Judge throws out lawsuit against alleged victim’s dad, Weld sheriff
A U.S. District Court judge in Denver has dismissed a wrongful arrest lawsuit brought by a former NASCAR driver against Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams that also accused the father of an alleged victim of giving her marijuana to falsely accuse the driver of molestation.
Judge Christine Arguello dismissed the civil lawsuit by NASCAR driver Adam Hilton against Reams, sheriff’s investigators and Harold Joseph Bellm III, the father of his accuser.
Hilton was acquitted of two counts of sexual assault in a June 2016 criminal case. His civil lawsuit had claimed he lost his job as a NASCAR racer as a direct result of the allegations. It said Bellm gave the victim marijuana to make false claims against Hilton, the victim’s stepfather, after he married Bellm’s exwife.
Bellm, also a former NASCAR driver, said Tuesday that the allegations against him were false and damaging to him. Despite all the accolades he has received over the years for his own racing exploits, a story in The Denver Post about Hilton’s lawsuit against him is the first thing that appears when you Google his name, he said. Bellm said he has won more than 300 races during his career, including Winston Cup Series regional races.
“My reputation has been put on the line. I’ve never given any of my kids drugs,” said Bellm, who lives in Broomfield. “They made me the evil person. It’s very sad that they twisted this against me.”
Bellm said his daughter is the one who deserved vindication and justice, not him.
Arguello dismissed all claims against Bellm on Sept. 18. She dismissed the remainder of claims against all defendants on Monday.
Bellm said he owns and operates dirt racetracks. His daughter graduated from high school with honors and is doing well, he said.
Hilton’s lawsuit said investigators should have realized that the allegations made in December 2014 were false in part because he was accused of molesting the girl, who was then 14, at a home before the family had moved into it.