Second Chances event in Arapahoe County clears 101 outstanding warrants.
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About 101 outstanding warrants were cleared in Arapahoe County on Saturday at the Second Chances event.
Second Chances was for people who fell out of compliance with the court — they missed a court date, failed to pay a fine, or didn’t meet probation obligations — and a judge issued an arrest warrant, according to an Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The DA’s office and partners, including 18th Judicial District Chief Judge Michelle Amico, Office of the Public Defender, Probation Department, AllHeath Network, Stride, Aurora Mental Health, Tri-County Health Department and Arapahoe County Human Services worked on bringing the Second Chances event together. The event happened at Aurora CentrePoint Plaza on East Alameda Drive where a collections office was opened to clear any fines and a temporary courtroom was set up. The event was pitched by word of mouth, flyers, and on social media.
“The criminal justice system can be complicated, and it’s not perfect,” said District Attorney John Kellner, in the release. “When my team proposed a way to get willing defendants back on track, I was all in. This event shows that collaboration can lead to results that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
Participants lined up early, many with family and supporters along, for the second chance. Some had outstanding traffic cases, first-time DUI arrests or petty offenses. There were 31 people with low-level felonies, such as drug possession, according to the release. Prior to clearing the warrant, people knew that any random contact police could lead to an arrest, booking and jail.
Defendants came from as far as Tennessee, Ohio and Nebraska to clear a warrant. One man cleared a 2013 juvenile case.
“He showed up to the event, checked in with the public defender, and his attorney worked with a prosecutor,” the release said. “He was able to appear before Judge Amico, enter into a plea agreement and resolve the case.”
People wanted for warrants on class 5 and 6 felonies, class 4 drug felonies, misdemeanors and traffic offenses were eligible. Participants were able to resolve cases or set new court dates. Some people cleared multiple warrants.
“We want every defendant to comply with court orders, but we understand that sometimes life gets in the way,” said Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Vicki Klingensmith. “And once you fall out of compliance, figuring out how to straighten things out can be daunting. It was wonderful to see that burden instantly lifted for so many people.”
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office provided security for Amico’s temporary courtroom.
For every warrant cleared, the sheriff’s office estimated it would have cost them:
- Two hours for a deputy making an arrest
- Four hours for the booking process at the jail
- $128 if the defendant spent the night in jail
“The Second Chances warrant event displayed the collaborative efforts of community partners to allow individuals to navigate through their warrant and the criminal justice system without the fear of being held at the county jail,” said Sheriff Tyler Brown. “I commend Chief Judge Amico and District Attorney Kellner and all the community partners for their forward
thinking and willingness to try new approaches to criminal justice accountability.”
Not long before the event was scheduled to end (at 2 p.m.), a woman hesitantly walked through the door.
“My friends told me this was a trap,” she told volunteers, according to the release. “But I told them I didn’t care, I wanted to get this cleared up.” About 90 minutes later, she went out the same door with a smile on her face and gave a thumbs-up.
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