Boulder District Attorney's Office

Kevin Braney: Boulder High principal's domestic-violence bust not disrupting school, rep says

Has there been an uproar among students and staffers at Boulder High today -- the first full school session since news broke that principal Kevin Braney had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and a couple of other charges? Far from it, says Briggs Gamblin, spokesman for the Boulder Val ... More >>

Rocky Flats to Ramseys: Grand jurors work in secret, but the truth will out

The truth, like plutonium, has a way of leaking out. After two years of deliberations, the Rocky Flats grand jury wanted to charge eight individuals for environmental crimes at the nuclear weapons plant -- but the Justice Department declined to indict, and instead sent the jurors home in the spring ... More >>

Marijuana: Boulder DA drops pot, paraphernalia cases due to Amendment 64's passage

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett has instructed his prosecutors to drop a handful of cases involving possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, as well as paraphernalia charges, for anyone over the age of 21. The reason: the passage of Amendment 64, which has yet to be signed into law, bu ... More >>

Marijuana: Amendment 64 critic on why Boulder DA should take action against backers

Update: A day before passage of Amendment 64, we noted that activist Kathleen Chippi had filed a complaint against the measure with the Boulder District Attorney's Office, which opened an investigation to determine if actions were justified; see our original coverage below. Now, Chippi is sharing a ... More >>

Christian McCracken, Boulder cop charged in murder try, quits before he can be disciplined

Yesterday, an Internal Affairs Review Panel was set to issue findings regarding Boulder Police officer Christian McCracken, charged with attempted first-degree murder in a case that allegedly involved him stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend. McCracken apparently realized the results wouldn't be ... More >>

Zoey Ripple, drunk CU grad, thought she was with pals until Timothy Justice shot her

Update: Many questions remain in the matter of Zoey Ripple, the CU grad who was shot after entering the wrong house -- an incident detailed in our original coverage below. But we've got more answers thanks to Boulder Police's release of an arrest affidavit, seen here, which quotes her as saying that ... More >>

Christian McCracken, head-injured Boulder cop, allegedly kept narcotics in Skittles bag

Update: The troubles faced by head-injured Boulder Police officer Christian McCracken continue to mount. Now, in addition to charges (including attempted first-degree murder) related to his alleged stalking of a Boulder dispatcher, he's facing drug allegations related to Schedule III narcotics conc ... More >>

University of Colorado to ban visitors on 4/20 and close Norlin Quad

After weeks of denying that it would crack down on 4/20 events, the University of Colorado Boulder has announced that school will limit campus visitors to official business only and close down the famous Norlin Quad where as many as 10,000 students have gathered to smoke herb in past years. The camp ... More >>

Marijuana: John Walsh responds to Boulder DA's letter about feds' MMC policy

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett recently took issue with U.S. Attorney John Walsh's closure-threat letters to medical marijuana centers within 1,000 feet of schools. After Garnett sent a letter of his own on the topic, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman told us Walsh would respond directly to ... More >>

Christopher Loven to face careless driving count in truck/bike death that killed Eugene Howrey

Eugene Howrey.​In June, avid bicyclist Eugene Howrey, age 73, was struck and killed by a dump truck driven by Christopher Loven, a man with a number of past run-ins with pedalers. In the years prior to the Lowrey tragedy, he was allegedly involved in two separate bike-rage incidents. Months l ... More >>

Charles Edward Waters claims self-defense in double stabbing, one fatal (30)

Big pic below.​Thus far, Charles Edward Waters, a 56-year-old homeless man, has not yet been formally charged in an early Friday double stabbing that left one man dead and another one wounded, and the victim has yet to be identified. But the police report, on view below, offers a brutal accoun ... More >>

Thomas Frank Ross: DA's office decides against bias-motivated crime charge in Asian food fight

Update: At first blush, a bias-motivated crime allegation seemed like a real stretch in the case of CU student Thomas Frank Ross -- and at second and third blush, too. But while the Boulder District Attorney's Office has decided against leveling this charge against Ross, he's not off the hook when i ... More >>

Aaron Perry, recycOil CEO, convicted for trespassing, company files libel suit

Aaron Perry, CEO and CFO of recycOil, a Boulder waste oil recycling firm also known as Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises (RMSE), has been found guilty of trespassing on a competitor's property, but not guilty of harassment and a misdemeanor trespassing charge. After a two-day trial, a Boulder ... More >>

Oil wars! A Boulder oil recycling firm accuses a competitor of trespassing and theft

Flickr​Waste oil recycling is supposed to be a feel-good industry, taking what used to be thrown away and turning it into fuel. But in Boulder, two oil recycling companies are engaging in a minor grease war. Sustainable Oil Service (SOS) has accused Rocky Mountain Sustainable Enterprises (RMSE ... More >>

Timothy English: Assault charge for panhandler who clubbed man over "f*cking change"

Big pic below.​Update below: Timothy English was arrested on suspicion of assault in an incident that smacks of class warfare. He allegedly asked a man for change, and after being rejected, he reached into his guitar case and pulled out not an ax, but a club, which he used to hit his target ov ... More >>

Stephanie Rochester legally insane when she smothered her baby, says state psych evaluation

Rochester.​In June 2010, Stephanie Rochester was accused of smothering her infant son, allegedly because she feared he was autistic. A year later, a state psychiatric evaluation still hadn't taken place due to systemic delays. But the report's finally in -- and Rochester's been determined to h ... More >>

Randy Cleveland, firefighter & alleged abuser, said to have been high-fived by friendly cops

Big pic below.​Brighton firefighter and former deputy sheriff Randy Cleveland is facing six felony counts, including assault and sex-assault charges, related to an alleged campaign of violence aimed at his wife and kids. But also under fire is the Brighton Police Department, which accusers say ... More >>

Molly Midyette legal appeal: Special prosecutor to replace Boulder DA Stan Garnett

Molly Midyette.​The prosecution of Molly and Alex Midyette by the Boulder District Attorney's Office led to convictions for both regarding the 2006 death of their twelve-week-old son Jason. But now Molly is appealing her sixteen-year prison sentence, arguing Alex and his powerful family sabota ... More >>

Molly Midyette: Court of Appeals dismissal part of Molly's plan, says lawyer

​As described in "Bedtime Story," Molly Midyette was sentenced to sixteen years for the death of her infant son, Jason, in one of the most sensational Boulder cases in years -- something she now says was unfair because her ex-husband Alex Midyette and his powerful family allegedly sabotaged he ... More >>

Michael O'Connor arrested in fellow ex-CU Buff linebacker Michael Sipili sex assault case

Michael O'Connor.​Update: On January 11, acclaimed CU Buffs linebacker Michael Sipili was arrested on sex assault charges, as documented in a post on view in its entirety below. Now, a second CU former CU linebacker, Michael O'Connor, has been arrested in the case -- reportedly for letting Si ... More >>

John Suthers not only one to blame for botching serial killer Scott Kimball's case, author says

Scott Kimball.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett's campaign against John Suthers for Colorado Attorney General is running ads arguing that Suthers let serial killer Scott Kimball remain free as an informant, while Garnett put him behind bars. Texas-based author Ed Coet, who's written a bo ... More >>

Stan Garnett-John Suthers race (and others) get brutal thanks to serial killers and smears

Scott Kimball​"Who would you rather have protecting you? The man who unleashed a serial killer on Colorado, or Stan Garnett -- the man who put the killer away?" That tag line from a new attack ad in the Colorado Attorney General's race puts aside any doubt that we're entering the campaign's c ... More >>

Medical marijuana lawyers would love Stan Garnett to beat Attorney General John Suthers

Stan Garnett.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett once said he wanted to be the state's most progressive DA when it comes to medical marijuana. In contrast, Attorney General John Suthers thinks MMJ dispensaries suck. It's no surprise, then, that lawyers/medical marijuana advocates Rob Corry ... More >>

Ty Gregorak: Attorney doesn't rule out lawsuit for former CU Buff wrongly accused of theft

Ty Gregorak.​On Friday, we told you about Ty Gregorak, the first-ever Shmuck of the Week designate to ever be de-Shmuckified -- thanks to charges against the former CU Buff involving the theft and return of a strip-club bouncer's gun being dropped by the Boulder District Attorney's Office. Ac ... More >>

Drug ring in Boulder County: 17 indicted for meth, cocaine, to Stan Garnett's delight

Stan Garnett.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, who's challenging John Suthers for the job of Colorado Attorney General, was able to burnish his law-and-order credentials today via the actions of a grand jury, which just handed down a 127-count, seventeen-person indictment aimed at a Lon ... More >>

Stan Garnett tries to capitalize on AG John Suthers's link to serial killer Scott Lee Kimball

Stan Garnett's playing hardball.​In an April post announcing his intention to challenge Colorado Attorney General John Suthers at the polls this November, Boulder district attorney Stan Garnett focused on issues like watching out for consumers, championing the environment and crafting a workab ... More >>

Cannabis Therapy Institute to Stan Garnett: Drop cases against 4/20 weed smokers

Will Stan Garnett receive the pro-marijuana vote?​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett recently announced his intention to challenge John Suthers for the Colorado Attorney General gig -- and his comparatively progressive views on marijuana presumably meant he could count on support from pro- ... More >>

Stan Garnett, Boulder DA, considering race against John Suthers for Colorado Attorney General

Stan Garnett: Will he or won't he?​Colorado Attorney General John Suthers' announcement that he would be joining in a lawsuit with a dozen other AGs across the country to challenge the constitutionality of the new health-care bill was cheered by some political observers and jeered by others -- ... More >>

Bare breasts in Boulder: ACLU says topless gardener controversy shouldn't lead to female nipple ban

Should these (as seen in "There's Something About Mary") be illegal in Boulder?​Yesterday, we told you about Boulder's Catharine Pierce, 52, whose decision to garden topless in her front yard, which is located near a pre-K through 12th grade school, stirred complaints and police calls even tho ... More >>

Stan Garnett: Colorado has mishandled the medical-marijuana issue

Stan Garnett and Jann Scott: e-mail buddies?​Beware of sending an e-mail to Jann Scott. The longtime public-access gadfly (profiled by yours truly back in 1992, prior to the launch of our online archives) tends to forward his correspondence to anyone and everyone -- and that's precisely what h ... More >>

Are charges finally about to be filed against Richard Heene in Balloon Boy case?

David Lane represents Richard Heene. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.​Update below: Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett was appointed as special prosecutor after lawyer David Lane accused Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden of breaking the law by talking about a child-abuse inv ... More >>

Felony weed charges dropped against "pregnant caregiver" Sherri Versfelt

Sherri Versfelt shows off her baby bump.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett says he's "committed to having the most progressive approach to medical marijuana of any DA's office in the state." And yesterday, he took another step toward establishing that reputation by dismissing charges agai ... More >>

The Cannabis Therapy Institute's open letter to Colorado officials

The logo of the Cannabis Therapy Institute.​The Cannabis Therapy Institute, an organization "dedicated to helping patients achieve a better quality of life with cannabis," may have an Iowa phone number, but it's been very involved of late with pot issues in Colorado. Its "About Us" page notes, ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: JonBenét Ramsey and 1990s nostalgia

As the awful economic news keeps pouring out (Agile Group, anyone?), you can understand the urge to look back at the good old days. Even the bad crimes of the good old days. And so yesterday, the new Boulder District Attorney and the old Boulder Police Chief held a joint press conference to announ ... More >>

Plenty of Unsolved Ramsey Questions

DA Lacy Clears Ramseys; Skeptics Remain Skeptical

Ten Years After

A decade of blunders, spin and hype hasn't solved the JonBenét Ramsey murder case. Is it time for the truth?

Homeless for the Holidays

Give this guy the bum's rush.

Screwed for Life

For a convicted rapist, the truth may not set you free.

Panty Raid

From JonBenét to Kobe Bryant, Colorado gets hung out to dry.

'Tis Better to Receive

The Original Dinner Party is serving up a rotten deal.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of July 6

Off Limits

Saying goodbye to one of Denver's more interesting journalists.

Hall of Shame 1999

Although Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were an impossibly horrific act to follow, others gave it a shot.

Fast, Cheap and Out of Control

When the housing boom hit Longmont, city inspectors missed a few steps.

Follow That Story

Letters

Off Limits

Hall of Shame

You'd have to go a fur piece to find bigger embarrassments.

Where the Bodies Are Buried in Boulder