Crime
Denver council committee passes immigration ordinance proposal to full council
DENVER – A Denver City Council committee voted 6-1 Wednesday to pass a proposed ordinance to the full council that would change the city’s public safety priorities laws regarding immigration and law enforcement cooperation with federal agents, putting two different proposals in front of the city that hope to accomplish the same thing.
Hancock on Tuesday released a fact sheet on his proposed route for the changes: an executive order that would further strengthen some of Denver’s rules on how city and county employees interact with federal immigration authorities, and would also create a legal defense fund for immigrants targeted by authorities. Continue reading
Denver mayor drafts executive order to push back on Trump immigration policy
DENVER – Mayor Michael Hancock is drafting an executive order that would create a legal defense fund for immigrants as part of a series of new policies aimed at pushing back against the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The legal defense fund would be in place through Jan. 20, 2021—the first day of the president’s current term—and would help pay for lawyers for people threatened with deportation, according to a fact sheet of the draft executive order provided to Denver7 Tuesday. The Denver Post reports the fund would be created mostly from donations.
The proposed executive order would put into official city policy some of the things that Hancock and the city council have pushed for in recent months as pushback to a new crackdown by Trump and his head at the Department of Justice, Jeff Sessions.
Namely, it would make it official city/county policy that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that city/county employees (especially the Denver Police Department and Denver Sheriff Department) won’t aid federal agents in arresting people without a warrant.
The draft proposal also would engrain into city rule that neither law enforcement agency would hold an inmate beyond their release time without a warrant—even if there is an immigration detainer in place. It would also prohibit federal agents from entering any secure areas of a law enforcement facility without a warrant.
The proposal would also establish the legal defense fund and establish a team to track federal immigration law and enforcement in regards to the city and county.
And it would continue to uphold the U-Visa program that gives visas to undocumented people who are victims of crime and aid law enforcement in the investigation.
As a final facet, the proposed order would help families who are in the process of being broken up due to deportation get connected with foreign consulates and help them plan for their separation.
The proposal comes amid a push by councilors Paul Lopez and Robin Kniech to address some of these same concerns via the council and an ordinance—specifically the legal defense fund and language regarding detainers on undocumented immigrants.
Hancock said that though both his proposed executive order and the councilor’s ordinance proposals are different means to address some of the concerns about Denver being a “sanctuary city,” that he thinks both of their efforts are worthwhile.
“The community can rest assured that their mayor and their city council are all working towards the same goals as this conversation continues,” the mayor said in a statement. “I am grateful to Councilmembers Robin Kniech and Paul Lopez for the tremendous amount of courage and vision they showed in bring forward these concepts we jointly care about. Our goals are shared.”
He said that whether it’s a city ordinance, as the councilors have proposed, or his executive order that ends up being finalized into memorial or ordinance, that Denver is standing with the immigrant community.
“This executive order is another step in this administration’s work to send a clear message to our refugee and immigrant communities that Denver stands with you and that you can place your trust in your city and law enforcement agencies that are working to ensure you and your families can live a safe, happy and healthy life here in Denver,” Mayor Hancock said. “We remain focused on enacting policies and actions that provide real protections to our immigrant and refugee communities, and does not give people a false sense of security.”
But one of Denver’s top immigration lawyers, Hans Meyer, said the mayor’s executive order didn’t go far enough and that he preferred the councilmembers’ ordinance.
“If Mayor Hancock wants to stand up for the principles he espouses and protect Denver’s immigrant community against the Trump administration’s deportation machine, then he should adopt all the substantive protections of the proposed ordinance and not simply cherry pick the parts that make for easy sound bites,” Meyer said. “Hancock’s proposed executive order fails to extract Denver probation officers, city employees, and jail personnel from colluding with ICE to deport immigrant community members.”
The councilmembers are set to discuss the ordinance proposal again Wednesday morning at a committee meeting.
Warrant issued for John Bowlen for probation violation in Colorado after Calif. arrest
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. – John Bowlen, the son of Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, now has a warrant for his arrest out of Arapahoe County for violating probation in a 2015 harassment case.
Bowlen was arrested Sunday afternoon in San Luis Obispo County, Calif. on two charges related to drinking and driving.
His arrest triggered the violation of his two-year probation, which he received as a sentence in April 2016 after he was found guilty of misdemeanor harassment. A drug and alcohol evaluation was also part of that sentence, but Tuesday’s revocation of probation says that he hasn’t sent his probation officer verification that he’d enrolled or completed a program.
The court order out of Arapahoe County also says that Bowlen hasn’t completed 24 hours of community service ordered by the court as part of his probation, nor has he paid $1,287.50 in court costs he was ordered to pay.
Bowlen’s probation also stipulated that Bowlen not leave the state of Colorado while on probation.
Bowlen had originally been charged with two counts of domestic violence after his girlfriend called 911 on him because he was inebriated and shoved her against a wall, according to police reports.
But one of the counts was dropped, and he was found guilty of the harassment charge.
The probation officers requested the Arapahoe County judge set the bond his warrant carries at $250.
When reached by phone Tuesday evening, Bowlen’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, declined to say where Bowlen was and declined further comment.
Denver Sheriff Department suspends 3 deputies, sergeant over time card fraud
DENVER – The Denver Sheriff Department suspended a sergeant and three other deputies without pay for 18 days in late June after they were found to have left their courthouse duties early without clocking out.
Sgt. Gabriela Velez and deputies Jon Bruno, George Rodriguez and Jharquis Scott all received disciplinary letters in late June informing them they’d be suspended without pay and would be losing hours of vacation accrual for the time card fraud. Continue reading
Man convicted of shooting teens, killing 1, who got into illegal backyard marijuana grow
DENVER – The man accused of shooting two teenagers, killing one, who had gotten into his illegal backyard marijuana grow was found guilty of murder and other charges Monday.
A Denver jury found Keith Hammock, 49, guilty of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, one count of manufacturing marijuana and one count of cultivation of marijuana.
He’d originally faced a first-degree murder charge, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser second-degree murder charge.
A 15-year-old boy died after being shot by Hammock, while a 14-year-old was shot and possibly paralyzed, according to police. They had broken into Hammock’s backyard and gotten into his “mature” marijuana plants, according to police.
The shooting happened near High Street and 28th Avenue last October, and the district attorney said at the time Hammock had been implicated in a similar shooting that happened a year earlier.
Hammock had originally told officers that he’d only seen a motion-activated light turn on in the backyard, but they later found guns inside his home—one that was at a vantage point where he could have shot the teens.
Hammock will be sentenced on Oct. 4.
4 men charged in string of Denver robberies
DENVER – Four men have been charged with multiple felonies related to a string of six robberies and attempted robberies at various banks and businesses earlier this year.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office announced the charges against the four men on Monday.
Alfredo Ray Garcia, 39, Celestino Mendoza, 28, Angelito Arechiga, 21, and his cousin, Louis Arechiga, 19, all face felonies in relation to the robberies, which happened between May 23 and June 14 this year.
Garcia faces 44 counts, including violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, kidnapping, first-degree burglary, aggravated robbery, escape and others. He’s currently in custody in New Mexico after being arrested there on a warrant out of Colorado.
Mendoza faces 40 charges, which also include violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, kidnapping, first-degree burglary, aggravated robbery and others. He’s already in custody in the Colorado Department of Corrections in Crowley County.
Both of the Arechigas face two counts of felony aggravated robbery and two violent-crime sentence enhancers. They were both arrested mid-July and remain in custody at the Denver jail.
Garcia is accused of being involved in all six robberies or attempted robberies. The Arechigas are accused of being involved in one of them, a May 23 robbery of a Community Banks of Colorado branch on W. 32nd Avenue.
Mendoza is accused of helping Garcia with five other robberies or attempted robberies:
- A June 6 robbery of the Premier Inusrance Group on S. Sheridan Boulevard;
- A June 9 attempted robbery of Kentucky Fried Chicken on N. Federal Boulevard;
- A June 12 robbery of a Cricket wireless store on W. Alameda Avenue;
- A June 13 robbery of Pleasures on W. Alameda Avenue, and;
- A June 14 robbery of the BBVA Compass Bank on W. 32nd Avenue.
Garcia and Mendoza face escape charges because they are accused of leaving a halfway house without being allowed to do so.
Louis Arechiga is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 2; his cousin is next due in court Aug. 9, and Mendoza is next scheduled to appear on Aug. 15 for his second advisement on his charges.
Arapahoe Co. deputy charged in crash with CSP trooper
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. – An Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with careless driving and driving on the wrong side of the road in connection with a June crash near the Front Range Airport that seriously injured a Colorado State Patrol trooper, in addition to the deputy.
Deputy Dale Davis, 35, is accused of causing the crash with the Trooper, Corporal Ivan Alvarado, on June 17 while they were both responding to a request for assistance from Adams County.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office says Davis was found to be at-fault in the crash, which happened near East 48th Ave. and Manila Road in Aurora. The Aurora Police Department investigated.
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office served Davis a summons on Thursday. He faces misdemeanor careless driving resulting in injury and failure to drive on the correct side of the road charges. The latter is a traffic infraction.
Davis, who has been with the sheriff’s office for more than 6 years, has been on leave since the crash while he recovers, the sheriff’s office said.
In addition to Davis’s criminal case, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs unit is conducting its own investigation—something that is the case with all on-duty deputy-involved crashes, the office said.
He is due in court on Sept. 29 to be advised of his charges.
Aurora to pay $110K to black man Tased, arrested last year who had charges dropped
AURORA, Colo. – The city of Aurora will pay $110,000 to a black man who police used a Taser on while detaining him without telling him why last year, the ACLU of Colorado announced Thursday.
The ACLU took up Darsean Kelley’s case and released the police body camera video of his arrest last September.
The incident in question happened on Feb. 19, 2016. According to the ACLU, Kelley and his cousin were walking along 14th Avenue when police stopped them. Continue reading
Transient arrested in 2 brutal Boulder assaults, charged with attempted murder and assault
BOULDER, Colo. – Police arrested a homeless man Tuesday in connection with two attacks on people this week—one of which left a victim fighting for his life.
James Craig Dobson, 56, was arrested Tuesday on second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and third-degree assault charges.
Police say they think Dobson attacked two people late Monday and early Tuesday morning.
The first incident happened around 10:30 p.m. near 27th Way and Baseline Road. Officers found a 50-year-old man with injuries consistent with a beating, the police department said. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover, according to the department.
But later that night, around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and in the same location, officers found a 43-year-old man with “grave injuries.” He was hospitalized and remains in critical condition, police said.
The Boulder Police Department hasn’t said much about the attacks, only that the victims’ injuries “were consistent with beatings” and that “it appears the victims and suspect knew each other.”
Dobson remains held at the Boulder County jail. Police are still interviewing people and witnesses.
Anyone who has additional information about the assaults is asked to call the police department at 303-441-3333.
Man sentenced in Colo. shooting preceded by $10K sale of broccoli that was supposed to be marijuana
AURORA, Colo. – One of two drug dealers who sold two people a $10,000 bag of broccoli, then shot the buyers when they got angry for being duped in what was supposed to be a marijuana deal, was sentenced to 16 years in prison late last week.
Sababu Colbert-Evans, 26, received the sentence after being convicted in May of attempted first-degree murder and several lesser charges. He’ll serve the sentences concurrently, and will be on parole for 5 years after he’s released from prison.
The attempted murder charge carries a mandatory minimum of 16 years in prison, and he’ll serve his sentences on the other charges concurrently
His partner in the crime, Tercell Davis (a.k.a. 22 Jump Street), has already pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and will be sentenced Aug. 7.
The shooting happened at Aurora’s mall on March 15 of last year.
A day earlier, Davis had given the bag of recently-purchased broccoli to the prospective buyers in exchange for $10,000.
But the buyers left the scene without realizing they had bought broccoli instead of pot, so they arranged another deal for the next night while using different names.
Around 7:30 p.m. on March 15, the buyers showed up to the parking lot of the Town Center at Aurora to get the marijuana they thought they’d bought the day before.
Davis brought Colbert-Evans along with him this time, and brought another bag of broccoli as well.
The parties started to fight, and Davis and Colbert-Evans shot at the buyers 11 times. One of them was hit in the torso, but recovered.
“This may be the first time that broccoli has been bad for someone’s health,” 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said after Colbert-Evans’ sentencing.