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Denver to pay $500,000 to settle misconduct lawsuits against police officers, sheriff’s deputies

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Denver to pay 0,000 to settle misconduct lawsuits against police officers, sheriff’s deputies


The Denver City Council on Monday is poised to approve a combined $500,000 in payments to settle two lawsuits that accused police officers and sheriff’s deputies of violent misconduct.

The larger of the two settlements — $400,000 — stems from a case filed last spring on behalf of Scott Peters.

Denver police officers and paramedics encountered Peters on the afternoon of April 25, 2021, in a parking lot near Empower Field at Mile High. Officers found a bag of what they believed to be cocaine inside his car, and paramedics injected Peters with sedatives without his permission, according to his lawsuit, first filed in March 2023.

After a stay at Denver Health, Peters was transported to the downtown jail. When attempting to move him from a wheelchair into a cell, deputies became needlessly aggressive, Peters’ attorneys claim.

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Deputies yanked Peters out of the chair and “brutalized” him inside the cell for nearly five minutes, according to the lawsuit, which conflicts with official department accounts of the incident.

One deputy, identified in the complaint as Daniel Rodriguez, used a pair of nunchucks to control Peters’ right arm, according to the lawsuit — and eventually applied enough force to break his wrist and sever two arteries. The injury required emergency surgery and left Peters with permanent damage, the suit says.

Rodriguez was suspended last year for three days for using excessive force against Peters. The incident prompted the Denver Sheriff Department to ban the use of specialized nunchucks for law enforcement officers.

The second settlement stems from accusations that three Denver police officers entered Lidya Ryans’ home in the early morning hours of April 20, 2021, without a warrant and violently arrested her without cause.

Denver is poised to pay $100,000 to settle the matter.

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Ryans called police late on April 19 to request assistance because her then-husband was causing a commotion in the home while her adult son, who suffers from complications related to severe brain damage, was sleeping. When officers arrived, the husband was leaving the house and there was no need for police to enter, according to the lawsuit.

Officers entered the home against Ryans’ wishes, the lawsuit alleges, and then became aggressive with her, waking her son. Officer Grisleit Blanco and Cpl. Patrick Smith punched Ryans in the face and head while arresting her, the suit says.

Ryans was charged with assaulting the two officers, a case that was later dismissed by the Denver District Attorney’s Office, according to the suit.

Between 2017 and 2023, Denver agreed to pay a combined $35.3 million to settle large legal claims brought against the city’s police and sheriff’s departments. That’s 89% of all city settlement payments approved by the council over that period.

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/17-12/21 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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Denver airport delays, crashes, broken windows, downed power lines: What to know about Colorado’s windy Wednesday

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Denver airport delays, crashes, broken windows, downed power lines: What to know about Colorado’s windy Wednesday


Hurricane-force winds in Colorado on Wednesday had a major impact across the Denver metro area, Front Range, and foothills. It’s a First Alert Weather Day because of the dangerous conditions.

Gusts of over 100 mph — equivalent to a category 2 hurricane — were reported in some parts of the Front Range, and over 100,000 people were without power as of 7 p.m. On Berthoud Pass, between Empire and Winter Park, wind gusts reached at least 102 mph. They reached 97 mph at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Boulder County, 96 mph in Marshall, and 93 mph in West Arvada. 

Several highways were closed, Denver International Airport saw dozens of delays, power lines and other property damage were reported, schools were closed, Denver’s holiday events were canceled, and thousands of homes and businesses were without power after Xcel’s Public Safety Power Shutoff and unplanned outages.

Power shutoff

Xcel Energy was implementing what it calls a Public Safety Shutoff, for only the second time ever in Colorado. An estimated 50,000 people across the Front Range were impacted, mostly in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties.

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Restoration for some areas was expected to start around 6 p.m. Wednesday, but many customers told CBS News Colorado that Xcel told them it could be up to three days before their power is restored.

Downed power lines are seen as a result of powerful winds near Golden, Colorado, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.

CBS


As a result, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management opened charging centers, shelters, and resource centers in the impacted areas.

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Xcel said it shut off the power in these areas because of the combination of wind speeds and dry conditions that increase the chance of wildfires.

Once conditions improve, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said crews will begin inspecting lines to determine when power can be restored.

“Once the wind event stops, that does not mean your power will be immediately restored,” he said. “We have several hundred crew members that are already being pre-positioned, that are on standby, so that when the wind event does end, they will be able to immediately begin inspecting the lines. They have to visually inspect the lines for damage before restoring the power.”

Delayed flights

The Federal Aviation Administration called for a ground delay at Denver International Airport from 5 through 8 p.m., although that’s subject to change, based on evolving weather conditions.

As of about 6:30 p.m., 66 flights were delayed, and one was canceled.

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Wind gusts were recorded at around 40 mph at the airport around 5 p.m.

School closures

Several school districts — including Jefferson County, Colorado’s second-largest — closed schools, and many also canceled after-school activities.

The University of Colorado cancelled classes, but the Buffs’ basketball game against Portland State is continuing, although fans are not allowed to attend.

Highway closures

Several highways in the foothills near Boulder, as well as in Northern Colorado up to the Wyoming state line, were closed. At least one crash also closed the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 on the Eastern Plains.

Those planned closures included:

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  • Highway 93 between Boulder and Arvada
  • Highway 36 between Boulder and Lyons
  • Highway 128 from Superior to Highway 93 
  • Highway 287 between Ted’s Place and the Wyoming border closed this afternoon, but has since reopened

Damage and other closures

Power lines were reported as having fallen across the Denver metro area, adding to the number of customers without power.

A number of local businesses were also forced to close — some out of caution, others due to a lack of power.

Car and structure windows were also broken by flying debris, like this car in Boulder, whose windows were shattered by small, flying rocks.

windows-shattered-boulder-logan-smith-2.jpg

A car window in Boulder, Colorado, was shattered by flying rocks on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.

CBS


Despite losing power around 10 a.m., Ace Hardware in Golden remained open and kept busy, selling generators, flashlights, batteries, and tools and materials to prevent or fix damage.

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Some business owners raised concerns about what a days-long outage could mean for their companies, products, and customers.

“We could lose everything,” DeAnn Wieber, owner of the Windy Saddle Cafe in Golden, said. “We could lose all our food, the time that it took to prepare everything, and we just don’t know. And there’s are a lot of businesses going through the same thing.”

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Canceled due to high winds: Wednesday’s drone show, holiday tree, Christkindlmarket

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Canceled due to high winds: Wednesday’s drone show, holiday tree, Christkindlmarket


Downtown’s Mile High Drone Show, the Denver Christkindlmarket and access to the Mile High Tree have been canceled for Wednesday, Dec. 17, due to high winds, said producers at Visit Denver.



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