Tag: child abuse
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Arrest affidavit reveals new details about Colorado Springs home invasion
An arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette for the suspect in the Saturday home invasion, 33-year-old Xavier Smith, has revealed that seven children and one teen were among the residents in the home that Smith is charged with menacing. Just before 7 p.m., Colorado Springs officers with the Sand Creek Division responded to the 1200…
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Colorado Supreme Court takes up cases on severity of vehicular homicide, disclosure of child abuse reports
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday it will hear cases addressing the severity of sentences for vehicular homicide caused by intoxication and the level of information about child abuse reports that can be disclosed in open records requests. At least three of the seven justices must agree to take up an appeal. ‘Grave and…
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Appeals judge warns about ‘inflammatory’ medical terminology in child abuse cases
One member of Colorado’s second-highest court suggested last month that certain medical terminology deeming a child’s injuries “abusive” or “nonaccidental” may improperly lead jurors to convict defendants of knowingly committing child abuse. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals upheld the El Paso County child abuse convictions of Susan Trahan Bergeron, who is serving 10…
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Woman found with missing teen in Colorado Springs identified: Police
The woman who was found last month with a teenager she falsely claimed was her son has been identified, according to Colorado Springs police. Jean Thomas, 35, is facing charges including child abuse of the 14-year-old, who she gave a false identity to, police said Tuesday. The teen was a reported runaway from Denver who…
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Woman found last month with missing Denver teen charged with child abuse
The Colorado Springs Police Department announced the charges of a woman who was found last month with a teenager she falsely claimed was her son. The woman is facing charges including child abuse of the 14-year-old teen. The teen, who was given a false identity by the woman, was a reported runaway from Denver who…
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Felony child abuse convictions overturned in high-profile case due to instruction error
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a woman’s felony convictions for child abuse resulting in death last month after concluding the instructions that a San Miguel County judge provided the jury did not include the necessary language. Hannah Marshall, 8, and Makayla Roberts, 10, were discovered dead and decomposing in a vehicle located on Frederick “Alec” Blair’s Norwood…
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Colorado Springs father arrested in 2021 infant death
More than three years after the death of an infant in Colorado Springs, the father has been arrested, police said Friday in a news release. The infant, less than three months old, was brought to an area hospital on May 26, 2021. The child was “severely injured” and died of its injuries June 2, police…
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CSPD officer arrested for misdemeanor child abuse
A Colorado Springs police officer has been arrested for misdemeanor child abuse. On the morning of June 1, CSPD responded to a call for service for an urgent medical assist alongside Colorado Springs Fire Department. It was determined at the time that the subject was CSPD Canine Officer Jonathan Yelvington. Yelvingston was off-duty at the…
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Colorado Supreme Court returns 3 cases to trial courts with instructions
The Colorado Supreme Court decided three appeals this month in ongoing civil and criminal cases, either overturning trial judges’ faulty decisions or providing clarification for further proceedings. Although most of the Supreme Court’s decisions come at the conclusion of a case and after the Court of Appeals has rendered its ruling, the justices sometimes elect…
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Colorado Supreme Court signals intervention in Denver, Jeffco criminal cases
The Colorado Supreme Court indicated in recent weeks that it may intervene in two criminal cases to decide whether a defendant convicted of a misdemeanor in county court is entitled to halt his sentence while he appeals, and whether prosecutors established probable cause of another defendant’s child abuse charge. At least three of the court’s…