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Colorado dad who uncovered child custody expert’s allegedly fake psychology degree concerned for other families: “It’s heartbreaking”

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Colorado dad who uncovered child custody expert’s allegedly fake psychology degree concerned for other families: “It’s heartbreaking”


Having to fight for custody of his children was nightmare enough for Chad Kullhem.

“It was really scary,” he said.

The experience was made worse by the family investigator working on his case.

“I had no way of knowing if anyone would hear me,” he added.

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CBS Colorado’s Karen Morfitt interviews Chad Kullhem.

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Shannon McShane was responsible for evaluating Kullhem and his ex-wife and then recommending custody. He says from the beginning something felt off. He filed a complaint with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, also known as DORA.

The agency gave him McShane’s credentials, including the Ph.D. she claimed to have received from a university in London, but the transcript didn’t check out and he went to directly to that university with questions.

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“They said ‘Yeah, we don’t have, like …’ she put letter grades on there for her doctorate. They were like ‘We don’t do letter grades for doctorate. We don’t have these programs the way that she did it,’ ” he said. “So that was the evidence I had.”

McShane had used those allegedly fake documents to become a licensed psychologist and addiction counselor in the state of Colorado. It was the key to having her name added to a statewide court roster of qualified family investigators, and it led to jobs with the Colorado Department of Corrections and Colorado Department of Human Services, where she worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo hospital for five years.

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Shannon McShane

Denver Police Department


“It’s absolutely heartbreaking that someone can get a doctorate, that someone can get their license, falsify their credentials, get into a powerful position with the court,” Kullhem said.

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CBS Colorado asked DORA about their vetting process when someone applies for a professional license.

In a statement a spokesperson said in part, “If someone is educated in the U.S. the division verifies all information with U.S. institutions. In this case, Ms. McShane was educated outside of the United States. When this is the case, all documents go through a third-party equivalency review which deemed them to be substantially equivalent to training at a U.S. accredited institution.”

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CBS Colorado took that same question to both state departments that hired McShane, who say as partnering state agencies, they rely on DORA’s vetting process.

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A spokesperson for Corrections added “I can confirm that we verified her credentials in accordance with this process.” And, in a statement, the Department of Human Services said “the hospital completed a primary source verification, which is where the hospital and the Department of Regulatory Agencies confirm licensure as opposed to relying on the candidate providing a copy.”

Eventually, Colorado’s Attorney General launched an investigation, which ended in a 15-count criminal indictment with charges including forgery and attempting to influence a public official.

“She impacted a lot of people,” Kullhem said.

He’s now watching the criminal case closely, but his concern is with other families and warns them to do their research.

“I’m sure there are people out there who are permanently affected by this who don’t have any idea what to do,” he said.

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CBS Colorado asked DORA if any changes have been made. A spokesperson said in part: “The Division’s internal process was re-examined after Ms. McShane’s transcripts were called into question. No immediate internal process changes were needed; however, the Division is continuing to examine how it can better ensure the validity of documents approved by outside entities.”

A request for comment from McShane for this story was unanswered. She will return to court in April.



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Air Force RB Owen Allen Shines in Double-Digit Win vs. Colorado State

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Air Force RB Owen Allen Shines in Double-Digit Win vs. Colorado State


Air Force running back Owen Allen dashed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, tight end Bruin Fleischmann caught both of his targets for 61 yards and two touchdowns, and Air Force took down Colorado State 42-21 on Friday to recapture the Ram-Falcon Trophy in the final game of the season for both teams.

The Falcons (4-8, 3-5 Mountain West) took the lead on the opening drive of the game as Fleischmann hauled in a 55-yard receiving score. Air Force scored on three of its four first-half drives, and only punted once throughout the game.

Josh Johnson completed all four of his passing attempts for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and added 22 yards and a score on the ground.

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The Rams (2-10, 1-7) were led by Jackson Brousseau’s 323 yards and two touchdowns on 28-of-37 passing. It’s the first 10-loss season since 1988 for Colorado State, which is leaving the Mountain West to play in the Pac-12 next season.

Air Force holds the edge in the series, 40-22-1, and have won eight of the last nine meetings.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event

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“Madsgiving” feeds thousands after Colorado community steps in to save event


What looked nearly impossible just a few weeks ago became a Thanksgiving miracle in Aurora.

Madsgiving is the annual effort that prepares and delivers thousands of meals to people experiencing homelessness, seniors, and families in need. It was on the verge of collapse earlier this month. 

The longtime chefs who normally anchor the event were deployed to Jamaica to help rebuild kitchens damaged by Hurricane Melissa. Without them, organizers suddenly had no chefs and no kitchen just weeks before Thanksgiving.

Lead Pastor Dwayne Johnson of Mean Street Worship Center has helped distribute Madsgiving meals for seven years.

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“At first, it started out as panic,” he said. “But then the community started coming together. Other agencies, ministries, and chefs came alongside us.”

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One of the first to answer that call for help was Pesto Italiano, a new restaurant that opened in Englewood this summer. Chef Pablo had never cooked a Thanksgiving meal in his kitchen before – and certainly not at the scale Madsgiving requires.

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“This was the first year we tried something like this,” he said. “We just opened in June. The first thing we wanted to do was help the community.”

Pesto Italiano donated their kitchen and their chefs, giving volunteers access to a full professional space to roast, prep, and assemble thousands of meals.

“With all the volunteers that came to help us, it was possible,” Pablo said. “We wanted to create something with love, passion, and quality – something people could enjoy the same way any family does on Thanksgiving.”

His team even improvised when dozens of turkeys arrived still on the bone and behind schedule. Pablo grilled and roasted them, finishing with a sauce of orange and rosemary. He even used pizza ovens to get the job done. 

Johnson says the scale of collaboration was unlike anything he’s seen.

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The Amish community from southern Colorado also stepped in, preparing meals on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

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CBS


By midday Thursday, every group Madsgiving serves had been reached: people living in cars and under bridges, seniors in assisted living, nursing home residents, and people facing hunger across the city.

What started as a call for help became one of the largest Madsgiving efforts yet, powered by strangers, volunteers, churches, restaurants, and neighbors who refused to let the tradition die.

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“To the world, you’re one person,” Johnson said. “But to one person, you become the world. Today, miracles happened.”



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Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month

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Here’s where Colorado’s gray wolves roamed in past month


Colorado’s gray wolves stuck a little closer to central parts of the state in late October and November, roaming into watersheds that reach metro Denver and near tribal lands to the south, according to a map released Wednesday.

The monthly Colorado Parks and Wildlife map shows the broad movements of 20 gray wolves that wear GPS collars. If an area is highlighted, that means at least one wolf was in a watershed at least one time during the time frame, according to state officials.

Between Oct. 21 and Tuesday, gray wolves traveled in watersheds that reach as far north as the Wyoming state line; as far east as Boulder, Jefferson, Adams and Broomfield counties; the northern edge of Archuleta County to the south; and Meeker in Rio Blanco County to the west.

Most wolf activity appeared to take place around the Continental Divide, with wolf movement tracked near Walden, Granby, Vail, Aspen and Gunnison.

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The wolves also explored near tribal lands to the south, Parks and Wildlife officials said. The state has an agreement with the Southern Ute tribe and is working to finish a similar agreement with the Ute Mountain Ute tribe to address potential impacts of wolf reintroduction.



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