Tag: Jefferson County
-
Jeffco had largest increase in homelessness in metro area last year
While Denver officials boasted a decrease in homelessness over the past few years, Jefferson County has seen the highest increase in the metro area. Jeffco saw a 27% increase in homelessness from 2024 to 2025 — the largest increase within the metro, according to Kerry Wrenick, regional homeless coordinator for the county. Those numbers are…
-
Second suspect sentenced in 2022 fatal Lakewood apartment fire
The 15-year-old boy charged with murdering a mother and daughter in an apartment fire years ago was finally sentenced last week. Jefferson County District Judge Lindsay VanGilder sentenced the juvenile to a maximum sentence of seven years in the Colorado Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services (DYS) on Jan. 29, ending a lengthy…
-
Man sentenced to 13 years in prison for Golden police officer’s death
Stephen Geer, the man responsible for the death of 33-year-old Golden police officer Evan Dunn — the first on-duty death in the Golden Police Department’s history — was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Wednesday. Geer pleaded guilty to one count of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault in October. Police, firefighters…
-
Ex-Jeffco school psychologist convicted in child sex assault case
A Jefferson County jury found a former psychologist for Jeffco Public Schools guilty of five charges, including child sexual assault. The trial of 38-year-old James Michael Chevrier began on Jan. 5 and ended on Friday, with jurors deliberating until Monday morning, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Following deliberations,…
-
Colorado justices clarify procedure for defendants to access DNA analyst’s criminal file
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday that trial judges may order Jefferson County prosecutors to disclose information related to the criminal prosecution of a DNA analyst accused of misconduct, but defendants seeking those files cannot rely on the order alone to gain access. Yvonne “Missy” Woods is a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA…
-
Lakewood mother and boyfriend sentenced in infant drug death
A mother and a man housing her face decades in prison after feeding her 11-week-old son a bottle containing methamphetamine. Jefferson County District Judge Tamara Russell sentenced both 35-year-old Alexander Avila and 33-year-old Lisa Johnson on Thursday and Friday, respectively, in connection to the 2024 death of infant Ezra Johnson. Johnson, the mother, was sentenced…
-
Jeffco sheriff investigating inmate death
A man died while in custody of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office — the second since the beginning of November. Deputies were completing routine medical rounds at the Jefferson County Jail around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday when they found Harvey Jacobs unresponsive in his bunk, according to a news release. Nurses attempted life-saving measures on the…
-
Jefferson County struck by tragedy; affordable housing issue debated
There was a plethora of news in Jefferson County in 2025, but the entire state — as well as the country — was appalled by the tragedy that struck the small mountain town of Evergreen in September. On Sept. 10, 16-year-old Desmond Holly entered Evergreen High School with a revolver and fired around 20 rounds,…
-
JeffCo Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 celebrates his 6th birthday
Everyone wish the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9, Dexter, a happy birthday. The sheriff’s office posted a picture of the German Shepard on its social media to celebrate his sixth birthday Sunday. Dexter is originally from the Netherlands and is the fastest dog in the unit, according to the sheriff’s office. “When he is off…
-
Jefferson County sends out surveys for Hazard Mitigation Plan
Jefferson County officials asked residents to chime in on potential hazards to their communities to help secure mitigation funding in the future. The county sent out its Hazard Mitigation Plan Survey on Saturday, asking residents to categorize the risk levels of certain natural disasters in their areas. These included floods, severe wind, hail and extreme…