Late last month, the Denver Police Department began rounding up more than thirty African-Americans accused of robbing and/or beating men and women because they were either Caucasian or Hispanic. Now, the last of the at-large suspects — Allen Ford, 18 — has been taken into custody; he was busted late…
The men and women of FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force (spotlighted in a 2008 Westword feature) have something in common with former President George W. Bush — they love nicknames. Like, for instance, the $83 Bandit. If the feds are right, Mr. Ocho-Tres has cleared a lot more…
Back in August, former Mormon bishop Shawn Merriman pleaded not guilty to mail fraud charges against him — something that we predicted was “a temporary situation” in a blog about alleged swindles dating back to 1994. Bingo. Yesterday, Merriman pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count…
More evidence that the three most important letters in cold cases these days are DNA — the apparent solving of a Weld County murder dating back to 1977. In August of that year, Mary Pierce, 22, was abducted, raped and murdered in Greeley. More than a quarter-century later, DNA evidence…
If William Thalley has been aiming for a career as a novelist or screenwriter, he probably should reconsider. After all, the stories he’s told about shooting his three-year old in the leg haven’t been deemed believable by his most important audience — the Denver District Attorney’s Office. At first, Thalley…
View Larger Map On November 12, a woman was stabbed at a bus stop near the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Winona Court, an area captured in the graphic above (if you have problems seeing the image, click “View Larger Map”). Afterward, the Denver Police Department linked this case…
Old-timers who bitch that young people today don’t have enough ambition obviously never met four juveniles taken into custody early yesterday. According to Lakewood Police Department spokesman Steve Davis, this quartet managed to swipe five cars before being busted — and afterward, one of them asked if they’d “set a…
After news broke in October about Ricky Lee Harnish facing a likely ten-to-24-year sentence for the 1976 rape and murder of teenager Holly Andrews, even Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger admitted to mixed emotions. But no such confusion afflicted Linda Andrews, wife of Holly’s brother, Dave. As she said…
If anything, that line about a picture being worth a thousand words understates the impact of the just-released photo here, which shows Lakewood’s Marcus Leyba while being booked on Thanksgiving for child abuse resulting in death — the child in question being his three-month old. According to Lakewood Police Department…
What’s most amazing about an attempt by the man seen here to steal an ATM in Boulder by ripping it from its moorings using a stolen U-Haul truck isn’t that he thought the scheme might actually work. It’s that he hasn’t been caught yet. Maybe he’s not as stupid as…
Lockup, MSNBC’s voyeuristic peek at life inside America’s nastiest prisons, launched its new season Saturday (*corrected) night with some cell floodings and tough talk by thick-necked inmates at Colorado’s own Limon Correctional Facility. This season (titled “Extended Stay: Colorado”) will focus on Limon, a simmering high-security hoosegow that houses close…
A couple of new photos join our gallery of men and women accused in a series of what the Denver Police Department describes as racially motivated attacks that have taken place in the city in recent months. That’s because two juvenile suspects, Ashley Celestine and Kavean McCloud, are among the…
Matt Sowash, the former head of the Amateur Poker Tour, has been sentenced to five years in prison and five years of probation for illegal actions related to his attempts to solicit investors in a new poker tour that would have held tournaments in bars. Sowash and business partner Andrew…
Update, November 24, 6:45 a.m.: Last night, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office sponsored a well-attended public meeting for Centennial residents concerned about the lack of progress in finding the person or persons who took Andrew Gelston Graham’s life. ACSO representatives said they’re still looking for six people seen in light-rail…
The Denver Police Department has rounded up more than thirty African-American suspects accused of robbing men and women, or beating the hell out of them, because they were either white or Hispanic. It’s the kind of startling accusation that’s guaranteed to get politicians’ attention. And indeed, Tom Tancredo, who has…
As kids, we quickly figure out that when we’ve done something stupid, we should immediately blame it on somebody else — and not everyone outgrows that habit. Take the tale of William Thalley and Nicole Fernandez shared by the Denver Police Department. After their thus-far-unnamed three-year-old was shot in the…
View Larger Map Unless I’m very much mistaken, people go to clubs to have fun, not die — yet the latter’s happened several times since we started our Mile High Murder project in late May. No. 5: Security Guard Alfredo Gonzalez-Ramos was slain at the El Chapparal late that month…
This morning, prominent Thornton restaurant owner Dan Tang pled guilty to one count of money laundering for his role in what investigators labeled the “Dan Tang Drug Trafficking Organization.” When authorities took down the drug ring in February 2008, they came away with 24,000 marijuana plants growing in 25 suburban…
The explosion of violence that took place in Westminster yesterday harks back to the days when the law rode horses and gunmen died young ‘n’ purty. As the Westminster Police Department tells it, a thus-far-unidentified man and woman stuck up the First Bank on 120th Avenue, then tried to make…
View Larger Map There’s been a rash of killings in the metro area this week, with the Denver Police Department discovering the fourth a few hours ago. A body was found by a dumpster in the 4300 block alley between York Street and Josephine Street, an area captured in the…
It’s a sad truth that sexual abuse and assault sometimes goes unreported for years. That’s reportedly the case with 62-year-old James C. Bird — and while there are currently four counts of sexual assault on a child pending against him, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office thinks there could be more…
Among those speaking about medical marijuana at last night’s Fort Collins City Council meeting was Fort Collins Police Department Lt. Jerry Schiager, commander of the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force. In his remarks, he used a handful of grabby stats to contradict claims by weed advocates that the proliferation of…
