COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A Colorado Springs man faces multiple charges for two incidents in and around his Broadmoor neighborhood.

Springs police arrested Brian Edwards May 7, 2024, after they found him damaging multiple cars with a baseball bat and other tools in the 300 block of Ramona Avenue.

Charging documents show Edwards allegedly used a number of tools in his attack including a rock, baseball bat, and a hammer. They said the total damage comes out to roughly $2050.

He’s charged with Assault in the Second Degree, Menacing, and Criminal Mischief.

Edwards is also facing charges for a February incident where he allegedly hit an off-duty Colorado Springs police officer with his car.

The officer was not seriously hurt but his 16-year-old dog died.

Charging documents in that case show Edwards claimed the incident was a result of mechanical issues with his car but evidence at the scene and an eyewitness statement suggest the incident could have been intentional.

Edwards faces charges of second-degree assault and aggravated cruelty to animals in that case.

Edwards will make his next court appearance Tuesday, May 16.

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A pandemic-era program making mental health support accessible for young people in Colorado will become permanent, as state lawmakers have made the program permanent.

Thursday, May 16 is Mental Health Action Day and CBS News Colorado is highlighting ways we all can prioritize our mental health as high as our physical health.

The free counseling offered to youth via “I Matter” has served more than 12,000 youth since its founding.

“It breaks down the barriers for our students to be able to access mental health, so I think this is huge,” said Nova Center Coordinator Emily Nickerson. 

The Nova Center is an alternative school in Littleton Public Schools.

Nickerson says the I Matter program, which offers up to six free counseling sessions with a licensed therapist, has been a game changer.

“I think it’s extremely accessible and easy for kids to navigate and for families to navigate,” Nickerson said.

“This can be done through telehealth, this can be done in person, and there’s no cost,” said Matt Holtman, children and youth intergovernmental liaison at the Behavioral Health Administration.

Since its launch in 2021, youth in 63 Colorado counties have taken part in some 47,000 therapy sessions. More than half of the sessions have been in person.

And 80% of youth end up being referred for additional behavioral health care. 

“Even though it’s been wildly successful, again over 12,000 youth in Colorado, we know there’s more out there who haven’t accessed the program,” said Holtman.

For too long, I Matter’s proponents say, young people suffered in silence.

The most common reasons for seeking the therapy include anxiety, depression, concerns over self-esteem, and conflicts with family or peers.

“We have an additional opportunity for our kids to be able to access mental health, whether it’s during the school day or they’re at home but it just provides that opportunity,” said Nickerson.

Access I Matter therapy by going to its official website. 

Young people and their parents are encouraged to be as honest and forthright as possible in the questionnaire in order to be matched with the right therapist.

Former Colorado cornerback Cormani McClain, who headlined coach Deion Sanders’ first recruiting class with the Buffaloes, is transferring to Florida, his agent, Hector Rivals of Disruptive Sports, told ESPN.

McClain, ESPN’s No. 14 recruit in the 2023, visited Florida last week with his mother and Rivas. The Lakeland, Florida, native will return to his home state after entering the transfer portal last month.

After a slow start to last season, he started four games and appeared in nine for Colorado, recording 13 tackles and two pass breakups. McClain initially committed to Miami but flipped to Colorado in January 2023, shortly after Sanders was hired. In a YouTube video posted shortly after he entered the portal, McClain said he planned to “bring the old version of me out and change the narrative of [what] everyone’s thinking of my name, be part of a real and a great program that’s going to impact me at my best abilities.”

He noted that academics have never held him back and that he doesn’t want to “just play for clicks, I want to be involved in a great leading program.”

McClain, who will have three years of eligibility left and a redshirt available, joins a Florida defense that has been aggressive in the portal this winter and spring. The Gators also added defensive backs Jameer Grimsley (Alabama), Asa Turner (Washington) and Trikweze Bridges (Oregon), and also made additions at linebacker and along the line.

Sanders, in an interview last month with DNVR Sports, said he wishes the best for McClain.

“I pray to God that he goes to a program that challenges him, as well as holds him accountable and develops him as a young man,” Sanders told DNVR. “Unfortunately, we weren’t the program that could accomplish that.”