Crime
Aurora Police lieutenant charged with DUI months after official misconduct charge
DENVER – A lieutenant with the Aurora Police Department is again on paid leave after being charged with a crime for the second time this year—this time after he was allegedly caught passed out behind the wheel of his car in downtown Denver after a late-night Broncos game.
Aurora Police Lt. Leland Silver faces charges of driving under the influence, driving under the influence per se and careless driving after his latest arrest, which happened in the early-morning hours of Oct. 16. Continue reading
Denver agrees to $4.6 million settlement with family of mentally-ill inmate who died in jail custody
DENVER – The family of Michael Marshall, a Denver jail inmate who died while in custody in 2015, will get $4.65 million from the city of Denver if the city council approves the settlement on November 13.
Also part of the settlement, which was announced Wednesday morning, are a series of policy and training procedure changes the sheriff’s department will have to implement to increase mental health services and training over the next several years. Continue reading
Project Unsolved: Friends and detectives continue search for Jakeob McKnight’s killer 26 years on
Twenty-six years after 10-year-old Jakeob McKnight was brutally slain at a Lakewood, Colorado park, an old friend who was among the last to see him and a cold case detective aren’t giving up on bringing someone to justice—and they say the primary suspects haven’t changed after all these years. Continue reading
Eric Bolling says his son, a CU-Boulder student, died of accidental opioid overdose
DENVER – Former Fox News Channel host Eric Bolling confirmed Thursday that his son, Eric Chase Bolling Jr., died of an overdose of opioids last month in Boulder.
“Just received some tragic news from Coroner in Colorado. Eric Chase’s passing has been ruled an accidental overdose that included opioids,” he said in a series of tweets. “Adrienne and I thank you for your continued prayers and support. We must fight against this national epidemic, too many innocent victims.” Continue reading
Denver judge upholds ruling that directive banning drug users from parks is unconstitutional
DENVER – A Denver District Court judge on Wednesday upheld a county court ruling that found a directive issued last September, which allowed officers to cite and temporarily ban drug users caught using in city parks or on the Cherry Creek trail, was unconstitutional.
But the city says a new directive is in the works. Continue reading
Teen accused of murdering Englewood chef pleads guilty; alleged accomplice to be prosecuted as adult
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – One of the teens accused of murdering the well-known chef of the Blackbird Public House pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges, while the other found out his case would remain in adult court and that he wouldn’t be prosecuted as a juvenile.
Louis Lara-Macias, 16, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charge in court on Wednesday. His plea came in the middle of a hearing regarding a possible transfer of his case to juvenile court, and thus, the case will remain in adult court, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Lara-Macias faces between eight and 24 years in prison, according to sentencing guidelines in Colorado for class 2 felonies. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 7.
The other teenager arrested in the case, 16-year-old Raheem Vaughn Benson, had a motion to have his case moved to juvenile court denied on Wednesday. He previously pleaded not guilty to the crime. His next court date has not been set.
The two are accused of killing Nick Lewis, who was the executive chef at Blackbird Public House in Denver, last Oct. 1. Few details about his death have been released, as affidavits for both teens remain suppressed.
“Those that knew Nick are having a hard time understanding how such a kind and gentle person could be taken from us in such a violent manner,” the owner of the restaurant wrote on Facebook at the time.
The two teens were arrested later that month. Both originally faced first-degree murder charges in the case when they were arrested.
Colorado secretary of state and ‘Hamilton Electors’ reach deal to expedite case
DENVER – A group of self-professed “Hamilton Electors” has reached a deal with Colorado’s secretary of state to drop him from the lawsuit and to only pursue $1 each in damages in the ongoing litigation.
The electors – Robert Nemanich, Polly Baca and Micheal Baca – filed their suit in August against Williams regarding a Colorado statute that required them to vote for the presidential candidate who won the state’s popular vote in last year’s General Election. Continue reading
Mother of severely-injured Lakewood toddler arrested for possible child abuse
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The mother of a 2-year-old girl who was brutally beaten last month witnessed at least one of the beatings allegedly undertaken by her boyfriend, and now faces investigation on child abuse charges, according to prosecutors.
Melissa Nicole Mangeri, 28, faces investigation on one count of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury related to her daughter’s alleged abuse.
Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Joshua Gonzales, was arrested on Sept. 17 and charged with reckless child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury. He faces between 10 and 32 years in prison if convicted. Continue reading
3 dead in Fort Collins shooting identified, including gunman who took his own life
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The gunman who killed two people outside a Fort Collins apartment complex early Thursday morning also killed himself, the Larimer County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday as it identified the three dead in the shooting.
The office identified the second victim in the shooting as Tristian Kemp, 26, of Destin, Florida, and said Kemp died of multiple gunshot wounds. It also formally identified Colorado State student Savannah McNealy, 22, as the other person murdered. Continue reading
Authorities: Juvenile given booze and meth, was raped over 2 weeks at Elbert County home
ELIZABETH, Colo. – A juvenile was kept inside a home in Elbert County for two weeks in September, was given booze and methamphetamine by three people and was sexually assaulted by one of them, according to the county sheriff’s office.
The three people, 46-year-old Cain Kelman, 47-year-old Deanna Weber and 62-year-old Ricky Taggart, face an array of charges after they allegedly brought the minor to a home in the 4800 block of Highway 86 in unincorporated Elizabeth, and kept the juvenile there for around two weeks in September.
Deputies arrested the three after serving a search warrant at the home on Highway 86 on Sept. 27. All three have since posted bond and are scheduled for court appearances over the next two months.
According to the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, while the three were keeping the victim at the house, the victim was given alcohol, meth and was sexually assaulted by Kelman “multiple times.”
Kelman faces four felonies and one misdemeanor charge in relation to the incident: distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, sexual contact – coercion of a child, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of a controlled substance, and sex assault – 10-year age difference.
Weber and Taggart both face charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and Taggart faces an additional controlled substance possession charge. He pleaded guilty to a similar charge out of Denver earlier this year.
The sheriff’s office has yet to release additional details about the alleged crimes, as the affidavits are suppressed.