DA Carol Chambers: Avoiding the inevitable

As Westword's Alan Prendergast has reported in a series of blogs, Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. has ordered district attorney Carol Chambers to appoint a special prosecutor in the case of Julie Stene, who says she was sexually assaulted after a 2000 high school graduation party by two...

By Michael Roberts

July 15, 2009

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As Westword's Alan Prendergast has reported in a series of blogs, Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. has ordered district attorney Carol Chambers to appoint a special prosecutor in the case of Julie Stene, who says she was sexually assaulted after a 2000 high school graduation party by two men, one of whom went on to play football at the University of Colorado, where he came under scrutiny as part of the sex scandal that erupted there two years later. Samour had told Chambers to choose a prosecutor by 5 p.m. yesterday, but the Colorado Court of Appeals subsequently granted her a one-day stay -- meaning that she's supposed to make her pick by the same time today. Will Chambers try to convince a higher judicial body to extend the time again? Could the Colorado Supreme Court give her two more days? Might the U.S. Supreme Court grant her a week? Or will she finally decide to follow Samour's initial order and allow the case to move forward? Of such questions are legal dramas made.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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