An Aurora police officer pleaded guilty last week to driving under the influence and prohibited used of a weapon – drunk with a gun. Both counts are misdemeanors.

Douglas County Court Judge Susanna Meissner-Cutler on Jan. 9 sentenced Annette Brook, 56, of Parker, to 20 days of in-home detention and 12 months probation.

Prosecutors asked for 10 days in jail.

On June 17, 2019, Colorado State Patrol troopers responded to westbound C-470 and Lucent Boulevard in Douglas County on a report of a single-car crash.

A 2017 Jeep Cherokee driven by Brook, who was off-duty, had hit a concrete highway barrier. 

Brooks said she had fallen asleep at the wheel, but it was determined her blood-alcohol content was 0.227, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

A loaded handgun was in a bag in the SUV.

“Nobody is above the law in our community. Police, plumber, principal, or otherwise are equally protected and accountable under our laws,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “When a well-investigated DUI case is brought to us, we will pursue it without regard to title, occupation, station, or demographic. DUI is dangerous, illegal and wrong every single time.”

A former Aurora police officer was given a suspended prison sentence with 18 months in jail on work release for stealing from two charities for which he served as treasurer.

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Ben Leutwyler today sentenced Roland Albert for stealing a combined $65,000 over a period of 15 months from the two charities that offer assistance families of law enforcement families.

“It is difficult to find words of condemnation commensurate with a person — a sworn police officer —who steals from charities to enrich himself,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “He has forfeited the honorable title ‘police officer’ and he has earned the title ‘convicted felon.’ No person, law enforcement or otherwise, is above our laws.”

Brauchler added: “I commend the Aurora Police Department for investigating their own and appropriately seeking prosecution for these despicable acts.”

Aurora Police internal affairs officers were investigating Albert for another reason when they discovered an issue with one charity. They contacted the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office in August 2018 to take over the criminal investigation.

Sheriff’s investigators found money missing from that charity beginning in December 2017. Knowing Albert was also treasurer of another charity, they looked there, as well. More money was found to be missing since May 2017 and a warrant was obtained for Albert’s arrest on Feb. 28, 2019.

The investigation determined Albert stole $57,613 from the first charity and $7,753 from the second charity. 

On Oct. 7, 2019, Albert pleaded guilty to one count of theft of $20,000 to $100,000, which is a Class 4 felony. Other counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. 

Representatives from each organization spoke at the sentencing, outlining the damage the defendant had done to their work, their members, their reputations and to law enforcement officers in general.

On Dec. 16, Judge Leutwyler imposed a 4-year suspended sentence to the Department of Corrections, dependent on successful completion of 5 years of economic crimes probation. Probation will include 18 months in jail on work release and payment of restitution.

“This officer deliberately took action 47 times to steal from charities that had entrusted him with their finances. These were organizations created to assist his fellow officers, and to which many of his colleagues donated,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Steve Fauver, who prosecuted the case. “This man was stealing from his friends and coworkers and literally stealing from orphans – all while he was an officer sworn to uphold the law.”

A new study found that Colorado has the nation’s No. 12th highest rate of drunk-driving arrests. Colorado’s rate of DUI arrests in 2018 was 411.0 per 100,000; the national average was 330 per 100,000.

An estimated 30 people are killed in drunk-driving accidents every day in the U.S. Despite the widespread awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, many states have rates of DUI arrests that are troubling.

US Drug Test Centers.com released its study, Worst States for DUIs, which uses the latest data from the FBI on arrests for driving under the influence in 2018 and how those rates have changed over time.

Here are key findings in Colorado:

• No. 13 in rate of DUI arrests with 411.0 per 100,000 in 2018.
• No. 4 for most years with DUI rate in top 10 between 2009 and 2018
• No. 24 in 10-year change between 2009 and 2018 with -31.2% decrease.

Here are key national findings:

• The 10 states with the highest DUI rates are: South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, Maine, Washington, Alaska and Wisconsin.
• The 10 states with the lowest DUI rates are: Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Illinois, Delaware
• More than half of DUI arrests were in people between the ages of 21 and 39.

For more information visit the link below:

https://www.usdrugtestcenters.com/research-articles/14/worst-states-for-duis.html

An Arapahoe County jury took 90 minutes Tuesday to convict Ble Ghislain Kore, 25, of raping two juveniles in Aurora.

On Sept. 13, 2018, the defendant approached a juvenile walking home from Overland High School. He approached the victim saying to get into his car, as he knew who she was and that he had someone watching her mother. Concerned for her mom, she got in the car and he drove to the guest parking lot of her apartment complex where he raped her. She was scared because he knew where she lived. 

Later that afternoon, the defendant drove up to another juvenile walking in the parking lot at Overland High School and asked for her phone number. When she tried to walk away, he demanded she get in his car. He drove her to another parking lot near the school and raped her. 

The two victims did not know the defendant or each other. 

Aurora Police Department investigated the incidents and connected them due to the similar descriptions of the car and defendant. In addition, the DNA of the defendant was found on both juveniles. Kore initially denied any sexual contact but later admitted to them during interviews. 

After a four-day trial, on Dec. 10, the jury found the defendant guilty of sexual assault – use of force (Class 3 felony) and sexual assault – overcoming a victim’s will (Class 4 felony). 

The defendant is eligible for probation under Colorado sentencing guidelines. 

Senior Deputy District Attorneys Danielle Jaramillo and Jake Adkins prosecuted this case. 

The sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 27, 2020, at 1:30 .m. in Division 408. 

BY FREDA MIKLIN
GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

On Wednesday, October 30, three armed robbers disguised with dark-colored hoodies, masks, and sunglasses, robbed a Brink’s armored truck at approximately 2:30 p.m. at the Bank of Colorado at 5201 S. Yosemite Street in Greenwood Village. They were armed with one AK47 variant and two semi-automatic handguns.

The suspects were described as all being 5’10” to 6’ tall. Two were said to have average builds and one was described as heavyset. None of their races were able to be determined because they were fully covered. They arrived and fled in a grey Nissan Pathfinder with stolen license plates. The vehicle is thought to be a 2013 to 2016 model. One matching that description has since been located and impounded, according to the FBI, not far from where the robbery occurred. No further information on the vehicle has been released. The amount of money stolen has not been made public.

This crime is presently in the hands of the FBI. There is a $2,000 reward being offered for assistance in solving it. Anyone with information on this bank robbery is encouraged to call the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force at 303-629-7171. You can also call CRIMESTOPPERS at 720-913-STOP (7867) and remain anonymous.

Special Agent Amy Meyer, Public Affairs Office at the FBI can be reached at aemeyer@fbi.gov for additional information if it becomes available.

Fmiklin.villager@gmail.com

On October 3 the Office of the 18^th Judicial District Attorney filed formal charges against Lee Andrew Fabricus in connection with the death of his 60-year-old brother Dale Fabricus on September 24 on East Heritage Parkway in southeast Aurora. Fabricus was charged with Murder 1 after Deliberation and Murder 1 – extreme indifference, along with a charge of assault and two vehicular homicide charges, one for driving under the influence. 

He remains in jail, and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 15 at 8:30 a.m. in Division 408 of the the Arapahoe County Justice Center at 7325 S. Potomac Street in Centennial. 

This morning, an Arapahoe County jury found Johnny Dewayne Harris, Jr. (49) guilty of all charges related to a sexual assault of a Littleton woman in 2018 (2018CR2234).

On the morning of July 25, 2018, the victim took her dog for a walk on the trail located west of the intersection at South Santa Fe Drive and Brewery Lane in Littleton. The defendant attacked her by wrapping a parachute cord around her neck, and dragged her about 20 feet into an area off the trail.

During the assault, the victim fought back, knocked the defendant’s glasses off his face, severely impairing his ability to see. The defendant told her at one point, “I need to find my glasses to get out of here, because I need to make a break for it. If I don’t have my glasses, I can’t.”

To prevent her escape while he searched for his glasses, he used the rope around her neck to also tie her by the ankles and wrists behind her back. As he continued his search, the victim regained her balance while hog-tied, untied her feet, and escaped. The dog was found shortly after.

Several cyclists stopped to help the victim once she ran onto the trail. Littleton Police apprehended the defendant 15-20 minutes after the assault, as some of the cyclists either took care of the victim or followed the defendant until his arrest. The victim suffered serious bodily injuries.

When Littleton Police interrogated the defendant, he said that he is near-sighted and could read and understand everything. He later confessed in a taped interview and written statement.

At the time of the attack, the defendant was wanted by the City and County of Denver for sexual assault and failure to register as a sex offender. The defendant said he was in the Littleton area because he knew he was wanted in Denver.

The jury received the case late in the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 18 after a three-day jury trial.

• The jury found the defendant guilty of the following charges:
• One count of First Degree Kidnapping (F2)
• One count of Attempted Sexual Assault – Deadly Weapon (F3)
• One count of Attempted Sexual Assault – Serious Bodily Injury (F3)
• One count of Attempted Sexual Assault – Use of Force/Violence (F3)
• One count of First Degree Assault – Strangulation (F3)
• One count of Unlawful Sexual Contact (F3)
• Two sentence enhancements for violent crime

District Attorney George Brauchler said, “Harris is the embodiment of the nightmarish rapist who jumps from the bushes to grab and sexually assault the innocent and unsuspecting. I am impressed and grateful for the Colorado courage displayed by the victim both at the hands of her would-be rapist and in front of a jury of strangers. Let the word go forth from this courtroom that we will not tolerate rapists in our community. For those who seek to weaken our laws regarding sex offenders, let this be a reminder of what is at stake. Monsters like Harris are yet another reason we build prisons.”

The victim stated the following: “It’s hard to describe the emotions going through my mind as this has been the hardest week of my life since the attack.

I can’t thank everyone who has been with me throughout the process enough. I am so proud and grateful to my legal team for the way they presented my case as well as treating me with the utmost respect and patience for the last 14 months.

I’d also like to thank every single person who testified, I know from experience just how difficult that must have been. It is never easy to relive probably one of the most awful experiences of their lives.

Last but not least, to my army of support, who stood behind me the entire way, my husband, my brother, my mom, and my entire friendship base from around the entire world was with me this week! I am a survivor, and through the help of all of you I am able to be here to thank you all today.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo and Senior District Attorney Danielle Jaramillo prosecuted this case.

The sentencing hearing is set for December 20 at 1:30 PM in the Arapahoe County District Court, Division 407. The defendant faces a sentencing range of 16 – 128 years to life in the Department of Corrections.

The Honorable Judge Michael James Spear presides over this case.

A Highlands Ranch woman who killed her newborn daughter will spend the rest of her life in prison after a Douglas County jury found her guilty of first-degree murder of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust.

The jury found Camille Wasinger-Konrad, 25, guilty on all three counts: first-degree murder after deliberation; tampering with physical evidence; and the position-of-trust murder charge.

“Of all the many emotions of the magical first moments of a baby’s life, of all the many tender moments a mother shared in that first embrace with a completely helpless and fragile life, smothering a newborn and pitching its body over a fence in the cold of January is impossible to understand,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Who are we as a people that someone among us has such disregard for the most innocent of lives — a life they helped created? Disgusting.”

“It’s not only justice for the infant child but also a statement for the Douglas County community in how strongly we believe in the criminal justice system. We are glad to be a part of bringing this person to justice,” said Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock. “I continue to be proud of the men and women of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and appreciate the hours the detectives on this case spent investigating it. We are grateful for the partnership we have with the district attorney’s office that brings results such as this one.”

Wasinger-Konrad was renting a room in the home of a Highlands Ranch family. Early in the morning of Jan. 2, 2018, she gave birth to a girl in her bedroom. She covered the baby’s mouth and nose to stop her from crying so as not to awaken others.  She then carried the newborn downstairs to the back deck. She threw the baby into the backyard of a neighbor.

The neighbor found the dead child at 9:48 p.m. that night and called the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

“That little girl was on that deck for 948 minutes,” Deputy District Attorney Valerie Brewster told the jury. “This defendant went about her day, knowing her unnamed daughter was there, helpless. She thought and made that choice.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Gallo gave the closing arguments.

“This tiny baby was smothered by her mother, flung over a neighbor’s fence and left to die by the only human she had ever known,” Gallo told the jury. “This defendant hurled her newborn 11 feet over an 8-foot fence, knowingly consigning her to her death. This little girl died in the cold without the dignity of even a name.”

Sentencing is set for Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.. The mandatory sentence for Murder 1 is life in prison without possibility of parole.

Since 2000, Colorado has had a Safe Haven Law. A parent can hand over a newborn, up to 72 hours old, to an employee at any fire station or hospital with no questions asked.