crime
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Judge expected to decide Monday whether to accept latest plea agreements for Hallfords
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An El Paso County judge is expected to decide Monday whether to accept new negotiations that would extend the prison sentence for Jon and Carie Hallford, coming on the heels of the court rejecting the original plea agreements for the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home. The new agreements would see the Hallfords…
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Denver police chief: Officers will intervene when they see ‘excessive force’ by ICE
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Denver Police Department Chief Ron Thomas said Wednesday that his officers would step in if they witnessed any “excessive force” used by federal agents during operations in the city. “If we see a federal officer who we believe is using excessive force, then I think our expectation is to intervene in that situation,” Thomas said…
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DA’s office justifies Colorado Springs police officers in August shooting
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The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office ruled two Colorado Springs police officers were justified in their use of deadly force against Cole Vannucci, 42, on Aug. 22, according to a news release by the office. Vannucci had an active arrest warrant from a domestic violence case and was raising an airsoft rifle when he was…
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We tested vapes in Colorado for signs of hemp. This is what we found.
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This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Denver Gazette. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Leaders in the Colorado marijuana industry have complained in recent years that intoxicating products derived from hemp are endangering consumers and creating unfair competition, threatening to upend…
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Aurora files Petition for Rehearing in court ruling on crime punishment, seeking ‘clarity’
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The city of Aurora filed a Petition for Rehearing with the Colorado Supreme Court on Monday, seeking clarity on a court decision in Aurora v. Simons. The court determined that municipal criminal penalties cannot exceed state sentencing caps for similar offenses under state law, according to a city news release Tuesday. City officials said Tuesday…
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Denver mayor aims to reduce gun violence, homelessness in 2026
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on Monday outlined his top 2026 priorities, with an eye toward the city’s most persistent challenges, notably homelessness, which has been growing under his administration, though there had been gains in some areas. The city’s top goals, Johnston said at a news conference at the La Alma Recreation Center, include further…
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CPW asks public for help after bald eagle found shot with ball bearing
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife has asked the public for help in learning more about the shooting of a bald eagle that took place in the Northglenn area. According to a press release on the matter, CPW officers along with local park rangers and animal control personnel responded to the report of an eagle on the…
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Former Centennial teacher sentenced to 60 years for sexually assaulting children
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A former teacher at a Centennial private school was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting multiple children in his care. Christopher Ballard, 28, of Lakewood, had been charged with nearly 24 sexual offenses against 12 child victims at the Journey Academy, where he had been employed since 2021, according to a…
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Colorado lawmakers want officers to conduct ‘lethality assessments’ when responding to domestic violence calls
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A bipartisan group of lawmakers is hoping to reduce to Colorado’s rising domestic violence fatalities through a bill that would require law enforcement agencies around the state to conduct “lethality assessments” on domestic violence victims. In early December of last year, police found the body of 37-year-old Annette Valdez in a trash can near a…
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4 arrested after $900K in damages to former Pueblo County middle school
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Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies arrested four men after interrupting a burglary in progress at the former Excelsior Middle School on Thursday, according to a news release by the Sheriff’s Office. Richard Luther, 60, Tylor Lovell, 31, Ezequiel Baca, 35, and Anthony Nagy, 59, allegedly caused around $900,000 worth of “extensive damage” to computers, ceilings, plumbing,…
