Crime
Jeff Sessions scoffs at intern who questioned his marijuana stance, video shows
DENVER – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued with Justice Department interns this summer over the safety and efficacy of marijuana use, according to new videos obtained by ABC News.
In the videos, which were shot during a lecture series for Justice Department summer interns that took place in June, Sessions chastised a woman who questioned his opposition to legal marijuana programs. Continue reading
Missing 17-year-old Bailey girl Maggie Long found dead inside of burned home, sheriff says
PARK COUNTY, Colo. – Maggie Long, the 17-year-old reported missing last Friday around the same time a fire burned her home, was discovered dead inside of the home, the Park County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Mystery has surrounded the case since Long went missing Friday. She was supposed to go to a concert Friday night at Platte Canyon High School, Park County Undersheriff Dave Wohlers told Denver7, but never showed up. Her sister started posting on Facebook that Maggie was missing.
On Saturday, the sheriff’s office said it was “working a crime scene” off of County Road 43, but said no search parties were being organized to look for Long. Continue reading
ICE removals up 145% in Colorado and Wyoming in 2017 fiscal year, arrests up 20%
DENVER – Colorado and Wyoming saw a major uptick in the number of people arrested and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the first year of the Trump administration, according to new numbers released by the agency Tuesday.
ICE said that in Colorado and Wyoming, 2,746 people were arrested and 2,535 were removed from the U.S. in the 2017 fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1 of last year through Sept. 30 of this year.
The 2017 numbers show an increase of 145 percent in the number of removals from the area when compared to the 2016 fiscal year, when 1,033 people were removed. Arrests were up 20 percent over the same period, from 2,284 in 2016. Continue reading
Former Colorado GOP chairman Steve Curtis found guilty of voter fraud, forgery
DENVER – Steve Curtis, the former chairman for the Colorado Republican Party, was found guilty Thursday by a Weld County jury of voter fraud and forgery.
Curtis, 58, was arrested in March and accused of signing his wife’s mail-in ballot for her, which is a misdemeanor in Colorado. He was also charged with forgery of a public record, a fifth-degree felony. Continue reading
Jury convicts former Mexican officer of sexually assaulting Aurora woman
DENVER – An Arapahoe County jury on Wednesday found a Mexican former law enforcement officer guilty on seven counts related to his breaking into an Aurora apartment and sexually assaulting a woman in October 2016.
Ricardo Corral-Venegas, 26, was convicted of six felony counts that include several sex assault counts, burglary and kidnapping. He also received a sentence enhancer for using a weapon in a violent crime. Continue reading
Police: Colorado State Rep. Lori Saine caught at Denver airport TSA checkpoint with handgun
DENVER – Colorado State Rep. Lori Saine, R-Firestone, carried a loaded gun through security in one of her bags, which was caught by a TSA agent at Denver International Airport Tuesday afternoon, according to a probable cause statement released Wednesday.
The probable cause statement says Saine’s arrest happened shortly after 1:45 p.m. The statement says a TSA agent spotted “what appeared to be a loaded firearm” in Saine’s bag.
The statement says she “knowingly brought the handgun into the North Screening Check point.” Continue reading
Colorado State Rep. Lori Saine arrested, accused of having gun at Denver International Airport
DENVER – Colorado State Rep. Lori Saine, R-Dacono, was arrested Tuesday at Denver International Airport for allegedly carrying a weapon in a public transportation facility.
Court records and the Denver Police Department confirm Saine’s arrest, and DPD said the case will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office to determine if she will face charges. Denver jail records show Saine was booked into the Downtown Detention Center Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading
Criminal case against ousted Lake Co. undersheriff turned over to grand jury
LAKE COUNTY, Colo. – The criminal investigation involving former Lake County undersheriff Fernando Mendoza has been turned over to a grand jury, which will determine if he will face any criminal charges.
Mendoza was fired from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office two weeks ago because several women in the office levied sexual harassment allegations against him in reports to the office, the district attorney, and Denver7.
Fifth Judicial District Attorney Bruce Brown has had an active investigation into allegations against Mendoza for several weeks, and he confirmed to Denver7 Monday his case had been sent to a grand jury. Continue reading
Man, 64, dies while in ICE custody in Colorado
DENVER – A 64-year-old man in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement died Saturday at an Aurora hospital, the agency said Monday.
Kamyar Samimi, 64, originally of Iran, was arrested by ICE agents in Denver on Nov. 17—more than 12 years after he was convicted of cocaine possession in Arapahoe County. Continue reading
Donthe Lucas waives first court appearance on Kelsie Schelling murder charge
PUEBLO, Colo. – Donthe Lucas, the man charged Friday with murder in the 2013 disappearance of Kelsie Schelling, waived his first court appearance on the charges Monday morning.
Lucas, 25, had been set to be advised of his charges in Pueblo District Court Monday, but after he waived his appearance, he will make his first appearance Dec. 18. Continue reading