arapahoe county
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Arapahoe County grappling with ‘financial shortfall’
Arapahoe County is in a financial bind and asked community members to weigh in on possible solutions, which might include ballot measures to raise taxes, commissioners said in a State of the County address Thursday morning. “Arapahoe County has so many great things happening that it’s impossible to cover them all in this very short…
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Colorado justices nudge legislature to take action to combat racial bias in jury selection
In a major pair of decisions on Monday, the Colorado Supreme Court simultaneously found Arapahoe County prosecutors provided non-racial reasons for removing jurors of color from two criminal trials, but that judges failed to adequately determine whether those reasons were credible. Further, three of the seven justices, with seeming support from the other four, suggested…
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Allegations against ex-Arapahoe County judge encompassed sexual comments to staff, improper influence in case
Documents provided by the Colorado Supreme Court revealed in detail the cascading allegations against former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione, who resigned last year and was censured earlier this month for misconduct towards staff and colleagues. The Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline initiated multiple investigations against Scipione, beginning after two 18th Judicial…
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Appeals court says name, birthdate, ‘Caucasian male’ not descriptive enough to prove prior offenses
Colorado’s second-highest court last week clarified that a defendant’s name, date of birth and description as a “Caucasian male” did not combine to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was the same person who had three prior drunk driving convictions. An Arapahoe County jury convicted Dennis Herold in 2022 of felony driving under the…
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Downstairs meth lab case has Colorado justices evaluating duty to preserve evidence
When an Arapahoe County judge awarded a woman and her daughter $10.5 million for their injuries, finding their landlord had not reasonably responded to allegations of toxic exposure from a downstairs meth lab, he also concluded the landlord willfully failed to preserve evidence. Last week, before the Colorado Supreme Court, the now-bankrupt Terra Management Group sought a…
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Arapahoe County adds flashing stop signs to problem intersection after resident petition
Arapahoe County added a three-way stop with flashing stop signs at an intersection after a resident started a petition to add safety measures to the area, which had seen multiple crashes in recent months. The intersection, at Quincy Avenue and Harvest Road in Arapahoe County, has been a problem area in recent months, and Jason…
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Ex-Arapahoe County Judge John Scipione censured for misconduct
The Colorado Supreme Court censured former Arapahoe County District Court Judge John E. Scipione on Monday for his misconduct, which resulted in a pair of sexual harassment settlements totaling $130,000. In a document originally filed with the court in January 2023, Scipione agreed he failed to disclose an intimate relationship with a staff member, inappropriately…
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Appeals court warns that prosecutor’s comments about her, victims’ race were improper
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday agreed an Arapahoe County prosecutor did not intentionally dismiss a Hispanic juror for race-based reasons, but her attempt to justify the removal by citing her own race and the race of the victims was improper. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals noted the prosecutor, in dismissing the Hispanic…
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Colorado Supreme Court upholds Arapahoe County murder, drug convictions
Even if an Arapahoe County judge was wrong to combine a defendant’s drug and murder charges in one trial, the move did not likely affect the jury’s verdict, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Joseph Wayne Washington argued there should have been separate trials for his murder charge and for the other counts largely…