POLICE REOPEN CASE ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE

Police have reopened an investigation into alleged child abuse at the hands of an employee of the I Have A Dream Foundation of Boulder County.

The Boulder Weekly reported Thursday that Lafayette police originally misclassified concerns parents brought up about the alleged abuse from 2015 and 2016 as misdemeanor assault, causing an officer to tell parents the statute of limitations on the accusation had expired.

The statute of limitations for misdemeanor assault is 18 months; for child abuse it is five years, Police Chief Rick Bashor said.

The I Have A Dream Foundation of Boulder County is an organization that works with schools and aims to help low-income students graduate high school and attend college. The foundation selects low-income students in their early grades and offers one-on-one tutoring, college and career preparation and other services throughout their school careers.

Man who broke whiskey bottle over clerk’s head sentenced to 10 years in prison. GREELEY» A Greeley man arrested in November for breaking a whiskey bottle over the head of a liquor store owner during a robbery was sentenced Friday in Weld District Court to 10 years in prison. Shateek Johnson, 23, originally was charged with one count each of aggravated robbery and second-degree assault, both felonies, as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest and theft charges. He pleaded guilty in July to the second-degree assault charge. The other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal with the Weld County district attorney’s office.

Lawyer fears that wildfire defendant will be made scapegoat. A lawyer for one of two people charged with starting a western Colorado wildfire says he’s worried that “mob rule” will lead to unfair treatment of his client. The Aspen Daily News reported Friday that attorney Stan Garnett is concerned that residents are looking for a scapegoat for the fire near Basalt that destroyed three homes in July. Garnett’s client, Allison Marcus, and Richard Miller are charged with fourth-degree arson and setting fire to woods or prairie. Prosecutors say they fired incendiary tracer rounds at a shooting range, igniting the fire. They appeared in court Tuesday but did not enter pleas. Both are 23. Garnett says he’s seen critical online comments about Marcus and Miller and wants to ensure his client is judged based on the evidence. Garnett is a former Boulder County district attorney.