fremont county
-
Colorado Supreme Court finds judge mistakenly barred evidence over officer’s failure to unmute body cam
—
by
A Fremont County judge incorrectly barred evidence from being used against a defendant based upon a Cañon City officer’s failure to unmute his body-worn camera, the Colorado Supreme Court decided on Monday. Under a comprehensive police accountability law enacted in 2020, law enforcement officers are generally required to wear and use body-worn cameras when interacting with…
-
Appeals court reverses Fremont County judge’s sanction on DA’s office over evidence misunderstanding
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that a Fremont County judge was wrong to reduce the severity of a criminal charge because she believed the district attorney’s office failed to turn over police reports that, in reality, did not exist. Prosecutors charged Derek Eugene Ruppel in early 2025 with one felony and one misdemeanor count…
-
Appeals court revives child abuse prosecution despite ex-DA’s ‘inappropriate’ comments to media
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court reinstated the criminal charges in a Fremont County child abuse case on Thursday, acknowledging the elected district attorney’s public comments about the defendant were “inappropriate” but did not rise to the level of triggering dismissal. Last year, a judge dismissed the case against Brook N. Crawford after then-District Attorney Linda Stanley spoke…
-
Appeals court rules Fremont County must compensate victims of jail deputy’s sexual misconduct
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded last week that Fremont County is responsible for paying $128,357 to two women who were victims of a jail deputy’s sexual misconduct. Samantha Hudnall and Marisa Palmas sued former Deputy Brandon Lucero for violating their rights under the Colorado Constitution. Lucero failed to respond to the allegations and a trial judge…
-
Appeals court ‘concerned’ prison official refused to let inmate question witness in disciplinary case
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an incarcerated man’s disciplinary conviction for allegedly assaulting a prison employee last week, concluding the man was wrongly denied the ability to question a key witness. David Ruffin resided at the Colorado State Penitentiary in July 2022 when he became upset at a directive to either shower or go to his…
-
Decision on former Morphew prosecutor’s fate delayed
—
by
The arm of the Colorado Supreme Court that oversees the state’s attorneys has pushed back Friday’s deadline to decide the fate of the embattled former prosecutor in the Morphew case. Linda Stanley, the sitting 11th Judicial District Attorney, could be disbarred, publicly or privately censured, or acquitted. She is accused of professional misconduct associated with…
-
Colorado Supreme Court, 4-3, agrees with drastic penalty for misconduct-plagued DA’s office
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday, by 4-3, agreed a Fremont County judge was within her authority to reduce a first-degree murder charge against a criminal defendant because the district attorney’s office was responsible for a pattern of withholding evidence across many cases in violation of its professional obligations. Despite the split decision, all members…
-
Fremont County murder conviction reversed due to faulty jury instruction
—
by
A man convicted of murdering his housemate when he shot a gun through his basement ceiling will receive a new trial, as Colorado’s second-highest court determined a Fremont County judge gave jurors an instruction that violated the defendant’s constitutional rights. Thomas Randall Addington is serving a 38-year prison sentence after jurors convicted him of murdering…
-
Appeals court orders prison riot charges reinstated against Fremont County inmate
—
by
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a trial judge and a magistrate in Fremont County both mistakenly dismissed prison rioting charges against an incarcerated man when they should have found probable cause existed to proceed to trial. During a preliminary hearing in the case of Dreion M. Dearing, where the prosecution needed to demonstrate probable…
-
Colorado Supreme Court reviews 3 cases, including prosecutor’s office plagued by misconduct
—
by
The Colorado Supreme Court has signaled it may intervene in three ongoing criminal cases, including one where the district attorney’s office chronically fails to turn over evidence to defendants – a practice that violates procedural rules and has angered trial judges in central Colorado. In the past few weeks, the Supreme Court has ordered parties to…
