cocaine
-
Appeals court overturns Weld County drug convictions after officer gave improper testimony
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday overturned a man’s drug convictions and 36-year prison sentence because a law enforcement officer improperly testified the defendant had met the legal elements to be found guilty. An expert witness cannot “usurp” the jury’s role by testifying about the conclusion jurors should reach. The Court of Appeals has previously ordered…
-
Appeals court clarifies defendants’ ability to claim they unknowingly ingested drugs
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court clarified on Thursday that not every criminal defendant’s claim that they mistakenly ingested a different drug than the drug they thought they were taking will enable them to argue they were “involuntarily intoxicated.” An El Paso County jury convicted Karl Jeran Friday Williams in 2022 after he walked through a Colorado Springs neighborhood…
-
As families recount stories of heartbreak, legislators mull contours of response to fentanyl crisis
—
by
There were few constants through Keith’s short life. His family – his parents Trisha and Jason Davidson, and sister Shaelynn – was one. His curiosity – constantly tinkering with electronics, fascination with space, admiration for Elon Musk – was another. But so, too, was the failure of institutions that were in a position to help him as…
-
Appeals court slams failure to document custody of drug evidence in Colorado Springs case
—
by
A man will receive a new trial after the state’s second-highest court ruled that prosecutors failed to show Colorado Springs police continuously kept track of a bag of white powder, with one officer acknowledging he retrieved it from the ground and never saw it again until trial. Three judges on a panel of the Court…
-
Denver officers had insufficient grounds to search hoodie-wearing juvenile, appeals court decides
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court found that two Denver officers needed more justification to search a juvenile than the fact he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt in the summer, and consequently, the drugs discovered on the boy should not have been allowed as evidence. Based on that unlawful search, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals…
-
GOP primary race turns ugly in Jeffco House district
—
by
A Republican primary race for a state House of Representatives seat in south Jefferson County has turned ugly, with candidate Colin Larson sending out campaign literature referring to opponent Frank Francone’s “arrest for dealing cocaine base” nearly three decades ago as well as tax problems, and Francone calling Larson a “swamp creature.” The GOP primary…
-
Grant continues drug task forces in CO, WY, UT
—
by
The director of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program does not expect President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to alter the federal funding that helps keep the program operating. “Our experiences with Congress over many years has been overwhelmingly positive, whether it’s Democrats or Republicans,” said Rocky Mountain HIDTA Director Tom Gorman. “The president…
