Denver, CO
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issues 'fact check' about ICE Denver social media post
DENVER — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) took to social media on Thursday to “fact check” a recent post by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Denver.
On Wednesday afternoon, ICE Denver posted to X, asking the community for help in locating Jose Lopez-Hidalgo, 32. The agency said Lopez-Hidalgo was “released from Jefferson County without being turned over to ICE.”
Court records show Lopez-Hidalgo was arrested on Saturday for driving under the influence (misdemeanor), driving under the influence per se (misdemeanor) and careless driving resulting in injury (traffic offense misdemeanor). He posted a $5,000 personal recognizance (PR) bond on Monday.
ICE is asking for the community’s assistance in locating Jose Lopez-Hidalgo, 32, an alien from Honduras who was released from Jefferson County without being turned over to ICE. Do not approach if seen, instead report all info to ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All tips remain confidential pic.twitter.com/jOttsb6Std
— ICE Denver (@ERODenver) June 18, 2025
Nearly 24 hours later, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded with a post of its own.
In the “fact check,” the sheriff’s office said it is not allowed to “directly turn over an inmate to any law enforcement agency without a judicially authorized warrant,” citing Colorado law.
Local law enforcement agencies are limited in their interactions with ICE under state law. In January, Denver7 Investigates spoke with several sheriff’s offices in the Denver metro area, including Jefferson County, to ask about their policies regarding detainers. A detainer is a request for the sheriff’s office to either notify ICE of the inmate’s release or hold the inmate for up to an additional 48 hours.
The Denver Sheriff’s Department (DSD) notifies ICE ahead of an inmate’s release when it receives a request from ICE. The department said it notifies ICE via fax, which is ICE’s requirement, according to a DSD spokesperson.
In both Jefferson and Douglas counties, the sheriff’s offices notify ICE anytime a foreign-born inmate is booked into the jail. Then, upon ICE’s request, the sheriff’s offices will notify the federal agency when an inmate is beginning the release process.
In all of these cases, it is up to ICE to show up and take the individual into federal custody after they have been released from a local agency’s custody.
- Read the full report from our Denver7 Investigates team below
Denver7 Investigates
Denver7 Investigates: How CO law enforcement agencies respond to ICE detainers
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in its post that it received an order to release Lopez-Hidalgo at 11:52 a.m. According to the sheriff’s office, an inmate must be released within six hours of when they are eligible, per Colorado law.
JCSO said it spoke with an ICE representative by phone at noon and informed them of Lopez-Hidalgo’s release. The sheriff’s office wrote in its post, “The ICE representative told us ICE would not be picking up Mr. Lopez-Hidalgo.”
Lopez-Hidalgo was released from the Jefferson County Jail at 2:34 p.m.
“At no point did ICE respond to the jail to pick up Mr. Lopez-Hidalgo,” the sheriff’s office said.
JCSO FACT CHECK:
Yesterday, ICE Denver (@ERODenver) posted that an inmate was “released from Jefferson County without being turned over to ICE.” Let’s be clear: we are not legally allowed to directly turn over an inmate to any law enforcement agency without a judicially… pic.twitter.com/yqPINoLU0J
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) June 19, 2025
The sheriff’s office said it reached out to the ICE Denver office about the “misleading post.”
“They made their position unmistakable: if we do not provide ICE extra time to coordinate inmate pickups from our facility, in violation of Colorado law, deceptive posts like yesterday’s will become the norm,” JCSO wrote.
The sheriff’s office concluded its post by saying it “respects and follows Colorado law. We will continue to follow the law and stand by the truth.”
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Denver’s City Park lost a special piece of history when its bandshell was destroyed by a fire in March. Now, the city says it’s moving forward with rebuilding it.
The original bandstand was constructed in 1896 and has seen a few iterations over the years. It was replaced in 1924, and a replica was constructed on the site in 1984.
Although the structure itself has been replaced, the site has been home to community gatherings, events, concerts and celebrations for the past 130 years. City Park Jazz hosts jazz concerts at the bandshell every week over the summer.
DPR says it holds an important place in local history, and the city has begun the process of rebuilding it.
The recent fire heavily damaged the structure, and a structural assessment found that what remains is not salvageable, DPR explained.
They’ve contracted Mundus Bishop to lead the design for the new bandshell. The city says it’s working to raise the $250,000 needed to cover the insurance deductible and to support construction of the new structure.
City officials say demolition will begin in the fall and that construction of the new bandshell will start by the end of the year. They hope to open it in time for the 2027 CityPark Jazz season.
The city wants the community’s feedback on the new design, and is holding a pop-up event on June 28 to introduce the design team and to share project updates. They invite the community to ask questions and offer input as the project progresses.
More information on the project is available on the city’s website.
DENVER (KDVR) — Afternoon thunderstorms brought hail on Monday afternoon, larger than a quarter in some areas.
Thornton, Wheat Ridge and Arvada were among the communities hit with hail. A line of storms moved from the foothills through the Denver metro area and out to the Eastern Plains.
A Pinpoint Weather Alert Day had been issued for Monday, and a tornado watch was issued for the metro and much of northeast Colorado until 9 p.m.
Hail photos shared with FOX31 are in the gallery below. Shared your photos, and they may be used on TV and featured in the gallery.
The gallery will be updated as new photos are sent in. Check back for the latest images.
David Prichard at Denver Ventures’ annual meeting in May 2025. (Courtesy Denver Ventures/Kalen Jesse)
Denver Ventures, the investing firm previously known as Denver Angels, is asking a judge to reject a lawsuit by Angels co-founder Paul Foley, calling it “far-fetched,” “untethered to the facts or the law,” and “an imaginary and elaborate conspiracy theory” designed to harm it.
“Despite its salacious accusations and egregious claims,” it says, “(Foley)’s complaint amounts to nothing more than a disgruntled minority member who is unwilling to accept his lone objection was insufficient to unwind a business deal he originally approved but now regrets.”
Foley, a Boulder-area startup founder and investor, was one of the four managers of Denver Angels between 2019 and 2022 and is still a 20% owner of that firm alongside fellow co-founders Kenneth Monfort of Monfort Cos., David Prichard and Zachary May.
In a March lawsuit, he accused his business partners of conspiring with Jackson Killion, in-house lawyer for Denver Angels, “to siphon all of the value and success of Denver Angels for their personal benefit” by moving its assets to Denver Ventures, which he does not co-own.
In a series of motions to dismiss last week, the nine defendants in the case all asked Denver District Judge Sarah Wallace to end that high-dollar lawsuit in its entirety.
“Contrary to (Foley)’s allegations, the license agreement did not siphon all value from Denver Angels or otherwise convey Denver Angels’ assets to Denver Ventures. Nor did the license agreement somehow divert funds from Denver Angels,” their motions claimed.
“The license agreement merely permitted Denver Ventures to use Denver Angels’ brand and assets to promote its new investment fund in exchange for monetary compensation.”
Paul Foley (LinkedIn)
The company took on the Denver Ventures branding around this time last year.
“Despite agreeing that a new investment fund was in Denver Angels’ best interests and being involved in that process, Foley at some later point became displeased,” Denver Ventures says.
Foley’s lawsuit, which seeks eight figures in damages, accuses the many defendants of theft, securities fraud, racketeering and more. Foley claims that the once-thriving Denver Angels is about worthless, meaning his 20% stake in the firm is, too.
“The record here is extensive, and I’m confident the documents and agreements support my claims,” Foley said in a statement to BusinessDen on Friday. “Not only did I not approve the fund and structure, but they also removed me as manager because I wouldn’t approve.
“The motions to dismiss were an anticipated litigation tactic meant to delay and distract, and I look forward to moving on to demonstrate the merits of the complaint in court.”
The individual defendants — Monfort, Prichard and May — say they cannot be sued because their entities, not themselves as individuals, own Angels and made the decisions that Foley disapproves of. Denver Ventures similarly argues that it cannot be sued because it only signed a licensing agreement with Denver Angels and there is nothing improper about that.
Foley “lumps (all) defendants … into a wild conspiracy theory alleging all defendants have attempted to steal Denver Angels’ assets and profits,” last week’s motions complain.
Denver Ventures and its owners are represented by four lawyers from Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes in Denver: The father-son duo of Stan and Andrew Garnett, plus Nicholas Eaton and Kate Leisner. Denver Ventures’ lawyer, Killion, and his firm Caddis Consulting are represented by Derek Anderson at Winget Spadafora and Schwartzberg in Boulder.
“We look forward to the complete facts coming to light and are confident they will show that (Foley’s) claims are unfounded,” Andrew Garnett said on behalf of his clients Friday.
“We feel strongly about these motions (to dismiss) and even stronger that at the conclusion of this full legal process, defendants will be fully vindicated, and it will be shown that the defendants acted appropriately, in good faith, and consistent with their obligations,” he added.
Foley’s lawyers are Lauren Thompson and Elliot Fladen of Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher.
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