Author: Chris Osher
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Federal lawsuit: Parental alienation theory, collusion jailed Colorado mom for year
Bias and collusion have marred child custody cases in Arapahoe County, including one in which a judge terminated a mother’s right to parent her three daughters and jailed her for more than 10 months for violating a gag order barring her from publicly protesting, a federal lawsuit contends. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to…
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Colorado Springs woman seeks justice after texting app allegedly used to frame her in stalking case
The booming knocks on the front door heralded a new and escalating encounter with Colorado Springs police for Lisa Chase. Nearly a dozen officers from the police department’s fugitive unit wearing tactical gear had surrounded the 42-year-old woman’s home, blocking all doors and windows. Accustomed to the protocol by now, Chase agreed when the lead…
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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Arapahoe County liability for former child protective staffer’s actions
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to hold the Arapahoe County’s commissioners liable for the actions of a former county child protective staffer who faces criminal charges for allegedly falsely accusing an Aurora councilwoman of sexually abusing her 2-year-old son. Councilwoman…
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Colorado parental evaluator accused of falsifying credentials sent child custody cases into turmoil — despite key warning
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A court-appointed psychologist who fixated on whether the nickname “Sleepy Melo” meant a father was a gang member unfit to parent his children turned in a child custody recommendation so flawed that a magistrate barred the psychologist in November from ever working again for his…
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Mental health crisis in Colorado jails worsens despite $250 million in state spending on the problem
Acute staffing shortages at the two state-run mental health hospitals that have left nearly half the nursing positions vacant mean more individuals than ever are languishing in jail cells in Colorado while they wait for court-ordered mental health treatment to restore them to competency so they can stand trial. As of Thursday, 449 individuals incarcerated…
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State audit: Colorado Department of Transportation’s $4.1 billion in spending lacked sound policies
Since 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation spent $4.1 billion on construction projects that bypassed strict low-bid practices, but while doing so the state agency lacked sound policies guiding such spending, which resulted in statutory violations and payments above fair market value, a Colorado state auditor report concluded. The performance audit, requested by Republican legislators…
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Dean Williams resigns as executive director of Colorado’s Department of Corrections
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Dean Williams, who pushed to reform Colorado’s prisons as executive director of the state’s Department of Corrections, announced in an email to employees that he is resigning from his position. “I have made the difficult decision to transition out of my role as Executive Director…
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The Denver Gazette hires award-winning journalist Jenny Deam for investigative reporting team
Award-winning journalist Jenny Deam has joined the growing team of The Denver Gazette as an investigative reporter. Deam will team up with David Migoya and Christopher Osher on the Colorado Watch investigative team, focusing on investigative projects and accountability journalism. Deam comes to The Denver Gazette from ProPublica, where she worked as a national investigative…
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Colorado judge finds “sea of unreliability” in company’s cell phone mapping data
Police and prosecutors in Colorado and throughout the nation are relying on a company’s cell phone location mapping data to help them convict criminal defendants, but a Larimer County judge’s recent ruling cast doubt on the technology when he barred its use in his courtroom after finding it unreliable and prone to error. The defense…