The former trooper, Jay Hemphill, was sentenced to a year of probation after he pointed a gun at a woman near the Capitol in 2021
pardons
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: What were the odds that Trump would be so beloved by bookies?
After Colorado voters approved sports betting to begin last year, airwaves and drive-time billboards have been inundated with advertisements for sportsbooks. While I have never been a big fan of sports betting — and the twist at the end of Adam Sandler’s terrific film “Uncut Gems” made me even more queasy about participating — I […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado governor pardons parents behind “balloon boy” hoax, 16 others
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday commuted the sentences of four people and pardoned 18 others, including the parents behind the infamous 2009 “balloon boy” hoax. Polis said he was pardoning the balloon boy’s parents, Mayumi and Richard Heene, because “we are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago.” “Richard and Mayumi […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Biden should start the healing by pardoning Trump
Sometime very soon, even before he takes office as our 46th president, Joe Biden should announce that he will pardon Donald Trump for any crimes he may have committed in the 2016 election campaign or while he was president. Biden’s peremptory action should be emulated by future presidents, maybe even becoming routine in the presidential […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Colorado governor pardons 2,732 people with convictions for possessing up to one ounce of marijuana
Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday issued an executive order pardoning 2,732 people with low-level marijuana convictions as part of legislation recently passed by the Colorado legislature. The pardons — made in a blanket action and not after individual case considerations — were issued to people convicted of possessing an ounce or less of marijuana. The […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Silverman: The criminal justice pendulum is swinging the other direction in Colorado
Jared Polis is no John Hickenlooper. When it comes to criminal justice, Gov. Polis is way less cautious and far more progressive. An outspoken critic of the War on Drugs, Polis was also at the forefront of cannabis legalization while Hick always seemed conflicted. What penalty fits what crime? Colorado’s view on proportionality has swung […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Gov. Hickenlooper issues 23 more pardons, plans to review about 475 more clemency petitions before leaving office
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has issued pardons for 23 people determined to have moved past their criminal histories and to be contributing to their communities. Hickenlooper’s clemency decisions were announced Friday. Several cases involved convictions years ago for theft, non-violent drug possession and forgery. The governor’s review of petitions for clemency incorporates input from crime victims, victim […]