child abuse
-
10th Circuit strikes down portion of Colorado child welfare law, potentially imperiling other states
—
by
Despite the warnings from officials that striking down a portion of Colorado’s child welfare law would imperil federal funding and trigger a domino effect across nearly all states, the federal appeals court based in Denver has deemed unconstitutional Colorado’s prohibition on disclosing certain information about child abuse investigations. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court…
-
Appeals court upholds convictions for religious group’s killing of 2 girls
—
by
Ashford Nathaniel Archer argued to the state’s second-highest court that there was insufficient evidence he committed child abuse resulting in death, stemming from his religious group’s 2017 killing of two girls in San Miguel County. The Court of Appeals disagreed last week, finding Archer was aware of the group’s overall decisions that led up to…
-
Appeals court tosses Denver sex abuse convictions for improper reference to porn searches
—
by
The state’s second-highest court has reversed a man’s convictions for sexually assaulting a child after determining it was improper for prosecutors to rely on Juan Hernandez-Ramirez’s Internet searches for pornography after allegedly abusing the victim. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals relied on a Colorado Supreme Court decision from earlier this year jettisoning a…
-
10th Circuit rules Mesa County workers cannot be sued for infant’s foster care death
—
by
Three child welfare workers in Mesa County did not commit a constitutional violation when they helped place an infant in the care of a foster mother who ultimately killed her, the federal appeals court based in Denver has ruled. After studying its options, the Mesa County Department of Human Services recommended Angel Place be moved…
-
Colorado legislature unanimously OKs ‘reasonable independence’ for children
—
by
When Brinley Sheffield was 7 years old, she decided she wanted to be a runner. After running around her block several times with her parents to learn the route, Sheffield embarked on her first solo trip with the goal of completing two laps in a row. The run was going well, until she noticed a…
-
El Paso County continues to lead state in child abuse hotline calls, cases and investigations
—
by
A pattern firmly entrenched for years – El Paso County receiving more calls of suspected child abuse and neglect to the state hotline, referrals for case review and full-blown investigations than any other locale in Colorado – continued during the pandemic, according to recently released statistics for 2021. While no one wants to see any instance of…
-
Former Alamosa County social worker may be held liable for faulty child abuse conviction, court rules
—
by
A former Alamosa County caseworker may be held liable for the false confession contained in her notes that was used to convict a mother of child abuse, the Denver-based federal appeals court ruled on Thursday. By a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit decided that Marcia Tuggle,…
-
Hickenlooper vetoes autopsy bill opposed by news outlets
—
by
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Friday afternoon announced he had vetoed three bills passed in the 2018 legislative session that ended last month, including one that would have placed autopsy reports on children off limits to the public except under limited circumstances. Senate Bill 223 was brought to the General Assembly by El Paso County Coroner…
-
Colorado child abuse hotline received 211,554 calls last year
—
by
Last year, Coloradans called the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline 211,554 times, the most since the line’s launch in January 2015. More calls could be the product of DHS’s public awareness campaign to the hotline, 1-844-CO-4-KIDS, to help people spot and report child abuse, neglect or sex trafficking. In 2016, DHS logged 206,107 calls.…