Rep. denies guilt in cases
A Democratic leader in the Colorado House was arrested twice in the past two decades on charges related to domestic violence involving two girlfriends, according to police reports, court records and interviews conducted by The Denver Post.
Boulder police arrested Jovan Melton in December 1999 on charges of trespassing and harassment related to domestic violence, according to Boulder police records. Melton is now an Aurora representative and Democratic majority deputy whip.
In 2008, Denver police arrested Melton on a misdemeanor assault charge that was also related to domestic violence, according to court documents. The Aurora Democrat, then 20, pleaded guilty to harassment in the 1999 case. He received a 12month deferred sentence, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. The 2008 case was dismissed.
Melton flatly denied any wrongdoing in both cases in interviews with The Post this week,
and after the story was published online Tuesday released a statement that said in part: “While I categorically deny any allegations that suggest any violence against the women involved, I am both embarrassed and heartbroken to be reminded of my immaturity all those years ago.”
The 1999 arrest involved an incident with his thengirlfriend while they were students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The Post spoke to the woman and confirmed her account but is withholding her name because of the nature of the charges.
The night started with a dinner at the woman’s apartment, where the two began arguing. According to the police report, Melton went home but then returned. The woman told police he used a set of her keys to enter the apartment after banging on the door. Melton said she let him back inside.
The report alleges Melton shouted derogatory expletives at her, “grabbed her around the throat” and forced her onto the couch once he was back inside the apartment. A neighbor dialed 911 because she heard a loud argument and “four to five slaps skin upon skin,” according to the police report. The neighbor also told police she could hear the woman shouting “let go of my neck” and “get off me.”
The neighbor and another witness interviewed by police that night corroborated the woman’s version of events, but the police officer wrote that he “could not find any marks, bruises or indications that such actions had occurred.”
Melton denies ever being violent with the woman and pointed to that line in the report as evidence of his innocence.
“I don’t remember either of us using any profanity,” Melton said. “I believe she slapped me twice, and the most I ever touched her was to move her hands off of me.”
It was not the only time the relationship became physically violent, according to information from police and court documents and interviews. The woman also told police Melton previously knocked her down and broke her tailbone in two places, an injury for which she sought medical attention.
The night of the incident, the woman’s thensuitemate told police she could “recall at least three to five prior episodes” and that she had heard Melton hit her in the past, but she had “asked her not to say anything.”
The Boulder police officer noted the woman’s reluctance to talk, saying she didn’t believe the police could help her. After talking with a victim’s advocate, however, she decided to request a permanent restraining order. In that request to the court, she said Melton sexually assaulted her twice and broke her tailbone in two places. A judge granted the restraining order.
Melton has never faced any charges related to a sexual assault allegation. He told The Post that the woman’s broken tailbone was the result of a consensual sexual encounter, and the reason he didn’t fight the restraining order was because he wanted to be done with the relationship.
“I’m not a violent individual,” Melton said. “Those claims are just untrue and didn’t happen.”
Melton’s second arrest, in August 2008, involved a different girlfriend. He said the couple started to argue while driving back from a party along Interstate 70. The woman, who was driving, crashed into a guardrail. According to Melton, she told police that he hit her and that’s why the accident happened. He was arrested on charges of misde meanor assault, and his mother posted his bail the next morning.
“I don’t know if the officer misinterpreted the fight,” Melton said. “She corrected that story and got it dismissed.”
The charges were dismissed, according to court records. The woman declined to comment.
Melton is a highranking member in the state legislature, serving as the Democratic majority deputy whip and vice chair of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus. His Arapahoe County seat is considered safely Democratic, and he’s running for his fourth and final House term unopposed.
“I am deeply committed to seeking the appropriate counseling to ensure that my emotions never fuel these types of events in the future …,” Melton said in his statement Tuesday. “I look forward to putting my head down and working on these issues with my colleagues in the legislature in January.”
As a lawmaker, Melton has been an outspoken supporter of social justice reform, sponsoring legislation that would expunge arrests made on false identification and banning the use of chokeholds by police. He advocated for the expulsion of former Rep. Steve Lebsock, DThornton, after multiple women accused Lebsock of sexual harassment. Melton also signed a letter in September calling for sexual harassment and antibias training for Republican lawmakers who shared a satirical article in reference to allegations against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, now a justice.
Melton also has been accused of harassment during his legislative career.
Rep. Donald Valdez, DLa Jara, gave an emotional speech on the House floor in March about what he characterized as harassment and bullying by Melton following a dispute about a bill. Valdez told lawmakers at the time that he considered filing a motion to expel Melton from office.
“What happened Wednesday — nobody should be harassed, nobody should be bullied,” Valdez said then. “Nobody should get in your face. … Nobody should call you out multiple times.”