Tag: Courts
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Justice Department’s use of military lawyers against civilians in Minnesota courts put to the legal test
MINNEAPOLIS • After a wave of resignations decimated the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office, the federal government has tried to offset the staffing crunch with a novel strategy: deploying military lawyers to temporarily serve as assistant prosecutors. That method now faces a legal test over whether these lawyers can prosecute civilians in court cases that have…
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Douglas County teacher gets jail time after groping student
A former psychology teacher at Douglas County High School was sentenced to 300 days in jail this week after he pleaded guilty to groping a 17-year-old student. James Christopher Thomure, 57, was proctoring an exam for three students in a classroom at the high school in May 2024 when the groping occurred, authorities said. After…
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Colorado leaders weigh next steps after Supreme Court rejects state ban on ‘conversion therapy’
Colorado leaders said they are weighing next steps after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the state’s ban on “conversion therapy” for children, as critics and supporters cheered or lambasted the ruling. The court’s near-unanimous decision called the Colorado law, passed in 2019, an “egregious assault” on the First Amendment. It remains to be…
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Man pleads guilty in Evergreen shooting, chase
A Lakewood man will serve a decade in prison after ramming police vehicles with a stolen truck in Evergreen last fall. Thirty-three-year-old Tyler Young pleaded guilty to single counts of motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding and second-degree assault at the Jefferson County District Court on Monday morning in connection to the incident that occurred at…
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Democratic bill would let recipients of ‘conversion therapy’ sue Colorado providers with no statute of limitations
Colorado lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would allow people who underwent conversion therapy to sue licensed providers for damages, moving the measure forward on a party-line vote in the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 1322, proposed by Democratic Reps. Alex Valdez of Denver and Karen McCormick of Hygiene will move to a full-floor debate…
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Defense: Witnesses scared to testify in Aurora anti-violence activist’s murder trial
With his murder trial starting in April, the defense team of a former anti-violence activist is having trouble bringing in witnesses. Lumumba Sayers Sr., 47, and his defense attorney, Megan Downing, appeared in an Adams County district courtroom Thursday morning for a pre-trial conference, just weeks ahead of the two-week trial set for next month. “The…
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Denver announces new court for those battling substance abuse
Denver drug-related misdemeanor cases will now be handled in a new court. Denver County Court announced its new Recovery Court, officially opening on Monday, that will be dedicated to handling “drug and drug-adjacent cases such as quality-of-life crimes like trespassing and petty theft,” according to a news release from the court. The new court looks to…
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Castle Rock man in custody after fleeing state before sexual assault conviction
A Castle Rock man who fled the state after being convicted of sexually abusing a child was arrested Sunday in Chaparral, N.M., authorities said. Jorge Alberto Campos, 42, failed to appear in court Friday, when a jury found him guilty of five counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of…
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FCC approves merger of FOX31 parent Nexstar and 9NEWS owner Tegna
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday said it had approved the merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and rival Tegna, the same day that two lawsuits trying to block the deal were announced. The consolidated company would own multiple stations in Denver, where Nexstar owns FOX31 KDVR and KWGN, and Tegna currently owns…
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Former Douglas County teacher sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child
A former teacher at STEM Highlands Ranch was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday for sexually exploiting a child, authorities said. Tera Johnson-Swartz, 45, pleaded guilty in January to sexual exploitation of a child and one count of felony cybercrime. The charges stem from a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, according to a…