Tag: stalking
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SCOTUS stalking decision does not apply to non-speech behavior, appeals court rules
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that a U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing First Amendment protections for alleged stalkers does not apply to prosecutions where the defendant’s stalking is based on something other than their speech. By 7-2, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Counterman v. Colorado in 2023, a case out of Arapahoe County…
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2024 closes period of turnover on Colorado’s bench | YEAR IN REVIEW
New faces, new initiatives and a new judicial discipline process were among the developments in the third branch of government this year. Although much of the public’s focus was on the battle for the White House and Congress, several stories implicating the courts will have reverberations for years to come. Here is a look at…
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Colorado Springs man arrested on suspicion of stalking, threatening to shoot estranged girlfriend
Colorado Springs police on Sunday arrested a man suspected of stalking and threatening his estranged girlfriend before setting her garage on fire, according to law enforcement officials. Joshua Spradling, 33, faces charges of arson, stalking and menacing, police said. At about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, a woman called police and said her estranged boyfriend had…
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Appeals court orders new trial in stalking case a year after U.S. Supreme Court finds flaw
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday ordered a new trial in the Arapahoe County stalking case that went all the way to the nation’s highest court and resulted in a new burden for prosecutors seeking to convict alleged stalkers based on their communications. Last year, by 7-2, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Counterman…
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Appeals court reverses first stalking conviction thanks to new SCOTUS requirement
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a defendant’s stalking conviction last week for the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2023 that prosecutors must prove a defendant had some understanding of the threatening nature of his speech. Last year, by 7-2, the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Counterman v. Colorado, a case out…
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Appeals court rules unanswered phone calls may qualify as stalking
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified for the first time on Thursday that repeated phone calls, even if they are unanswered, are “contacts” for which defendants may be convicted under the state’s stalking law. Roy Matthew Miller is serving a 21.5-year prison sentence for various acts of domestic violence. His stalking conviction came after jurors heard Miller…
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Appeals court reverses stalking conviction after Douglas County judge violated right to counsel
A Douglas County judge violated the rules of criminal procedure and the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel when she allowed a defense attorney to withdraw, did not seek input from the defendant and did not evaluate the necessity of the withdrawal, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. Shari Leigh Dooley ended up representing herself at trial,…
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Colorado Springs police seek more victims in serial ‘peeping Tom’ case as woman speaks out
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save An arrest affidavit of the man accused of 13 incidents of invasion of privacy and sexual assault reveals a dark past of similar crimes, and an intention to conceal his contact information from authorities, according to records obtained by The Gazette. Troy Deck, 54, was…
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Colorado Springs police seek more victims in serial ‘peeping Tom’ case as woman speaks out
An arrest affidavit of the man accused of 13 incidents of invasion of privacy and sexual assault reveals a dark past of similar crimes, and an intention to conceal his contact information from authorities, according to records obtained by The Gazette. Troy Deck, 54, was arrested in late December, with more charges added in January.…