Tag: douglas county
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Colorado counties cannot challenge state law restricting immigration contracts, appeals court says
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday that counties lack standing to challenge a 2023 state law that restricts their ability to contract with the federal government or private entities for immigration detention. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel agreed with a trial judge that the Colorado Constitution provides the legislature with broad power to enact…
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Colorado teacher gets jail time after groping student
A former psychology teacher at Douglas County High School was sentenced to 300 days in jail last week after he pleaded guilty to groping a 17-year-old student. James Christopher Thomure, 57, was proctoring an exam for three students in a classroom at the high school in May 2024 when the groping occurred, authorities said. After…
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Newly formed PAC promises a stronger voice for southern Colorado businesses
A new political action committee has launched in southern Colorado, aiming to strengthen and elevate the voices of local businesses and their regional influence on state-level policy. Over the last two years, the Colorado Legislature has enacted more than 1,000 new laws that have burdened businesses with added costs and excessive regulations, and several more…
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Appeals court says jury not obligated to apply discounts to determine value of stolen merch
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday that it was up to a Douglas County jury to determine the value of stolen merchandise at a defendant’s theft trial, after both sides presented different estimates of the items’ value. Under state law, a theft offense hinges on the market value of the stolen goods. Anything below $2,000…
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Grass wildfire in Douglas County reaches 500 acres, 100% contained
Responders reached 100% containment on a grass fire near Colorado Highway 83 in Douglas County on Thursday. The wildfire, which spread rapidly and prompted mandatory evacuations near Franktown, sparked near Dahlberg and Lake Gulch Roads, the Franktown Fire District said just after 1 p.m. on social media. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office correspondingly issued an…
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GoFundMe donations for victim do not lessen defendant’s restitution obligation, appeals court rules
Donations made to a victim’s crowdfunding page do not necessarily reduce the defendant’s obligation to pay crime victim restitution, Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday. Under state law, crime victim compensation boards reimburse victims for certain monetary losses, including funeral costs, medical expenditures, and property damage. Prosecutors may, in turn, seek restitution payments from the…
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DougCo deputy fired after DUI, careless driving arrest
A Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy was fired Friday after he was arrested by Parker Police the previous weekend. Andrew Sanders faces charges of driving under the influence, careless driving, assault on a police officer and obstruction in relation to a traffic stop just before 8 p.m. Feb. 7, according to a Friday news release from…
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Colorado justices skeptical that intimate messages relevant to assault case
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court seemed to agree on Tuesday that a Douglas County judge acted reasonably by blocking evidence of a defendant’s BDSM-related conversations with the victim in his trial for assault and false imprisonment. Jurors found Donald Louis Gerle guilty in 2022. In the prosecution’s telling, Gerle began beating his alleged victim following…
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Second appeals judge voices concerns about new ‘reasonable doubt’ instruction
Another member of Colorado’s second-highest court registered his concern on Thursday that a portion of the recently revised “reasonable doubt” definition improperly lowers the prosecution’s burden to prove a defendant guilty. Judge Daniel M. Taubman wrote that the current instruction advising jurors to acquit whenever there is “a real possibility the defendant is not guilty”…
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With Buc-ee’s withdrawn from Palmer Lake, other communities signal interest
The withdrawal of Buc-ee’s developers’ plans with Palmer Lake could be welcome news to other communities that have actively sought to attract the Texas travel chain. The pullout comes after over a year of increasing opposition efforts, but a local consultant with the company said on Wednesday that Buc-ee’s still wanted to build in the…