The 5 most common ways to get a felony charge dropped are (1) to show a lack of probable cause, (2) to demonstrate a violation of your constitutional rights, (3) to accept a plea agreement, (4) to cooperate with law enforcement in another case, or (5) to enter a pretrial diversion program. An experienced criminal …
An intent to commit a crime can be proven with either direct evidence or with circumstantial evidence. Proving that a criminal defendant intended to commit a crime is often one of the most important parts of a case. It has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This is even more difficult for specific intent, …
Whether it is legal to shoot a BB gun in Colorado depends on the specific location. Refer to the local county or municipal code for guidance on whether shooting BB guns is legal. Populated cities Discharging BB guns is usually illegal in Colorado’s populated cities, such as: Aurora Boulder Colorado Springs Denver Fort Collins Longmont …
If you are facing felony or misdemeanor charges that carry jail time in Denver, the court will appoint you a deputy public defender if you cannot afford private counsel. Ultimately, the court has jurisdiction to decide whether you are indigent and, therefore, entitled to court-appointed counsel. In general, you are probably eligible for a public defender …
If you are an indigent defendant in a Colorado criminal case, you may be eligible for a court-appointed attorney called a deputy public defender. To qualify for a Colorado public defender in 2024, the annual income limit for a one-person household is $26,355. For a two-person household, the limit is $35,770. For a three-person household, …
Denver’s Pretrial Services program helps criminal court judges to determine whether a particular defendant is safe to be released on bail pending the trial and on what conditions. If the defendant does get released, Pretrial Services may supervise the defendant’s whereabouts and sobriety during this “pretrial” period. Eligibility for supervised pretrial release Defendants arrested in …
If you have been ordered to register as a sex offender in Colorado following a criminal conviction, you need to know the rules about: 1. When to register, 2. Length of registration, 3. What the public sees, and 4. Failing to register 1. When to register In most cases, Colorado sex offender registration laws require …
Section 18-6.5-103(2) sets forth the consequences of crimes against people 70 and older in Colorado. The penalties you face for Colorado elder abuse vary depending on: the nature of the underlying crime, whether the crime was committed in the heat of sudden passion, whether the wrongful act was committed knowingly, whether you were in a position …
An express consent affidavit and notice of revocation is a document notifying you, after a Colorado DUI arrest, that your driving privileges will be revoked in seven days. This document also serves as a seven-day driving permit. Once you receive this express consent affidavit and notice of revocation, you have seven days to request a …
Colorado law permits adults 21 years of age and older to possess up to two ounces (2 oz.) of marijuana for personal use. However, state drug laws prohibit people from possessing or consuming marijuana in public.1 Therefore, if you purchase marijuana from a dispensary, be sure to take it home as soon as possible and …
The juvenile arraignment process in Denver is where minors get officially charged with a crime in Denver Juvenile Court. It is substantially different from the arraignment process for adults. Many juvenile cases do not go through the arraignment process. These cases get resolved informally, instead. What is arraignment? An arraignment is a court hearing. It …
In Colorado, people can face criminal harassment charges under CRS 18-9-111 for a wide variety of behaviors. And depending on the case, the penalties for violating harassment laws can include fines and possibly jail. Here are three things to know about the Colorado harassment statute: Harassment is a very broad criminal charge. Harassment is different …
Under Colorado Revised Statute 18-7-102, promotion of obscenity to a minor is a class 6 felony sex crime. A conviction requires registration as a sex offender as well as: 1 year to 18 months in state prison (plus 1 year of parole); and/or $1,000 to $100,000 in fines.1 However, it may be possible to get …
Follow these steps to reinstate your driver’s license with the Colorado DMV. Step 1: Go to the Colorado DMV website Once your license suspension ends, you can apply for license reinstatement online at mydmv.colorado.gov. Step 2: Fill out the requested information You will be asked to provide: Today’s date Your first, middle, and last names …
Following a hit-and-run incident, Colorado prosecutors can bring criminal charges against the suspect within 1 year in most cases, 3 years if serious injury results, 5 years if death results, and 10 years in vehicular homicide cases. Meanwhile, hit-and-run victims can bring a civil lawsuit within 3 years after the accident. The criminal statute of …
There is no such thing as “legal prostitution” in Colorado. Prostitution is illegal in all Colorado cities, counties and unincorporated areas. Some people mistakenly believe that prostitution is legal in the Pikes Peak region because police tend not to crack down on sex workers there. Still, police will investigate if they get reports of prostitution …
Since Colorado is a one party consent state, people may lawfully record conversations in their workplace if at least one party to the conversation freely consents to being recorded. If the person doing the recording is part of the conversation, then no one else’s consent is needed because the recorder has his/her own consent.1 If …
Colorado’s criminal impersonation laws (C.R.S. 18-5-113) by knowingly assuming a false identity while doing either of the following five things: signing a recordable legal document and with intent to pass it off as true; posting bail for someone; marrying (or pretending to marry) another person who is ignorant of the false impersonation; doing anything may …
Winning a DMV administrative hearing following a Colorado DUI is actually more difficult than winning the criminal case. In DUI criminal cases, the stakes are serious – you could go to jail if convicted. Therefore, the prosecutor has the burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt – which is a very high bar. At …
Driving under restraint (DUR) in Colorado means driving while your license is revoked, suspended, or denied. If your license is restrained because of drunk or drugged driving, DUR is a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense carrying at least 10 days in jail; otherwise, DUR is a class A traffic infraction carrying a maximum $100 fine.1 …
Colorado bail bondsmen hire fugitive recovery agents (“bounty hunters” or “bail enforcement agents”) to track down and apprehend customers who broke their promise of appearing in court on their criminal case. If the agent is successful in arresting and hauling the fugitive back into court, the bail bonds business will pay the agent a commission. …
In Colorado, the statute of limitations (or time limit) for prosecutors to file theft charges is three years for felony theft ($2,000 or more), 18 months for misdemeanor theft ($300 to less than $2,000), and six months for petty theft (less than $300). Also, the statute of limitations begins running only after the theft is …
As a general rule, Colorado law allows your employer to test you for drugs – whether by random drug testing or a scheduled testing program. Employers may also test employees as part of the pre-employment screening process. Furthermore, Colorado employers can fire you and disqualify you if you return positive test results, even for the use …
In Colorado, driving on a suspended driver’s license following a DUI is a class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense that carries at least ten days in jail. If your license was suspended for non-DUI reasons, then driving on a suspended license is a class A traffic infraction carrying $15 to $100 in fines.1 Colorado’s legal term …
If you are under 18 years old and get arrested for drug possession in Colorado, you will be prosecuted in Juvenile Court. Instead of facing criminal convictions like adults would, you instead face delinquency proceedings. The majority of juvie drug cases resolve through a plea bargain, though you have the right to a trial – …
