Author: Christopher Osher
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Denver’s divorce with private halfway house providers and new neighborhood approach will disperse increasingly violent offender population
The Denver City Council last year cut ties with private halfway house operators because council members feared the system warehoused too many offenders in isolated industrial areas, unsuited for rehabilitation. Council members say they plan to replace the large industrially-zoned buildings that private prison companies operated with a network of smaller halfway houses placed in…
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Documents allege fraud by former Colorado oil giant
Anadarko Petroleum, the largest oil and gas driller in Colorado over the last decade, engaged in a multibillion-dollar fraud against investors by overstating and misrepresenting economic prospects in its oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, according to recently unsealed court documents in a lawsuit. The litigation is one of two federal lawsuits filed within…
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Advisory group in Denver recommends contract extension for private prison halfway house provider
An advisory committee wants Denver to extend for another year a contract with a private prison company to run four halfway houses that provide about 330 beds for offenders transitioning out of prison or on probation. The contract held by Nashville-based CoreCivic is set to expire at the end of June, which would leave Denver…
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829 apartments in Colorado Springs face asbestos scrutiny; hundreds of tenants relocating
Asbestos contamination concerns recently prompted owners to evacuate two Colorado Springs apartment complexes but state authorities remain concerned that slipshod construction at five other apartment complexes may have triggered similar health hazards. So far, environmental testing has found air quality problems severe enough to prompt three evacuation orders by the property owner forcing more than…
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Tom Clements murder inquiry: Secret report blasts investigators for glaring errors
State and El Paso County law enforcement authorities failed to review crucial evidence during the investigation into the murder of Colorado corrections chief Tom Clements, including a confidential informant’s recordings that revealed two members of a white supremacist gang feared they faced criminal culpability for helping the triggerman flee Colorado, a scathing, previously undisclosed secret…
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Review of Clements’ murder investigation kept under wraps amid claims probe was bungled
Worries that potential co-conspirators in the murder of Colorado Corrections chief Tom Clements escaped criminal charges prompted the office of former Gov. John Hickenlooper to push corrections officials to hire a retired FBI agent to review the case and state policies, records and interviews show. The retired agent submitted his findings to the state in…
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California jury finds USA Swimming not culpable in swim coach’s sexual abuse of 12-year-old girl
Colorado Springs-based USA Swimming is not culpable for a California coach’s months of sexual abuse of a swimmer beginning when she was12 years old, a California jury decided Friday. USA Swimming affiliates Stockton Swim Club and Pacific Swimming earlier settled the case out of court and agreed to pay $1.12 million, according to the lawyers…
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United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee increases athlete representation on board in wake of sex scandals
The Colorado Springs-based U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee on Friday said that it would increase athlete representation on its governing board as part of a series of reforms. Critics, however, contend that far more needs to be done to address recent sex abuse scandals of Olympics hopefuls perpetrated by sports doctors, trainers and coaches. Under…
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Denver DA withdraws judgeship endorsement for former chief deputy
Denver District Attorney Beth McCann on Thursday retracted her endorsement of her former chief deputy Michael Song for a judgeship in Denver, saying Song had misrepresented her handling of misconduct allegations against him. Weeks ago, McCann supported Song’s application for one of two open judgeship positions in Denver and stated in her recommendation letter that…
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Prosecutor who resigned from Denver DA office in controversy now up for Denver District Court judgeship
Michael Song, who earlier this year resigned amid controversy at the Denver District Attorney’s Office, now is up for consideration for appointment as a Denver District Court judge by Gov. Jared Polis. Song was one of the six nominees the Second Judicial District Nominating Commission forwarded to Polis for consideration for two new District Court…