Author: Chris Osher
-
Former Colorado parental evaluator accused of faking Ph.D pleads guilty to felony charges
A former Colorado parental evaluator who sent more than 20 child custody cases into chaos amid accusations that she lied about holding a doctorate in psychology pleaded guilty on Friday to two felonies and a misdemeanor. Attorney General Phil Weiser announced in a press release that Shannon McShane, 57, pleaded guilty to one count each…
-
Colorado parental evaluator faces scrutiny over handling of high-conflict custody cases
A Moffat County district court judge barred William Montgomery from having any contact with his children or his wife, Stephanie, after the wife sought a protection order, stating in one court filing that William, in his most recent attack, had attempted to head butt her three times, grabbed a handgun from a dresser and threatened…
-
Child abuse conviction prompts calls for accountability in Manitou Springs case
A jury convicted a Manitou Springs man of multiple child sexual assault counts in a case that has drawn criticism from the father of the victims who contends child-protective service workers ignored his pleas that the children were at risk and should have been returned to his care. James Walter, 57, was arrested Feb. 2,…
-
Colorado cannabis cultivator files lawsuit against state regulators, citing public health and black market concerns
A Colorado cannabis cultivator has filed a lawsuit against the state’s marijuana regulators, with a spotlight on what it describes as massive oversights in the state’s testing regime that the cultivator claims endanger public health and allows for the illegal diversion of cannabis into black markets. The lawsuit, filed earlier this week in Denver District…
-
How Colorado’s marijuana testing loopholes threaten consumer safety
Elizabeth and Luke Mason, scientists who met during graduate studies at Colorado State University, saw cannabis legalization in 2012 as an opportunity. With backgrounds in biochemistry, microbiology, and analytical chemistry, they launched Aurum Labs in Durango in 2014, believing they could build a successful business, while setting a standard for scientific rigor. As state regulators…
-
How Colorado’s marijuana testing loopholes threaten consumer safety
Elizabeth and Luke Mason, scientists who met during graduate studies at Colorado State University, saw cannabis legalization in 2012 as an opportunity. With backgrounds in biochemistry, microbiology, and analytical chemistry, they launched Aurum Labs in Durango in 2014, believing they could build a successful business, while setting a standard for scientific rigor. As state regulators…
-
Colorado state program facilitated release of suspect 2 months before stabbing spree in downtown Denver
The suspect charged in the deadly 16th Street Mall knife attacks was released from custody months before the stabbings because of a mental competency court liaison program that state lawmakers tripled in size two years ago, an expansion that a legislative budget analyst now says needs better data collection to ensure effectiveness. Two months before…
-
Colorado task force recommends sweeping changes to child abuse reporting laws
Colorado’s mandatory reporting laws for child abuse and neglect disproportionately impact communities of color and the disabled, and state law should specify that mandatory reporters should not make a report to child-protective services based on a parent’s indigence or socioeconomic status or a child’s disability, according to a legislative task force. The 34-member task force,…
-
El Paso County child abuse case: Children placed in home with a man with violent past
After child sexual abuse allegations against a father surfaced, El Paso County child protective services officials placed two children back with their estranged mother, who was living with a boyfriend with a violent past. Another child eventually ended up with an aunt, who was living with a registered sex offender. In their mother’s home, one…
-
Colorado judges face calls for new domestic violence training after survey finds child abuse concerns ignored
Armed with a survey of parents who lambasted family court judges and magistrates for regularly ignoring signs of child abuse during custody disputes, legislators and court reform advocates are pressing for new domestic violence training mandates and other measures for judges and magistrates. “This document brings to light the voices of Colorado citizens who have…