Corry is among Colorado's best-known attorneys, largely because of his advocacy on behalf of progressive marijuana policy. He helped write Amendment 64, the 2012 measure that legalized limited recreational cannabis sales in the state, has staged stunts like free joint giveaways to draw attention to pot-related issues, and was deeply involved in the previous version of the Denver 4/20 rally.
In the meantime, however, Corry has acquired a lengthy rap sheet. These four incidents predated 2019:
• In 1998, Corry was charged in Washington, D.C., with menacing some drinking buddies using a shotgun. For this offense, he served 35 days in jail.
• In 2006, he was accused of sexual assault. In that incident, a female friend with narcolepsy who'd been drinking wound up spending the night at the Arvada residence that Corry shared with his then-wife, fellow attorney Jessica Peck. The woman subsequently awakened to discover that a naked man was on top of her. She initially thought it was her boyfriend and began performing oral sex on him, only to discover moments later that the person in question was actually Corry, who later blamed his behavior on alcohol. He eventually pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and in January 2007, he was sentenced to five years of probation and sixty days in jail. Corry is said to have served 44 days before being released early for good behavior, and underwent treatment for substance abuse.
A Rob Corry mug shot from September.
Denver District Attorney's Office
• On September 25, 2013, at Coors Field, during the final home game of Colorado Rockies all-star Todd Helton, Corry was among several people seen publicly smoking marijuana. When an officer asked him to hand over his joint, according to the arrest affidavit, he replied, "No, I don't have to, it's legal." Other quotes attributed to him include: "I don't have any ID and don't have to give you shit"; "Oh, fuck off, cop. It's a citation only — public consumption"; "I am going back to my seat and watch the game"; "You're a stupid cop. You are going to make this easy for me. You can't search me. It's a citation only"; and "You can go wherever you want. I am getting my stupid citation for public smoking and going back to the game. You can fuck off and bring me my ticket."
On June 14 of this year, Corry was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and more in connection with a crazy drive at Denver International Airport motivated by a supposed pursuit by Arabs with a helicopter. On July 2, he was handcuffed for allegedly waving a samurai-style sword at people near West Eighth Avenue and Acoma Street. And on September 27, he was contacted by two Denver police officers following a traffic accident with another occupied vehicle on the 1400 block of Downing. His so-called "indicia of impairment" included an all-caps roster: "SPEECH AS SLURRED/MUMBLING, BREATH HAD A STRONG ODOR OF AN UNKNOWN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, BALANCE WAS SWAYING/STAGGERING, EYES WERE BLOODSHOT/WATERY."
After Corry was placed in the "DUI room" at a nearby Denver police station, law enforcement officials discovered the existence of at least two protection orders, including a permanent one concerning the safety of his ex-wife, Peck. A violation of one order is said to have taken place on October 11, and the matter was filed on October 14; a court date followed last week. The result is documented in the following screen capture from the Denver Sheriff's Department inmate search page:
Corry's handling of Aguilera-Mederos — who faces 41 charges, including vehicular homicide, and is currently expected to enter a plea during a November 21 hearing — has been controversial for some time. Note that last month, a judge threatened him with sanctions after Corry publicly invited family members of victims to ask the trucker any questions they wished before his trial.
More recently, DA Pete Weir asked a Jefferson County Court judge to "to set a hearing in order to determine the existence of conflict-free representation for the Defendant and to appoint an advisory counsel for the Defendant to advise for the same purpose."
The document that Weir submitted contends that "among the many responsibilities shouldered by the Prosecution and the Court, is ensuring those who face criminal charges are afforded all their constitutional rights. Including, the right to effective assistance of counsel."
Weir worries about whether Corry can meet this standard because of "opposing counsel’s three pending criminal cases and the lack of accessing discovery in the present matter." According to electronic discovery logs, Weir maintains, "opposing counsel has not downloaded available discovery since July 8, 2019."
First Judicial District DA's office spokesperson Pam Russell stresses that Weir isn't trying to force Corry from participating in the Aguilera-Mederos defense. Rather, he's simply seeking to insure that the trucker is fully informed about Corry's issues. She adds that Corry was supposed to answer the motion on October 18, but didn't do so — likely because he was in custody. Right now, a hearing on the matter is slated for Wednesday, October 23, and Russell says it's incumbent on Corry to appear in court or ask for a delay if he's unable to be there for one reason or another.
We've reached out to Harvey Steinberg, the lawyer who has been representing Corry, about his latest brush with the law. If and when either of them get back to us, we'll update this post.
Click to read the People's Motion for Hearing to Determine Existence of Conflict-Free Representation.
This post has been updated to include additional information from the First Judicial DA's office.
