arapahoe county
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Divided appeals court overturns defendant’s $350,000 restitution obligation
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Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a defendant’s obligation to pay nearly $350,000 in crime victim restitution last week because an Arapahoe County judge issued the restitution order beyond the legal deadline. The divided decision of a three-judge Court of Appeals panel is the latest illustration of the struggle some judges continue to have with Colorado’s restitution…
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Arapahoe County investigators searching for suspects in $120K fairgrounds theft
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Arapahoe County investigators are searching for four grinches who stole $120,000 in trucks and tools from the county’s fairgrounds on Tuesday, according to a sheriff’s office news release Wednesday. Investigators said four suspects in masks entered the maintenance shop at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave. in Aurora, just before 10 p.m. Tuesday…
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Arapahoe County commissioners adopt $670M 2026 budget
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More than a year after voters passed ballot measure 1A to help Arapahoe County handle a budget shortfall, county officials approved a $670 million budget for 2026 that is nearly $100 million higher than the 2025 budget of $571 million. The county’s budget will cover services with additional property tax revenue from voter-approved 1A, which…
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Arapahoe County seeks input for road safety master plan
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Arapahoe County officials are seeking public feedback on an initiative to create a comprehensive safety action plan. The plan, which outlines safety planning for residents, workers and travelers in unincorporated Arapahoe County, will guide the future of infrastructure in the county. Specifically, county officials are seeking public feedback from road users, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists…
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Appeals court overturns road rage murder conviction due to faulty jury instruction
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Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a defendant’s murder conviction on Thursday, concluding an Arapahoe County judge provided an incorrect self-defense instruction to the jury about the road rage encounter. In November 2020, Romeo Desean Thompson was behind Phillip Hunt at an intersection. The light turned green, but Hunt did not immediately move forward. Thompson honked, after…
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Arapahoe County proposes $670 million 2026 budget
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Arapahoe County officials presented a proposed 2026 budget of $670 million to commissioners on Tuesday, a significant increase from the previous year during which the county faced and recovered from a budget shortfall. Officials invited the public to weight in on the budget in two public comment sessions before commissioners vote to adopt the 2026…
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Colorado justices weigh potential race-based treatment for Arapahoe County murder defendant
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The Colorado Supreme Court considered a convicted defendant’s argument on Thursday that Arapahoe County prosecutors unconstitutionally singled out him and another Black teenager for murder prosecutions as adults, while offering lenient plea deals to the two non-Black co-defendants. Lloyd Chavez IV, a student at Cherokee Trail High School, died in May 2019 after four teenagers…
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Arapahoe County conditionally approves Lowry Ranch fracking application
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Arapahoe County conditionally approved another oil pad in the Lowry Ranch fracking plan that will go on State Land Board property near the Blackstone neighborhood in Aurora. The Secret Stash facility, from GMT Exploration Company LLC, was approved by the county’s Public Works and Development Department, the county announced in a news release Tuesday. It…
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Colorado justices concerned about blocking self-represented prisoners from pursuing claims due to lack of resources
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When Jamale D. Townsell filed a petition from prison seeking postconviction relief, he argued his trial lawyer was constitutionally ineffective for failing to properly investigate DNA evidence that would have called his responsibility for a 2013 bank robbery into question. The state’s Court of Appeals rejected his petition, reasoning Townsell had not shown how the…
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Appeals court overturns assault conviction due to Arapahoe County prosecutor’s misconduct
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Colorado’s second-highest court ordered a new trial on Thursday after concluding an Arapahoe County prosecutor’s improper commentary about a defendant’s constitutional right to silence undermined the fairness of his trial. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel acknowledged it was fair game for the prosecution to cross-examine defendant Dominic Jorge Martinez about inconsistencies between his trial…