fremont county
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Appeals court ‘concerned’ prison official refused to let inmate question witness in disciplinary case
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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…
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Decision on former Morphew prosecutor’s fate delayed
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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…
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Colorado Supreme Court, 4-3, agrees with drastic penalty for misconduct-plagued DA’s office
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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…
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Fremont County murder conviction reversed due to faulty jury instruction
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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…
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Appeals court orders prison riot charges reinstated against Fremont County inmate
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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…
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Colorado Supreme Court reviews 3 cases, including prosecutor’s office plagued by misconduct
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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…
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State Supreme Court takes up cases on fishing rights, defamation, late-filed insurance claims
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Colorado’s Supreme Court has agreed to hear three cases on appeal, implicating private ownership of riverbeds throughout the state, liability for statements that attorneys make publicly about their cases, and the ability of homeowners to pursue insurance claims filed outside of their policy’s deadline. It takes the consent of three of the court’s seven members…
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Appeals court finds Fremont County judge wrongfully excluded evidence of prison culture from trial
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A Fremont County judge wrongly excluded expert testimony about prison culture from a criminal trial, including an inmate’s incentive not to “snitch,” the state’s Court of Appeals ruled last week. Because the testimony would have cast doubt on the defendant’s confession to possessing contraband in prison, the appellate court ordered a new trial for Jeremy…
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Appeals court upholds Fremont County conviction despite sleeping juror
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Even though a Fremont County judge noticed a juror closing his eyes for “four to five minutes a couple of times” during the questioning of a key prosecution witness, Colorado’s second-highest court found no violation of the defendant’s right to a fair trial. The state Supreme Court has previously interpreted Colorado’s constitution to guarantee a…
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Fremont County detectives failed to honor Miranda rights, prompting appeals court to reverse conviction
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A Cañon City man serving 32 years in prison for the attempted murder of his wife will receive a new trial after the state’s second-highest court concluded detectives failed to honor his constitutional right against self-incrimination when interrogating him. Steven Todd Whitt appealed his convictions, arguing the trial court judge should have suppressed the video of…
