conviction last week after concluding that a trial judge should have intervened to stop the prosecutor from inappropriately using the man’s constitutional right to silence to suggest he was guilty. Prosecutors charged Charles G. Higdon III with two counts of sexual assault. Jurors acquitted him…
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Arson investigation underway after porta-potties, tree found on fire at mountain town park
An investigation into possible arson is underway after two porta-potties were found fully engulfed in flames at Nederland’s Chipeta Park. According to a report from the Nederland Fire Protection District, the porta-potties were found on fire at about 2:28 a.m. on April 8. A nearby tree was actively burning, as well. Upon arrival, firefighters were…
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Divided Colorado Supreme Court opens door to experts’ views on children’s truthfulness
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that experts may, in certain situations, tell jurors whether child witnesses exhibited signs of being coached by adults, without running afoul of the general prohibition on witnesses testifying about the truthfulness of other witnesses. The majority in the 4-3 decision maintained that defendants will not “open the door”…
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Woman struck by lightning in Boulder County identified after 2 days
A woman who was truck by lightning on Thursday in Superior has been identified, Boulder County officials said in a news release Saturday morning. “Her family is now by her side, and she remains in critical condition. Out of respect for her privacy, no additional information will be released at this time,” the release said.…
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Colorado justices confirm lawyers may ‘borrow’ allegations from elsewhere
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that plaintiffs’ lawyers can use allegations made elsewhere to bolster their own clients’ claims, so long as the attorney first performs some degree of investigation into the “borrowed” assertions. Under Colorado’s rules for civil cases, attorneys must attest that the complaints they file are well-grounded in fact to…
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Colorado Supreme Court intervenes in 4 ongoing cases
The Colorado Supreme Court recently moved to intervene in four ongoing cases, including two criminal prosecutions, a civil lawsuit, and a child welfare proceeding. At least four of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case outside of the normal appellate process. The issues raised before the justices include the ability of prosecutors…
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Colorado justices, by 5-2, say Longmont detective did not violate suspect’s Miranda rights
The Colorado Supreme Court’s majority ruled on Monday that a Longmont detective did not coerce a suspect into talking by making references to how a judge would look at his character, and by suggesting he may get out of prison “in time to see your son’s prom.” Under the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Miranda…
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Colorado Supreme Court blocks ‘child-to-parent violence’ testimony in Boulder County case
The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Friday that a Boulder County judge incorrectly green-lit a psychologist’s expert testimony when the defendant had not laid the necessary groundwork for the evidence. State law requires criminal defendants to provide notice and undergo a court-ordered examination if they want to introduce expert evidence of their mental condition at…
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Christopher Zenisek, trial judge experienced with high-profile cases | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
After the Marshall fire burned through Boulder County in the final days of 2021 and wound up destroying more than 1,000 homes, the sprawling 4,000-plaintiff litigation was assigned to District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek of Jefferson County. Zenisek would go on to issue more than 100 orders, hold dozens of hearings and, ultimately, much of…