November has been a violent month in Capitol Hill. To start, there was the stabbing death of Ryan Haldeman, 28, near Pub on Penn on November 2. Two days later, 47-year-old Ronald Smith was shot to death outside The Hive. And on November 16, 30-year-old Jonathan Michael Hammond was shot…
Denver Police Chief Robert White’s controversial reorganization of the department is now in effect, and top officials say the major restructuring will create a stronger agency — even if many officers were forced to face demotions. In an effort to reduce “stagnation,” White opened up positions, so that many officers…
The contentious debate over the rights of permit-holders to bring guns onto college campuses was back in the spotlight last week with news that a University of Colorado staffer accidentally fired her handgun, injuring herself and a colleague. Now a representative of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police says…
On a Sunday morning in September, two cyclists on an open road in Longmont filmed their bizarre encounter with James Ernst, 75, who drove an SUV and honked nonstop without passing them. Despite the video, which has now more than 450,000 hits on YouTube, Ernst has pleaded not guilty to…
Update:The Denver coroner’s office has identified the victim of a weekend homicide at South Carlan Court as Loretta Barela, 44. But beyond the tragedy of her death and the arrest of her husband, Christopher Perea, for the crime, additional questions have arisen. Among them: Did the Denver Police take hours…
Update: Yesterday, we reported about a murder in Wheat Ridge for which 25-year-old Nate Fischer was arrested; see our original coverage below. Now, the Wheat Ridge Police Department has identified the victim as Howard Benjamin Adler, who celebrated his 26th birthday just two weeks ago. We’ve also got more details…
In September, we told you about the tragic murder of Zach Sare. Since then, unfortunately, there have been no breaks in the case, and his loved ones are struggling financially to purchase a headstone to mark his grave. So a family friend has set up an account for those who’d…
When William Costello was arrested in June, for allegedly breaking the hip of an elderly man, he seemed like little more than a combustible creep. But after a DNA test run on him under a provision of Katie’s Law scored several hits, the Denver District Attorney’s Office has concluded that…
Steven Unruh is having a hard time convincing anyone that he spent hours talking to Aurora theater shootings suspect James Holmes shortly after his arrest last July. Jail officials say there’s no way that Unruh could have had that kind of access. Yet certain elements of the story — which…
Wayne McDonald doesn’t want his job back, but he would like to clear his name. That’s the main reason McDonald — a friend and former staffer of Mayor Michael Hancock who was fired amid sexual harassment allegations — has filed a lawsuit against the city, his attorney says. The lawsuit…
Thirty-eight claimants will soon receive a portion of the $5.3 million raised through the Aurora Victim Relief Fund, according to an announcement by Governor John Hickenlooper’s office. As per a protocol developed by fund “special master” Ken Feinberg, those who lost family members in the Aurora theater shooting and those…
The University of Colorado is no longer subject to a gag order related to the case of accused Aurora theater shooter and former student James Holmes. Judge William Sylvester has ruled that it’s now up to the university to decide what information to release. In another motion made public today,…
This week, Mitchell Kusick, a student at Grand Junction’s Colorado Mesa University, was busted for allegedly threatening to kill President Barack Obama and trick or treaters. And now, an unnamed high school student in Junction has been cuffed for threats of his own involving rape (or, according to him, “grape”),…
Sad to say, shocking child-sex assault allegations against teachers or coaches aren’t as rare as we’d like. The latest arrestee to fit both of these descriptions is Richard Johnson, who faces charges that raise eyebrows thanks to sheer volume. The now ex-teacher is looking at thirty of them…
Update: A University of Colorado staffer who accidentally fired a shot on campus last week, injuring herself and a colleague, is no longer employed by the university. A police report from the incident reveals that the ex-worker, Mary Beth Loeb, was showing her coworkers her handgun, and trying to unjam…
Update by Michael Roberts: At a hearing yesterday, Judge William Sylvester, who’s overseeing the prosecution of Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes agreed to postpone a hearing slated for this morning due to his “condition;” see our original coverage below. Now, reports have surfaced that the alleged killer tried to…
According to a criminal complaint on view below in its entirety, Mitchell Kusick, a twenty year old Westminster man, had dreams of becoming the next famous Colorado killer, following in the footsteps of James Holmes, the accused Aurora theater shooter, and the students behind the Columbine High School massacre. Among…
Update: Yesterday, we told you about the arrest of Larry Gomez, who is suspected of taking shots at officers in Denver and Westminster before leading cops in Aurora on a car chase that ended with a crash resulting in the nasty mug shot seen here; see our previous coverage below…
More cars and cyclists are crashing into each other in Denver, prompting heated debates about who is responsible in the collisions. But in a recent Boulder crash, there’s plenty of blame to go around. The accident report about the incident, in which a bike rider was knocked to the ground…
It’s been less than four months since James Holmes fired shots during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, killing twelve and injuring dozens more in one of Colorado’s worst tragedies. But that didn’t stop one student from wearing a “Joker” mask into a theater yesterday, prompting a…
Amid the chaos of election-day preparation this week, news broke that Secretary of State Scott Gessler, Colorado’s chief election officer, is facing both criminal and ethics investigations for allegedly misusing public dollars for personal trips. We now have more details on the process of the Independent Ethics Commission, which could…
Remember the infamous incident in which a Longmont driver honked at two cyclists on an open road for several minutes ? Something similar happened again — only this time, someone got hurt. Byron Nix was knocked off of his bike after a truck hit him and crushed his bike on…
