jefferson county
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Evergreen High School shooting motive still unknown; parents won’t be charged
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The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office completed the investigation into the Evergreen High School shooting that shocked the county — and country — five months ago. Following the investigation, the parents of the shooter, 16-year-old Desmond Holly, won’t face charges regarding the gun Holly used, according to a Wednesday news release. The sheriff’s office is still…
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Christopher Zenisek, trial judge experienced with high-profile cases | SUPREME COURT FINALISTS
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After the Marshall fire burned through Boulder County in the final days of 2021 and wound up destroying more than 1,000 homes, the sprawling 4,000-plaintiff litigation was assigned to District Court Judge Christopher Zenisek of Jefferson County. Zenisek would go on to issue more than 100 orders, hold dozens of hearings and, ultimately, much of…
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Jeffco saw largest increase in homelessness rate in metro area last year
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Jefferson County saw the highest increase in the rate of homelessness in the metro area, though Denver still dwarfed its neighbor’s total number of homeless people. Jeffco saw a 27% increase in homelessness from 2024 to 2025 — the largest increase within the metro, according to Kerry Wrenick, regional homeless coordinator for the county. Those…
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10th Circuit rebuffs Jeffco’s attempt to expand immunity footprint
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The Denver-based federal appeals court confirmed on Wednesday that it would not treat a judge’s decision to move a civil case forward as the automatic equivalent of denying immunity to governmental officials. The order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit came one month after a trial judge deemed Jefferson County’s appeal…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on witness retaliation, slip-and-fall
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The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether defendants can be convicted of retaliating against a victim or witness when that person has not yet testified and is not scheduled to testify. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on appeal. There is currently…
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Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
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The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses Jeffco judge’s order for fender-bender plaintiff to undergo mental evaluation
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The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Jefferson County judge improperly ordered a plaintiff in a personal injury case to sit for a mental health examination after the defendant’s experts suggested her injuries were actually psychological. The justices sided with plaintiff Spring Charlson, whose attorneys warned against allowing defense attorneys to delve into…
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Jefferson County struck by tragedy; affordable housing issue debated
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There was a plethora of news in Jefferson County in 2025, but the entire state — as well as the country — was appalled by the tragedy that struck the small mountain town of Evergreen in September. On Sept. 10, 16-year-old Desmond Holly entered Evergreen High School with a revolver and fired around 20 rounds,…
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Appeals court clarifies framework for parents’ First Amendment rights in child-naming disputes
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Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a Jefferson County judge’s order last week in a long-running dispute about whether two ex-spouses must call their child by his first name or middle name outside the home. In doing so, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel clarified that the standard for restricting a parent’s free speech rights is a…
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Jefferson County sends out surveys for Hazard Mitigation Plan
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Jefferson County officials asked residents to chime in on potential hazards to their communities to help secure mitigation funding in the future. The county sent out its Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey on Saturday, asking residents to categorize the risk levels of certain natural disasters in their areas. These included floods, severe wind, hail and extreme…
