Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Criminal justice

Former Colorado Bureau of Investigation Scientist Sentenced to 10 Years After DNA Evidence Misconduct
No Comments
The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Former Colorado Bureau of Investigation Scientist Sentenced to 10 Years After DNA Evidence Misconduct

By Olivia Prentzel | The Colorado Sun Yvonne “Missy” Woods ordered to serve 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to four felonies in June. Former state forensic scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday, a milestone in a years-long scandal that cast doubt on DNA evidence in more than 1,000 criminal cases and continues to ripple through Colorado’s courts. Woods, who had worked for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for 29 years, pleaded guilty to four felonies in June. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the remaining 100 charges against her.  “At its core, this case is about trust — the extraordinary trust placed in Ms. Woods, and her breach of that trust,” Jefferson County District Judge Andrew Poland said before del...
Read More
All Seven Charges Move Forward In Charlie Kirk Assassination Case
No Comments
Daily Wire, Approved, National

All Seven Charges Move Forward In Charlie Kirk Assassination Case

By Amanda Prestigiacomo | Daily Wire Tyler Robinson's attorneys entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all charges. A Utah Judge ruled Tuesday that Tyler Robinson will stand trial on all seven charges in the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, leaving him eligible for the death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder. After hearing hours of closing arguments from the defense and prosecution, Fourth District Judge Tony Graf found that the state had established probable cause, meaning there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. Robinson, 23, faces one count of aggravated murder, one count of felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of tampering with a wit...
Read More
Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports
No Comments
Axios Denver, Approved, State

Colorado Voters to Decide More Than a Dozen Ballot Measures Including Tax Hikes, Immigration and Youth Sports

By John Frank | Axios Denver Colorado voters will decide more than a dozen ballot measures this November, from remaking the state's tax system to banning gender-affirming surgery for minors. Why it matters: Beyond the candidates, voters will have a direct say on major changes to taxes, immigration, criminal justice and other hot-button issues. State of play: The marquee measure would scrap Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax in favor of a graduated system that would raise taxes on those making $500,000 or more a year. Legislative fiscal analysts estimate the Democratic-led measure would generate an additional $2 billion a year, with the money reserved for education, health care and early child care. The other side: A countermeasure backed by ...
Read More
Former Durango Teacher Gets 40 Years For Sex Crimes Against 37 Teenage Boys
No Comments
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Former Durango Teacher Gets 40 Years For Sex Crimes Against 37 Teenage Boys

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A former Durango middle school teacher who obtained sexual images from more than three dozen teenage boys by pretending to be a 16-year-old girl on social media was sentenced last week to four decades in prison.  Benjamin Smith was sentenced in a Denver federal courtroom Tuesday. The judge ordered lifetime supervision, too, once Smith is released from prison.  Smith, 30, posed as "Kristin" on Snapchat under the username "MTNCHICK69," according to evidence presented by federal prosecutors. Behind that identity, Smith reached out to boys in the Durango area as young as 12. He started conversations, sent out photos of a naked girl, then asked the boys to send back photos of themselves in return, prosecutors stated. Smith ...
Read More
Aurora Council Members Split Over Statewide Fentanyl Felony Proposal
No Comments
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Aurora Council Members Split Over Statewide Fentanyl Felony Proposal

By Adria Iraheta | Denver7 Initiative 85 would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a felony in Colorado, but Aurora city leaders say increased incarceration isn't the answer. AURORA, Colo. — Aurora's Government Relations Committee approved a resolution this week opposing Colorado's Initiative 85, a statewide ballot initiative which would make possession of any amount of fentanyl — even under one gram — a felony offense. Under current Colorado law, a felony possession charge only applies to amounts over one gram. The resolution opposing the measure now heads to a full vote at the next Aurora City Council meeting. Initiative 85 would also require court-ordered treatment for users and expand habitual criminal classifications for drug possession charg...
Read More
Larimer County DA Blasts PR Bond for Fugitive Facing Child Sex Crime Charges
No Comments
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Larimer County DA Blasts PR Bond for Fugitive Facing Child Sex Crime Charges

By Dillon Thomas | CBS Colorado A Northern Colorado district attorney is accusing a magistrate of putting local children and others at risk after she released a fugitive on a personal recognizance bond. The fugitive was wanted for creating and possessing child sexual abuse material out of Wyoming. John Smallbone of Converse County, Wyoming, was originally arrested on 72 counts related to creating and possessing child sexual abuse material. According to prosecutors, he posted a $250,000 bond in Wyoming but failed to appear for his next court hearing, forfeiting the bond and becoming a fugitive. John Smallbone Larimer County After authorities located Smallbone in Larimer County, he was arrested on the Wyoming warrant while awaiting extradition.  "There is ...
Read More
Opening Day of Charlie Kirk Assassination Hearing Focuses on Evidence and Investigation
No Comments
The Federalist, Approved, National

Opening Day of Charlie Kirk Assassination Hearing Focuses on Evidence and Investigation

By: Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist Tyler Robinson’s defense attorneys objected to every exhibit presented by prosecutors, including video of Kirk being shot, but was overruled nearly every time. Preliminary hearings for the trial of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, started Monday as Utah state prosecutors presented exhibits and sought their admission into the actual trial. Utah prosecutors brought expert witnesses to the stand to testify about their involvement with the police work surrounding the assassination at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Sept. 10, 2025. They also presented multiple exhibits, including affidavits, video footage, and images. Nearly every exhibit was admitted into the trial over the objections of Robinson’s attor...
Read More
Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft
No Comments
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado Crime Still Among Nation’s Worst Despite Drop in Auto Theft

By: The Gazette Editorial Board | Commentary, The Denver Gazette The Polis administration’s announcement the other day touting a drop in Colorado’s nationally notorious rate of auto theft was welcome news — as long as it lasted. As The Gazette reported, the state Department of Public Safety released data late last month showing auto thefts were down this year by 36%, from January through May, compared with the same time frame last year. Then came the bad newS. Not one, but two people were shot to death in apparently separate incidents in Denver — both while trying to stop the theft of their cars — within days of the announcement. Yes, motor vehicle theft still poses a very serious threat in our state. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Accordin...
Read More
GOP Candidate Michael Allen Calls for Return to Basics on Crime and Public Safety
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

GOP Candidate Michael Allen Calls for Return to Basics on Crime and Public Safety

By Thelma Grimes | Colorado Politics Michael Allen said he is running for attorney general because he believes Colorado’s criminal justice system has been weakened by recent legislation and that rising crime is directly increasing the cost of living. A Navy veteran and longtime prosecutor, Allen argued that Colorado needs an attorney general who focuses on public safety, rather than on “political lawsuits,” and who understands how crime drives up insurance rates, retail prices and business costs. He said his goal is to “get back to basics” — reducing crime to reduce costs. Allen is running against David Willson in the Republican primary. The winner of the GOP primary will advance to the general election to face one of the four Democratic candidates: Jena Griswol...
Read More
Suspect Arrested in Alleged Sexual Assault of 13-Year-Old Just Three Hours After Release
No Comments
CBS Colorado, Approved, Local

Suspect Arrested in Alleged Sexual Assault of 13-Year-Old Just Three Hours After Release

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A man in northeast Colorado was arrested after police say he lured a 13-year-old into an alley and sexually assaulted the child, just hours after he was released from jail. The Fort Morgan Police Department says he has a history of arrests involving sex crime investigations. The most recent arrest stems from an incident on June 9 after a 13-year-old called 911. Investigators determined that 39-year-old Abdikadir Abade had lured the teen into an alley, picked them up and carried them behind a dumpster, then sexually assaulted them. Officers arrested him shortly after the assault. He is facing charges of second-degree kidnapping, sexual assault on a child, enticement of a child and harassment in connection with this investigation. ...
Read More