Tag: douglas county
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GoFundMe donations for victim do not lessen defendant’s restitution obligation, appeals court rules
Donations made to a victim’s crowdfunding page do not necessarily reduce the defendant’s obligation to pay crime victim restitution, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday. Under state law, crime victim compensation boards reimburse victims for certain monetary losses, including funeral costs, medical expenditures, and property damage. Prosecutors may, in turn, seek restitution payments from the…
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DougCo deputy fired after DUI, careless driving arrest
A Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy was fired Friday after he was arrested by Parker Police the previous weekend. Andrew Sanders faces charges of driving under the influence, careless driving, assault on a police officer and obstruction in relation to a traffic stop just before 8 p.m. Feb. 7, according to a Friday news release from…
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Colorado justices skeptical that intimate messages relevant to assault case
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed to agree on Tuesday that a Douglas County judge acted reasonably by blocking evidence of a defendant’s BDSM-related conversations with the victim in his trial for assault and false imprisonment. Jurors found Donald Louis Gerle guilty in 2022. In the prosecution’s telling, Gerle began beating his alleged victim following…
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Second appeals judge voices concerns about new ‘reasonable doubt’ instruction
Another member of Colorado’s second-highest court registered his concern on Thursday that a portion of the recently revised “reasonable doubt” definition improperly lowers the prosecution’s burden to prove a defendant guilty. Judge Daniel M. Taubman wrote that the current instruction advising jurors to acquit whenever there is “a real possibility the defendant is not guilty”…
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With Buc-ee’s withdrawn from Palmer Lake, other communities signal interest
The withdrawal of Buc-ee’s developers’ plans with Palmer Lake could be welcome news to other communities that have actively sought to attract the Texas travel chain. The pullout comes after over a year of increasing opposition efforts, but a local consultant with the company said on Wednesday that Buc-ee’s still wanted to build in the…
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Massive Zebulon sports complex being eyed by Douglas County
Douglas County commissioners in October unanimously approved a crucial land exchange deal to build a massive sports complex on land previously bought by developers of Colorado’s largest master-planned community. The county partnered with Sterling Ranch to create plans for a 500-acre sports complex in northwest Douglas County called Zebulon. The land transfer impacts 46.5 acres…
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Appeals court overturns convictions after Douglas County judge let biased juror serve
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s robbery-related convictions and 18-year prison sentence on Thursday because a Douglas County judge allowed a biased juror to serve. During Ahmarion Kaliel Shead’s trial in January 2023, one juror, identified as “J.H.,” indicated on his questionnaire that he was “pro-law enforcement.” J.H. also disclosed that a relative worked for…
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Colorado Supreme Court to address child’s CCTV testimony
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review the impact of a victim’s closed-circuit testimony on the prosecution of a juvenile defendant. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear an appeal. There is currently one vacancy, which will be filled next month. The justices also signaled they…
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Douglas County judge violated defendant’s right to counsel at sentencing, appeals court finds
A Douglas County judge violated a defendant’s constitutional right to the counsel of her choice by refusing to postpone sentencing until her lawyer returned to the country, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Wednesday. In early 2023, Lyndie J. Felsher received a three-year sentence in community corrections after pleading guilty to a felony drunk driving offense.…
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Autopsy: Suspect had meth and alcohol in system in DougCo crash that killed five
The man accused of carjacking a vehicle from a Regional Transportation District station and crashing into a family of five had methamphetamines and alcohol in his system, according to an autopsy report. Walter Huling, 31, was identified as the suspect in the Nov. 24 crash on Colorado Highway 83, south of Franktown, that left five…