News
Kevin Lyons sentenced to life without parole, plus 352 years, for shooting wife and 2 neighbors
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. – The man who pleaded guilty to 14 charges last month for shooting his wife and two neighbors, one of whom died, in April 2016 will serve the rest of his life in prison without a chance for parole.
An 18th Judicial District Court judge sentenced Kevin Lee Lyons to life in prison without parole, plus 352 years, in court on Monday.
He pleaded guilty to more than a dozen charges in early May for the shooting of his wife and two neighbors. One of the neighbors, Dr. Kenneth Atkinson, died in the shooting. Lyons’ wife and the other neighbor suffered non-life threatening injuries.
18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler had said he’d considered pursuing the death penalty against Lyons—something that has been used less and less under Gov. John Hickenlooper. Only three inmates currently remain on the state’s death row.
Lyons’ wife told investigators her husband had been “acting weird” in the days before the shooting last April and suggested he go see a physician.
He snapped, according to investigators, pulled out a gun and started shooting. When neighbors came over to help, he shot them too.
Lyons’ competency to stand trial was questioned in the days after his initial arrest, though he was found to be competent last June.
Around two-dozen people testified in court Monday ahead of Lyons’ final sentencing, which is what was stipulated as part of his plea deal.
Report: Oil and gas explosions, fires may be underreported due to Colorado’s ‘lenient’ guidelines
DENVER – A new research report by Colorado scientists published last month says that statistics on oil and gas explosions and fires in the state may be lacking or underreported because of “lenient” self-reporting guidelines in Colorado.
The study will be published in the July edition of Energy Research & Social Sciences by researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Continue reading
What does the Paris climate pullout mean for US, and why do Republicans insist it’s a treaty?
DENVER – When President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords, his plan was widely met with blowback from most business owners, Democrats, America’s closest allies, and even energy company executives.
Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, including some from Colorado, said little of the ramifications of Trump’s decision, instead deriding the previous administration for not taking the accord—an executive agreement—to the U.S. Senate for approval. Continue reading
Colorado oil, gas regulators say operators ‘appear’ to be taking mandatory review seriously
DENVER – Colorado regulators have received most of the reports detailing the location of above-ground vertical oil and gas well pipes that was required in an order from Gov. John Hickenlooper last month, but it “appears” some small operators have yet to submit their reports, the state oil and gas commission said Friday.
On May 2, Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission ordered every oil and gas operator in the state to inspect every existing flowline not in active use and to document the location of any active flowline within 1,000 feet of a building.
The notice to report required the companies to map the locations of the lines and report back to the oil and gas commission. The companies also had to be sure that any of their abandoned wells or flowlines had been properly capped and noted. The reports for the active wells were due back to the state by May 30, and integrity tests for active flowlines and compliance with proper abandonment procedures have a June 30 deadline to be completed.
The Colorado Oil and Gas Commission had received 129 reports from the various operators by the May 30 deadline, Department of Natural Resources communications director Todd Hartman said Friday.
Hartman noted that the 129 reports were actually beyond the 116 COGCC had expected, but said that some of the reports might be duplicates or corrected reports.
He said COGCC has so far processed 80 of the reports, including those from the state’s largest operators, but that the work was time and labor-intensive.
But Hartman also said that “it appears there may be a small number of operators that have yet to submit the required information,” and said COGCC was contacting those operators to be sure they complete the required work.
He also said that it’s possible some of the operators have over-reported, noting that at least one large operator gave information for each well and flowline within 1,500 feet of buildings—beyond the 1,000-foot limit.
The reports received so far include data for flowlines connected with 16,514 wells, Hartman said.
But he added that the “voluminous” data would take time to compile and release, as the state has to cross-check the provided data with existing well information in state databases.
“At this initial stage, the COGCC believes that industry is taking compliance with the order seriously,” Hartman said. “It will take further review, however, to develop firmer details about overall compliance.”
Hickenlooper ordered the mapping of Colorado’s approximately 54,00 wells and their associated flowlines days after Anadarko Petroleum, the company responsible for a leaking flowline that led to a deadly explosion in Firestone, announced it was shutting in thousands of its wells in the state to review and inspect them.
The industry has been even further scrutinized since Hickenlooper’s order after another Anadarko crew suffered casualties in an oil tank battery explosion in Mead, and a Logan County natural gas storage well suffered a blow-out, forcing nearby residents to evacuate before crews could cap it again.
More updates from the DNR and COGCC on the progress of the review are expected in coming weeks.
ATF offers reward for suspect info in Colorado gun store smash-and-grabs
DENVER – Federal firearms authorities have taken notice of a string of smash-and-grab burglaries at three Colorado gun stores and are offering a $10,000 reward for suspect information that leads to convictions.
The thieves made off with 45 guns in the three burglaries, which have all happened in the last 1 ½ months.
Click here to view surveillance images of the suspects involved in the burglaries
On April 18, either four or five people stole 22 guns from the Springs Armory in the 2400 block of Waynoka Road in Colorado Springs.
About a month later, on May 24, four people broke into the Triple J Armory in Littleton and stole 11 guns just before 2 a.m. They drove a vehicle through the store’s wall in order to gain entry.
Two nights later, around 2 a.m. on May 26, two people broke into Machine Gun Tours in Lakewood and stole 12 more guns, including several semi-automatic rifles.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is now offering a $10,00 reward to anyone who helps identify the suspects, leading to their arrests and convictions.
“These firearms represent a major threat to our community,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Debora Livingston. “They will not be used in hunting; they will not be displayed as trophies; these guns are destined for crime. We appeal to anyone who knows the identity of these suspects or the whereabouts of the firearms to contact us before innocent people are hurt.”
Last year, a total of 273 guns were stolen from Colorado licensed dealers—up from 121 in 2015 and 56 in 2014.
ATF continues to work with the local agencies in their investigations into the burglaries, and warns both businesses and residents to be vigilant about protecting their firearms.
Anyone with information about the suspects in the burglaries can call ATF at 1-800-ATF-GUNS or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.
Why is Sen. Cory Gardner touring Asia and shaking hands with Rodrigo Duterte?
DENVER – What exactly is Sen. Cory Gardner doing in the Philippines shaking hands with under-fire president Rodrigo Duterte?
That was the question many in Colorado asked Thursday when Filipino president’s press office put out photos of the two shaking hands in a meeting that happened Wednesday. Continue reading
Marine with history of heroism disarmed suspect in Boulder murder; victim shot execution-style
BOULDER, Colo. – A Marine with a history of heroism disarmed the suspect accused of shooting and killing a man execution-style inside a Boulder bar early Monday morning, then helped try and save the victim’s life as his co-worker subdued the suspect until police arrived.
The affidavit for Louis Joseph Sebastian, 32, was unsealed and released Thursday as Sebastian was formally charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. Continue reading
Adams County agrees to pay $25K to Muslim inmate denied Quran
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – Adams County will pay a Muslim inmate denied a Quran during the 2015 Ramadan holy days $25,000 to settle a lawsuit filed last year, and the jail has agreed to change its policies to protect the religious rights of jailed Muslims.
Though the jail denied any wrongdoing in the settlement agreement, its payment to the former inmate, Marquis Harris, came with an agreement from Harris that he would drop the civil suit.
The $25,000 payment will go to Harris’s attorney, Denver-based David Lane, which will cover attorneys’ fees and other costs associated with the suit, as well as payment to Harris.
The jail also agreed in the settlement to provide Muslim inmates with any requested religious materials in a timely fashion; to provide Muslim inmates with their morning meals the night before during the Ramadan period; to allow (consistent with current policy) Muslim inmates to gather for prayer when Muslim leaders come to the facility to supervise; and to consider giving Muslim inmates Halal meals “if an option for providing those meals is financially and logistically feasible.”
The suit stemmed from a complaint that Harris’s Quran had been seized and placed with his personal belongings when he was transferred to the Adams County jail in June 2015. A request for Halal meals and a Quran during Ramadan was also denied, according to the original suit.
The settlement means that Harris won’t be able to bring further damage complaints against the alleged defendants in the lawsuit.
“It is encouraging to see courageous Muslims in our society fight the discrimination Donald Trump has loosed in America,” Lane said in a statement regarding the settlement, though the alleged improprieties by the jail occurred only around the time that Trump was announcing his presidential candidacy.
Denver Post fires sportswriter Terry Frei after racially insensitive tweet about Indy 500 winner
DENVER – The Denver Post announced Monday it had fired its sportswriter, Terry Frei, a day after he made a racially-insensitive remark about Japanese driver Takuma Sato winning the Indianapolis 500 Sunday.
“Nothing specifically personal, but I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during a Memorial Day weekend,” Frei tweeted out Sunday afternoon.
His tweet immediately set off a storm online, leading to Frei quickly deleting the tweet and sending out another message: “I apologize.”
I apologize.
— Terry Frei (@TFrei) May 29, 2017
About three hours later, Frei sent out a lengthier explanation for the original tweet, saying he had been visiting his father’s grave site at the Fort Logan National Cemetery. Frei said his father spent four years flying reconnaissance missions over Japan.
OK, I took out the name of a book. pic.twitter.com/b953FbqMEh
— Terry Frei (@TFrei) May 29, 2017
“I am sorry, I made a mistake, and I understand 72 years have passed since the end of World War II and I do regret people with whom I probably am very closely aligned with politically and philosophically have been so offended. To those people, I apologize,” he wrote.
But the damage had apparently been done, as The Post’s publisher, Mac Tully, and editor, Lee Ann Colacioppo, announced Monday that Frei was no longer employed by the Post.
“We apologize for the disrespectful and unacceptable tweet that was sent by one of our reporters. Terry Frei is no longer an employee of The Denver Post. It’s our policy not to comment further on personnel issues,” they wrote in a statement posted to the Post’s website. “The tweet doesn’t represent what we believe nor what we stand for. We hope you will accept our profound apologies.”
Frei is also an author. He wrote a book about the 1942 Wisconsin Badgers football team, many of whom went on to fight for the U.S. in World War II.
Coffman, Polis bill would force VA study of veteran suicide, overmedication for behavioral disorders
DENVER – As we honor the American service men and women who have lost their lives in combat on Memorial Day, two Colorado congressmen are working to help stop veterans from dying in the war against drug addiction and suicide back home.
A bill introduced last week, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Coffman (R-CO06) and Jared Polis (D-CO02), along with other House Democrats and Republicans, aims to put the Veterans Affairs Secretary into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a full review of veterans’ suicides and drug use over the past 5 years.
The House version of the bill is called the “Veteran Overmedication Prevention Act of 2017.”
If passed and signed by President Donald Trump, the VA and national academies would, within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, undertake a full review of every suicide, violent death, or accidental death of a VA-covered veteran over the past 5 years—regardless of whether the death was covered by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting methodology.
The team would create a list of every medication prescribed to the veteran, as well as any legal or illegal drug the veteran was taking prior to their death.
It would also review every VA diagnosis that led to a doctor describing medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injuries, sexual abuse and other anxiety and depression-related disorders.
The review would also be tasked with covering the number of times a veteran was concurrently put on different medications and why, as well as the number of veterans who died after not being prescribed with any medications.
The review would have to make a distinction between whether or not a veteran was also given behavioral health treatments, in addition to prescription drugs, and review protocols in plays in the VA system for pain scoring and prescribing painkillers.
The VA’s staffing levels for mental health professionals would also be reviewed, and an analysis of the VA locations prescribing the highest number of painkillers would also be done.
The program the bill aims to create is similar to a Senate bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced in that chamber.
Both hope to address an alarming increase in the number of veterans’ suicides, which has jumped to around 20 per day in the U.S.
“This bill will enable us to better identify the links between prescription drugs overdoses and veterans’ suicide,” Coffman said. “The VA’s drug-centric culture is not only something we are looking to change, but also we seek to better understand this growing epidemic of opioid use. Our goal is to ultimately avoid veterans’ and their families’ unnecessary suffering.”
“I’ve long believed that we owe our nation’s heroes alternatives for pain management and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment other than narcotic and opioid pain medications. This study is a step in a positive direction toward heading off the tragic epidemic of veterans’ suicide by understanding how traditional systems of treatment may be undermining some veterans’ ability to pursue healthy, happy lives,” Rep. Polis said.