michael hegarty
-
DNA state crime lab debacle leads to first hearing alleging innocence
—
by
Yvonne “Missy” Woods was nearly nine years into her career as a DNA scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation when she took the stand on Oct. 17, 2002, to admit a major embarrassment in her work – one she testified came as a “blow to my ego.” A masked man, using what police said…
-
DNA state crime lab debacle leads to first hearing alleging innocence
—
by
Yvonne “Missy” Woods was nearly nine years into her career as a DNA scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation when she took the stand on Oct. 17, 2002, to admit a major embarrassment in her work – one she testified came as a “blow to my ego.” A masked man, using what police said…
-
DNA state crime lab debacle leads to first hearing alleging innocence
—
by
Yvonne “Missy” Woods was nearly nine years into her career as a DNA scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation when she took the stand on Oct. 17, 2002, to admit a major embarrassment in her work – one she testified came as a “blow to my ego.” A masked man, using what police said…
-
10th Circuit agrees warrantless entry into Aurora man’s home not a clear constitutional violation
—
by
The federal appeals court based in Colorado agreed on Wednesday that police officers were entitled to immunity for entering a man’s Aurora home without a warrant and performing a “protective sweep” that included removing his sleeping infant. A protective sweep generally does not involve looking for evidence, but, rather, it entails law enforcement moving through…
-
Judge throws out lawsuit from alleged ‘sovereign citizen’ facing prosecution in Eagle County
—
by
A federal judge has dismissed an Eagle County woman’s complaint against the law enforcement officials who are prosecuting her for numerous charges of forgery, cybercrime and sending fake tax documents to judges. Although Adrienne Avril Perer called it a “false assumption” that she was an adherent of the anti-government “sovereign citizen” movement, she nevertheless sued…
-
Judge rejects disability-related challenge to man’s mental health commitment
—
by
Federal courts are not the place to hear a man’s challenge to his mental health commitment under a pair of disability discrimination laws, a judge ruled earlier this month. Jesse Dillon Kirchner has been committed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo for years after serving an initial prison sentence. He pleaded guilty in…
-
10th Circuit reinstates inmate’s lawsuit against prison staff for alleged assault
—
by
The federal appeals court based in Denver has revived an inmate’s cruel and unusual punishment claim against two state prison personnel, finding Jabari J. Johnson had plausibly alleged the defendants exacerbated his existing injuries when they reportedly stomped on and slammed him. Johnson and the Colorado Department of Corrections had argued over whether the Prison…
-
10th Circuit rebuffs environmental group’s lawsuit over government records
—
by
The federal appeals court based in Denver has rejected the arguments from a wildlife and habitat conservation group that the U.S. Forest Service failed to conduct a legally-adequate search for records – despite disclosing 140,637 pages of documents related to a controversial roadway project. Rocky Mountain Wild filed an open records request with the Forest Service…
-
App company cannot be held liable for murders of 2 users, judge finds
—
by
A federal judge ruled on Monday that the five orphaned children of an Aurora couple cannot sue an online marketplace app after one of its users murdered their parents during an intended transaction. In August, an Arapahoe County jury convicted Kyree Brown of killing Joseph and Jossline Roland in August 2020. The husband and wife…
-
Judge dismisses lawsuit of toothless detainee allegedly unable to eat in Jeffco jail
—
by
A federal judge last month dismissed the claims of a toothless detainee in the Jefferson County jail who sued the sheriff and the jail’s medical and food contractors over an inability to eat the meals they provided him without his mouth bleeding or hurting. Brian L. Brackett, who entered the Jeffco jail in August 2021,…