huerfano county
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Crews swiftly contain 600-acre wildfire in Huerfano County
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Crews quickly dealt with a 600-acre wildfire that broke out near Turkey Ridge Ranch in Huerfano County on Wednesday. Dubbed by officials as the “Turkey fire,” the Huerfano County Sheriff’s Office was alerted about the blaze at 2:22 p.m., according to a statement from the office. Crews were deployed to the area of Country Road…
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Appeals court finds no requirement for different judge to handle attorney-client conflict hearings
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Colorado’s second-highest court rejected a defendant’s argument on Thursday that a judge improperly heard about a potential conflict between himself and his lawyer right before sentencing, and the man’s reaction could have “tainted” the sentencing decision. In September 2023, Anthony Palermo pleaded guilty in Huerfano County to harassment and assault. Before his sentencing hearing, Palermo…
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Appeals court agrees DA can sue Huerfano County sheriff over chronic mishandling of evidence
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Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that an elected district attorney was justified in suing the Huerfano County sheriff over persistent problems in evidence handling that compromised numerous prosecutions. Last year, Third Judicial District Attorney Henry Solano obtained a permanent injunction against longtime Sheriff Bruce Newman, in which a trial judge ordered Newman to hand…
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Appeals court overturns orders requiring Huerfano County to better fund DA’s office
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Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a trial judge exceeded his authority by ordering Huerfano County to increase funding to the district attorney’s office using the elected DA’s own formula. Henry L. Solano, the district attorney for Las Animas and Huerfano counties, argued Huerfano County commissioners were awarding him less than 50% of what he…
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Crime victim cannot sue over sheriff’s mishandling of evidence, appeals court rules
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A crime victim cannot claim the Huerfano County Sheriff’s Office violated his constitutional rights when it failed to process key evidence and compromised his assailant’s prosecution, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. In a case that seemed to be the first of its kind, Brian Puerta attempted to sue Sheriff Bruce Newman and three of…
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Judicial branch acknowledges ‘adjustment’ after confusion over judge’s authority
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The state’s Judicial Department acknowledged making modifications in the wake of confusion from litigants and from the Court of Appeals, owing to one chief judge’s decision to designate a judicial officer in southern Colorado as an “acting district judge.” Third Judicial District Chief Judge Leslie J. Gerbracht began assigning Dawn Mann to act as a…
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Judge rules southern Colorado sheriff and his office persistently mishandle evidence, impairing public safety
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A judge ruled Huerfano County Sheriff Bruce Newman and his office persistently fail to follow Colorado law in the handling of criminal evidence to such a degree that public safety and the prosecution of criminal cases continue to be impaired. He ordered the sheriff and his office to start complying with the law. Huerfano County…
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Environmentalists wary of oil and gas leases near Great Sand Dunes
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The Trump administration’s “make America safe through energy independence” plan may be taking hold of eastern Colorado, near the Great Sand Dunes. A news release from the Bureau of Land Management this week said the agency is proposing oil and gas leases on nearly 22,000 acres of federal land across a swath of Colorado. Eleven…
