A Moffat County caseworker accused of fabricating reports to make it seem as if she checked on children who were the subject of abuse and neglect claims is now facing charges of forgery and abuse of public records. Hester Renee Nelms, 43, was under investigation for more than a year by the district attorney’s office […]
child abuse
Posted inNews
Child abuse victims can now avoid police stations, reduce trauma at first-of-its-kind center in Colorado Springs
Warning: This article contains content related to child abuse, sexual assault and neglect. COLORADO SPRINGS —The carpet leading down the hall toward a row of interview rooms looks like green grass, and outside the forensic medical exam room, friendly owls and stuffed bears line the walls. The entire building, the first of its kind in […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado mom who fatally abused 7-year-old daughter sentenced to 16 years
By Patty Nieberg, The Associated Press/Report for America A Colorado mother who fatally abused her 7-year-old daughter and lied about her health to get handouts from charities worth at least $100,000 was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison. Judge Patricia Herron issued the sentence to Kelly Turner after she pleaded guilty last month to […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: A Colorado without child sexual abuse is possible
We have all had to make hard choices during the pandemic, but it is time to reverse one of those tough decisions by restoring funding for child sexual abuse prevention. New research from Illuminate Colorado examines data and trends related to child sexual abuse in Colorado and provides recommendations for preventing abuse such as using […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Mark Redwine sentenced to 48 years in prison for killing his 13-year-old son
DURANGO — A Colorado father has been sentenced to a maximum 48 years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death in the disappearance of his 13-year-old son nearly a decade ago. Sixty-year-old Mark Redwine was sentenced Friday by La Plata County District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Wilson, The Durango […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: A Colorado judge’s censure demonstrates how racial bias permeates our child protection system
For the past year, parents and family members complained that a judge in Arapahoe County was biased against them because they were Black. I know this because they complained to my office – the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman. I would learn in time that the judge in question was entrusted with overseeing the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado’s review of Catholic Church sex abuse named priests, but not those who covered up their crimes
Warning: This story contains explicit descriptions of sexual assault. A pair of explosive reports on decades of child sex abuse in Colorado’s three Catholic dioceses named 52 priests but kept confidential the identities of numerous church officials — from administrators to bishops — who covered up or ignored allegations of misconduct and transferred known child […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Why lawmakers should reform law to help victims of childhood sexual abuse
I read with great disappointment the failure of Colorado state lawmakers to once again take action which would have granted access to our legal system for child victims of sexual abuse. It was right for victims and advocates to pull support from House Bill 1296, eliminating the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse only […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado Sun, other media outlets seek affidavit for stepmom accused of murdering Gannon Stauch
A group of Colorado news organizations has asked a judge to unseal an affidavit that could explain why police arrested a woman for investigation of first-degree murder in the disappearance of her stepson. Attorney Steve Zansberg, president of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, filed the motion Monday in El Paso County District Court. Letecia Stauch was […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, News
Stepmom arrested in Gannon Stauch disappearance was fired from teaching job days before boy went missing
The El Paso County woman arrested on a murder charge related to the disappearance and presumed death of her 11-year-old stepson was fired from a middle school teaching job just days before the boy went missing. Letecia Stauch, 36, was going through orientation for a job at Mountain Ridge Middle School in Academy District 20 […]