Violent Colorado Women — 2008
Violent Colorado Women — 2008© 2007 Equal Justice Foundation
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Colorado Springs woman stabs boyfriend in neck
Woman repeatedly stabs man while living with him in Denver and Loveland
Golden woman runs down boyfriend and his dog
Colorado Springs real estate agent arrested in $17,000 vandalism
Racist rumors target local teenager and his family
Colorado Springs police arrest woman after she stabs boyfriend in argument over cigarettes
Aurora cop shoots armed woman after she violates restraining order
Denver wife accused of telling airline her husband had bomb
According to the January 28, 2008, edition of the Colorado Springs Gazette (p. A4) Karen Thompson, 32, stabbed her boyfriend, Ricky Nelson, 29, once in the neck during a domestic fight. The assault occurred at approximately 9:30 PM on Saturday, January 26 th at 1322 East Fillmore Street in Colorado Springs.
Mr. Nelson was reported in stable condition Sunday evening at Penrose Hospital.
Ms. Thompson was arrested on charges of firs-degree felony assault.
February 27, 2008
— According to the Denver Post (p. 3B), 20-year-old Jennifer Stroth and a 72-year-old man were
"intimate friends"
until romance turned to violence, quoting Denver District Attorney's spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough.
Jennifer Stroth was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Loveland on February 17 th , after the couple had moved from Denver.
The ensuing investigation turned up evidence of two earlier knife attacks on her paramour when they shared a home in the 4900 block of Raleigh Street in Denver, Kimbrough said. Stroth is accused of stabbing the man on February 1 and February 16, as well as the one February 17 th for which she was arrested.
The man sustained serious injuries, according to prosecutors. He was not identified by prosecutors because he is a victim of domestic violence.
Ms. Stroth remains in the Larimer County Jail, but will be charged in Denver with felony counts of first-degree assault against an at-risk victim, two counts of second-degree assault against an at-risk victim and menacing.
According to court records, Jennifer Stroth has been arrested numerous times on drug, theft and assault charges since turning 18 in June 2005, including an arrest by Aurora police on assault, battery and damaging private property charges stemming from a prior domestic violence case in November 2006.
March 2, 2008
— According to the Denver Post (p. 2B) Golden police have arrested a woman accused of intentionally hitting a man and his dog with her car Thursday night.
The crash occurred in the area of South Golden Road and Utah Street. Police found Rebecca McKenzie at a nearby apartment complex after preliminary investigations identified her as a suspect.
Ms. McKenzie was booked into Jefferson County Jail and faces charges of attempted homicide, vehicular assault, and cruelty to an animal.
The man is a 54-year-old Golden resident. He was transported to the hospital after the Thursday incident where he was treated and released. The dog was transported to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment.
Police would not release information on why they believe the actions to be intentional, citing that the investigation is ongoing. However McKenzie and the victim did know each other, said Sgt. Ryan Custer of the Golden Police Department. "They are boyfriend and girlfriend," said Ryan. "Or, at least they were."
March 26, 2008 — During the early morning hours then unknown suspects committed extensive damage at 9992 Pinedale Drive, a residence in the Pine Creek subdivision, while the residents were on vacation. Windows and outside lights were broken, oil was splashed all over the concrete, and vulgar language and symbols were spray-painted on the house, windows, fences and driveway area. On the victims' garage door was a gang-style logo. The same logo was seen in some less severe damage which occurred earlier in the month at the Pine Creek Golf Course.
Initially there was no valid suspect information. Rumors spread throughout the neighborhood and among students at Challenger Middle School that a neighbor of the victims was responsible for the damage. On April 3 rd , the boy and his family, who are black, were confronted by some residents of the Pine Creek area, and the boy was accused of doing the damage. The entire family was told they are bad and that they will pay for what the boy had done. Someone sent out an email warning people of Pine Creek about 14-year-old Brandon Johnson, calling him "bad news" and warning the neighborhood to lock their doors and be safe. The racially-motivated email advised everyone to watch out for this boy because it claimed he is involved in gang activity, drug dealing, and vandalism. Its author, Mary Silva, wife of Pine Creek Golf Course manager and president Elcio Silva, attached an outdated photo of the Johnson family (pulled off the Universal Kempo Karate Web site that the Johnson's own) and identified Brandon as the boy in the picture who is actually the Johnson's older son, Andre.
The next day the family went to the Colorado Springs police department offering their cooperation and asking what could be done about the situation.
May 2, 2008 — Eventually the investigation revealed the accused boy was not in any way involved in these incidents. As the investigation progressed, four juvenile suspects were identified, and have now been charged. Further investigation resulted in the identification of an adult suspect, Sandra Haddad, age 49, who had urged the juvenile suspects to commit the crime on Pinedale and supplied them with the spray-paint and oil.
On May 2, 2008, Sandra Haddad turned herself in at the county jail where she was booked for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Conspiracy, both Class 4 felonies (Table 88). She was released after posting a $3,000 bond.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette Ms. Haddad, a real estate agent in Colorado Springs sent four children — two of them family friends — to exact her revenge on a client who passed on a lucrative contract nearly three years ago, police said.
Sandra Haddad, 49, coowner of Colorado New Home Concepts, is accused of supplying four 13-year-old boys with the vegetable oil and spray paint they used to cause $17,000 in damage to a home in Pine Creek, an upscale subdivision in northwest Colorado Springs.
The March 23 rd incident targeted Greg and Lenae Thomas, who declined to sign a buyer's agency contract with Ms. Haddad in 2005. They had settled on a home worth $640,000 but reconsidered and went with a different real estate agent because of concerns about Haddad's terms.
"She was angry she lost the commission," said Colorado Springs police Sgt. Dale Fox.
According to Greg Thomas, Haddad would have collected $27,000, or 4% of the selling price. Investigators told Thomas that Haddad took the boys to Wal-Mart on Razorback Road to buy their supplies on the night of the vandalism.
Haddad has been practicing real estate for more than 20 years. If convicted, she could face the loss of her license, said Marcia Waters, director of investigations and compliance for the Colorado Division of Real Estate.
Greg Thomas said his family received threatening phone messages from Haddad for a week after they decided to go with a different real estate agent.
They had all but forgotten about her when police informed them of their suspicions in the vandalism case.
The Thomases were on a skiing trip when police say the boys vandalized the home in the 9900 block of Pinedale Drive — smashing windows and outside lights, staining the driveway with vegetable oil and spray painting vulgar language and images on the walls and fence. An apparent gang symbol was painted on their garage wall.
The boys were charged as juveniles with felony criminal mischief this week, Fox said. Police do not identify juvenile suspects.
Ms. Haddad was known as Auntie Sandy' to two of them, the sons of family friends, Sgt. Fox said. He said their parents were shocked by the allegations and cooperated with police after being presented with the evidence.
None of the children received money or favors in exchange for carrying out the vandalism, Fox said. Police think that Haddad drew on a close relationship with the two boys in persuading the four to help, he said.
Thomas, a Navy captain who works at Peterson Air Force Base, said his family was still living in Pennsylvania when they contacted Ms. Haddad in 2004 for help finding a home in Colorado Springs. Their business relationship soured eight months later when Ms. Haddad sent them a contract with language that other real estate agents called into question, he said.
Thomas and his wife got a restraining order against Haddad on April 30 th , saying they are afraid of what she is capable of given the seriousness of the allegations.
"If she is capable of doing this to our house three years later, then what else is she capable of?" he said. "I felt much better about this when I thought it was just kids."
May 2, 2008 — Colorado Springs police officers from the Stetson Hills division were dispatched to 3120 Escapardo Court at 6:40 PM to investigate a stabbing.
Upon arrival the officers made contact with 47-year-old Kevin Levulis and 43-year-old Mary Anne Dault. Both Ms. Dault and Levulis live at the address; they were both involved in a domestic disturbance that turned physical. Mr. Levulis received a significant facial laceration; as he was allegedly stabbed by Ms. Dault with a glass after an argument over cigarettes. Ms. Dault was arrested for first-degree assault.
© 2008 by Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post
May 23, 2008
— Melinda Espinoza remained in custody Thursday night, a day after she was shot in the leg by an Aurora police officer.
Ms Espinoza, 24, was threatening to kill herself with a gun in the home of her estranged husband in the 2200 block of South Waco Court just before 10 PM Wednesday, said Shannon Lucy, Aurora police spokeswoman.
Espinoza met police officers outside the home and pulled out a gun, Lucy said.
Police say she also pointed the gun in the direction of officers. An officer, who has not been identified, then shot the woman in the leg.
Ms. Espinoza was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated for the wound.
She was arrested for investigation of violating a restraining order and a traffic warrant. Later in the day, after further investigation, police said she also would face a charge of felony menacing.
She was in custody Thursday night at the Aurora jail.
The officer who fired the shot has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
June 25, 2008 —The FBI has arrested a Denver woman for allegedly calling and warning an airline that her husband — who was aboard a plane — planned to detonate a bomb.
Terrice Gay Hutchinson, 53, allegedly made the bomb threat to Southwest Airlines on April 17, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
Hutchinson allegedly said that her husband was carrying the bomb on a flight from Denver to Las Vegas.
"She was upset that he was going to Las Vegas, and that is the way she chose to stop him," said Jeff Dorsch ner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado. "Obviously it didn't work."
If convicted, Mrs. Hutchinson faces up to five years in federal prisonand up to a $250,000 fine for providing false information and threats concerning aviation transportation.
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| Chapter 14 — Stories Of Violent Women And Abused Men In Colorado |
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