Tag: jefferson county
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Divided Colorado Supreme Court says defendants liable for possessing others’ debit cards even if unusable
The Colorado Supreme Court, by 5-2, rejected the idea on Monday that prosecutors need to prove a debit card is functional in order to convict a defendant of unlawfully possessing someone else’s “financial device.” The majority believed Colorado law was straightforward: Legislators outlawed the unauthorized possession of a financial device, and debit cards were specifically…
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Jefferson County Open Space forming ‘greenprint’ for next 5 years
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Land managers overseeing some of the most popular parks in the Denver metro are shaping a plan for the near future. Jefferson County Open Space calls it a ”Conservation Greenprint” — meant to be “a…
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A woolly dilemma: Tourism, road salts and wildlife collide on Mount Blue Sky
One summer day in 2020, Stefan Ekernas and a fellow researcher were driving up Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway in a Toyota RAV4 when they spotted bighorn sheep in the near distance. The herd ran to the road. “We had to come to a stop not to hit them,” Ekernas recalls. “They were frantically licking.…
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Appeals court rules harsher sentence after appeal does not mean judge was ‘vindictive’
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week that a Jefferson County judge subjected a man to a harsher sentence following a successful appeal because the parole eligibility date was pushed back by multiple years, but that fact alone did not mean the judge acted “vindictively.” In 2015, the state Supreme Court noted that when a criminal…
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‘We all have to take care of each other’: Appeals judges get personal in Jeffco high school appearance
Three members of the Court of Appeals fielded questions from Jefferson County students on Thursday about the personal aspects of judging, including how they combat their biases and how the cases they hear affect their mental health. Judge Lino S. Lipinsky de Orlov responded that the judges signed up to deal with difficult subject matter,…
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Appeals court overturns $9,150 restitution order after Jeffco judge did not follow law
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned an order for a criminal defendant to pay $9,150 to his victim, citing the trial judge’s failure to abide by the legal process for imposing financial restitution. In Colorado, as part of sentencing, judges must consider whether defendants owe restitution to their victims. If so, prosecutors generally need to provide…
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Lakewood police acted unconstitutionally in using drug detection dog, Supreme Court rules by 5-2
Lakewood police violated the constitutional prohibition on unreasonable searches by ensuring a driver’s door remained open so a drug detection dog could sniff inside the vehicle without probable cause, the Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday. In the 5-2 decision, all justices agreed with the principle that law enforcement conducts a search if they “facilitate”…
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Colorado Supreme Court weighs whether Douglas County judge has authority over Missy Woods records
The state Supreme Court will decide whether a Douglas County judge has the authority to compel the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to release data related to the misconduct of a disgraced DNA analyst whose work affected numerous criminal cases. Yvonne “Missy” Woods was criminally charged in Jefferson County on Jan. 22 with 102 felony counts…
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Appeals court reverses termination of father’s parental rights after finding treatment plan impossible to comply with
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Jefferson County judge’s decision that terminated a man’s legal relationship with his children, concluding it was impossible for him to fulfill the terms of his treatment plan. Jeffco initiated child neglect proceedings in September 2022 against a mother, a father identified as J.T.Q., and their four children. The…
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Federal judge dismisses man’s claims against Jeffco SWAT officers for home raid
A federal judge last month dismissed a man’s claims that Jefferson County SWAT team members violated his constitutional rights by forcefully entering his home with little warning, damaging the apartment and removing him half-naked while they executed a search warrant. Lance P. Schendorf is serving a 20-year prison sentence after a jury convicted him in…