adams county
-
Adams County officials call for resignation of county treasurer after ‘inappropriate behavior’
Adams County Commissioners requested the resignation of the county’s treasurer after multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior toward staff members. Treasurer Alex Villagran has declined to step down. An independent investigation by Employment Matters LLC Flynn Investigations Group found multiple allegations against Villagran to be credible, according to an Adams County Board of Commissioners news release…
-
DougCo Sheriff’s Office cancels contract with alert network after security breach
Thousands of Coloradans may have had their information leaked due to a security breach on CodeRED — a emergency notification system used by various metro agencies. CodeRED by Crisis24, a company based in Maryland, sent a letter to users on Friday stating that the system was part of a “targeted attack by an organized cybercriminal…
-
Adams County adopts $900M budget amidst worries about future revenue
Adams County commissioners unanimously adopted the 2026 county budget Tuesday, setting the county up to spend almost $900 million next year. The county’s budget is set at more than $876.5 million, a $45 million increase from the county’s 2025 budget, and budget officials expressed concerns about revenue reductions starting in 2027. This year’s adopted budget…
-
Two charged with murder of woman in Westminster parking lot
Two men face murder charges after a fatal shooting in Westminster last month. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said it officially filed murder charges against 19-year-old Daniel Romero and 24-year-old Michael Fernandez, Jr. on Monday morning. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in a parking lot in the 8400 block of Decatur…
-
Adams, Broomfield counties see ‘sharp’ decline in car theft
Adams and Broomfield Counties have seen a “sharp decline” in car thefts since their peak in 2022, with the number of reported thefts cut in half. District Attorney Brian Mason announced the data trend on Wednesday, saying there have been annual reductions in the number of car thefts through this year. Car theft surged during…
-
Adams County distributes almost $6M in opioid settlement funds
Adams County commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday distributing almost $6 million in opioid settlement funds to 19 organizations throughout the county. This is the third round of grant funding from the Colorado Opioid Framework, which was created in 2021 to distribute money from lawsuits the Colorado Department of Law wins against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors…
-
By 2-1, appeals court takes no issue with constitutional violation from defendant’s absence at hearing
Colorado’s second-highest court, by a 2-1 vote, concluded that an Adams County judge’s order granting crime victim restitution was valid, even though the defendant was absent from a hearing which he had a constitutional right to attend. The U.S. and Colorado constitutions guarantee criminal defendants the right to be present at all “critical stages” of…
-
Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases about ‘reasonable doubt’ definition, contract dispute
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will decide whether the definition of “reasonable doubt” adopted in a 2023 revision to the template jury instructions violates the constitutional rights of the criminally accused. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. The justices will also…
-
Appeals court overturns Adams County drug convictions due to unconstitutional police conduct
Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a man’s drug convictions and 25-year prison sentence on Thursday after concluding two Northglenn police officers unconstitutionally transformed a traffic stop into a drug investigation without reasonable suspicion of a crime. Clifton E. McRae, who was originally stopped for making an illegal turn, repeatedly declined to consent to a search of…
-
10th Circuit, 2-1, rules ignoring emergency signal from jail detainees is clear constitutional violation
The Denver-based federal appeals court concluded on Monday that a jail employee can violate a detainee’s clear constitutional rights by ignoring an emergency distress signal, even if there is no further information about what kind of emergency exists. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit agreed Ralph Marcus Hardy…