By Dan Elliott, The Associated Press Authorities said Friday they raided hundreds of black market marijuana operations in Colorado that flouted the state’s cannabis law by growing tens of thousands of plants in Denver-area homes and selling the drugs out of state. The case is the largest involving black market marijuana in Colorado history, the […]
George Brauchler
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
16-year-old charged as an adult in STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting
CASTLE ROCK — The 16-year-old suspect in the deadly shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch on Wednesday was charged as an adult, facing allegations of first-degree murder. Alec McKinney’s attorneys immediately launched an effort to return the case to juvenile court, setting up a mini-trial for a judge to determine how to proceed. That process, […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado’s new red flag law may have applied to woman whose threats caused mass school closures. But there’s a catch.
Colorado’s new red flag gun law could have been used to stop a gun purchase by an 18-year-old woman, who authorities say was “infatuated” with the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and flew to Denver after making potential threats. But the extreme risk protection order that may have kept Sol Pais from buying a shotgun […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
From bail reform to restoring voting rights and sealing records, Colorado’s criminal justice system is getting a makeover
Heather McBroom’s guilty plea to a felony drug charge in 2000 has proved to be an unshakeable burden, no matter how much success she has had in her professional life, now as a paralegal and process server. She can’t volunteer at her child’s school with a criminal record. She can’t be a recreational league coach. […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: My sister’s death at Parkland could have been prevented. Colorado needs protections.
The death of my sister Carmen Schentrup could have been prevented. Carmen was 16 years old when she was killed in the Parkland massacre on Feb. 14, 2018, along with 16 other students and staff members. Twenty-three days later, Florida Republicans and Democrats united together to pass Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) as part of […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Brauchler: The red flag gun bill is too extreme. Let’s find a bipartisan, Colorado solution.
Columbine. Century 16 in Aurora. Arapahoe High School. Douglas County Sheriff’s Detective Dan Brite. DCSO Deputy Zackari Parrish. During my time as a public servant, I have had the opportunity and obligation to deal directly with some of the most high-profile and tragic cases that have flowed from disturbed individuals and firearms. I am confident […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Krieger: “Red Flag” is a law-and-order bill. So why is the GOP against it?
Nikolas Cruz, the high-school shooter in Parkland, Fla., who killed 17 on Valentine’s Day, 2018, had a history of anger issues, including one third-hand report of a specific threat to shoot up his school. Three months before the Parkland shooting, a cousin of his recently deceased adoptive mother recommended to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers will consider whether to repeal the death penalty again, as factors align for passage
For the fifth time in a dozen years, Democrats are pushing to abolish the death penalty in Colorado. And as they revive a conversation that has ebbed and flowed at the Capitol for more than a decade,the work appears to have more momentum toward passage than ever before. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, supports abolition […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
The “red flag” gun bill is expected to pass in Colorado. But there are important things to watch along the way.
Before a 10-hour hearing at the Colorado Capitol on a “red flag” gun bill last week even began, the die had been cast. The measure won the House Judiciary Committee’s approval, as it always was slated to. And no matter how hard Republicans push back, it’s expected to ultimately pass the legislature this year. For […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Super PAC money dominated 2018 election and Democrats controlled the cash race
Super PAC money led Colorado to record-setting spending in the 2018 election, totaling $74 million in all state-level races and exceeding the sums expended by candidates. The total spent in the two-year election cycle surpassed $219 million, according to a Colorado Sun analysis. The amount is a rough estimate that includes publicly disclosed candidate and […]