crime
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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,…
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Parents still waiting for Jeffco counselor plea deal on sexual assault charge
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A plea deal has been delayed again for the Jeffco Public Schools counselor who allegedly started a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student. Chloe Castro appeared in a Jefferson County District Court room in front of Judge Diego Hunt on Tuesday afternoon. Her defense attorney, Marshall Breit, noted that Castro would likely take a plea…
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Gov. Jared Polis touts Colorado’s ‘significant’ drop in crime in 2025
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Gov. Jared Polis is touting a recent report saying Colorado’s overall crime rate decreased by double-digit margins over the past year. “I am thrilled to see our data-driven investments in law enforcement support and crime prevention are working,” Polis said of the report from the Colorado Department of Public Safety. “Securing our safety is the…
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Rocky Mountain region saw record fentanyl pill, meth seizures in 2025, DEA says
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The Rocky Mountain region saw record-breaking amounts of fentanyl pills and methamphetamines seized in 2025, officials with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Wednesday. Throughout last year, Colorado saw a 76% increase in fentanyl pill seizures in comparison to the year before, which accounted for 6.7 million, or over 14%, of the 47 million…
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Colorado ‘un santuario’ for drug activity, DEA chief says
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Colorado’s “sanctuary” laws, notably its prohibition against cooperating with federal authorities, are having a “chilling effect” on law enforcement’s ability to go after drug cartels operating in the state, an official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said. That situation sits atop Colorado’s “pervasive drug culture stemming back to the marijuana initiation,” said David Olesky,…
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A year of developments in the CBI forensic lab scandal
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As the scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic lab moved through its second year, a series of startling developments and revelations emerged with no clear end in sight and the full toll still unknown. At the heart of a scandal unlike any before in state history, is the state agency’s once most revered and prolific DNA scientist: Yvonne Woods. In January, after…
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‘Our downtown, our way’: Aurora residents, business owners share hopes, fears for new Colfax authority
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When Heather Adams and her partner bought their Colfax Avenue location for Vanishing West Ciders, the area immediately felt right, she said. “As we started to walk through the neighborhood, we started loving and feeling opportunities here,” she said about the Colfax corridor in Aurora. “You can feel it. It was something bubbling out of…
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Deadly Aurora Christmas Eve shooting was ‘targeted’
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A Christmas Eve shooting in Aurora that has left two individuals dead and three wounded was “targeted,” according to an Aurora Police Department spokesperson. “This was not a random shooting,” Gabby Easterwood told The Denver Gazette. “The people knew each other.” Aurora Police said officers responded around 9:30 p.m. to a reported shooting at an…