Body cam: Officers confront owner of 11 puppies rescued from Wheat Ridge motel
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (KDVR) — FOX31 obtained footage of what could be an animal hoarding bust in Wheat Ridge.
Body-worn camera footage from February 1 shows Wheat Ridge officers responding to a welfare check for dogs at the LaQuinta Inn at 3301 Youngfield Service Rd. A scene, WRPD Community Services Officer Timothy Haines, smelled before he even saw.
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox
'Even around the corner from the room, you could smell how bad it was,' Haines said. 'There were five puppies held in one kennel that was probably meant for one or two. There was a puppy that was actively bleeding. There was feces smeared around the room, the toilet, the bathtub, the sink all clogged with feces. It was it was a scene that most people, I think, would show up and throw up.'
Police say 11 German shepherd puppies were found living in cramped, unsanitary conditions in the motel.
'And the mother had just been recently hit on Kipling because of neglect,' Haines said. 'The first reaction is just, just disgust. The secondary reaction is a lot of anger, right? Those puppies don't get to say, 'Hey, can I go outside? Hey, can I have some water? Hey, can I have some food? Hey, I would like to have some more room.' They're just sitting in the kennels crying.'
The owner got a summons for 11 counts of animal cruelty or inhumane treatment. For now, the puppies are impounded for safekeeping at a local shelter where they discovered all of them had GI infections.
'As soon as they got acclimated, they were just the most playful, happy,' Haines said. 'They were they were happy to have water; they were happy to have food. If you think someone or puppies or dogs or any animal that can't tell you 'I'm in trouble' and you think that animal is in trouble, be the voice for them.'
The owner was due in court on Tuesday. WRPD officials tell us she did not show up on time, so there is going to be a warrant drawn up for failure to appear.
FOX31 is in contact with the shelter and will update about the puppies.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
With the Karen Read case about to head to the jury, a look at 10 pivotal moments from the trial
Her lawyers say she was framed and that O'Keefe entered the Fairview Road house, owned at the time by a fellow Boston officer, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by a German Shepherd before his body was planted on the front lawn. Advertisement With the verdict watch about to begin, here's a look at 10 key moments from the second trial. Crime scene testimony - 'I hit him, I hit him, I hit him' Katie McLaughlin, a paramedic/firefighter with the Canton Fire Department, points to defendant Karen Read, in Dedham, Mass., on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) Pat Greenhouse/Associated Press Jurors heard testimony from emergency responders and a civilian witness, Read's lawyers said the testimony was false and that one of the first responders, McCabe's disputed dying in cold search Witness Jennifer McCabe continues her cross examination testimony during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Greg Derr/Associated Press Jurors also heard testimony from forensic experts regarding a Google search on McCabe's phone for 'hos [sic] long to die in cold,' which was time stamped at 2:27 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, nearly two hours after Read allegedly hit O'Keefe with her SUV. Advertisement McCabe had testified that she twice attempted in frigid weather at the crime scene to Google the information at Read's request, and digital forensic experts Barros breaks the Blue Wall Read's lawyers allege that authorities tampered with her taillight when her SUV was brought to a Canton police garage on the evening of Jan. 29, 2022, and later planted pieces of broken taillight at the scene in an effort to frame her. They called Barros was in Dighton with State Police troopers, who seized the vehicle after speaking with Read. 'That taillight is completely smashed out' in the garage photo, Barros said. 'That middle section was intact when I was there.' Barros told prosecutor Hank Brennan on cross-examination that video footage from O'Keefe's driveway at 5:07 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, showing a white portion of the right taillight that would be red if the taillight was fully intact was 'consistent' with the damage he later saw in Dighton. Advertisement Higgins appears angry at bar, later visits police station Witness Brian Higgins answers a question from defense attorney Alan Jackson regarding text messages between Higgins and defendant Karen Read, during Read's trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Charles Krupa/Associated Press Jurors also viewed surveillance footage of ATF agent Brian Higgins that the defense contends is highly suspicious. Higgins had swapped flirtatious texts with Read in the weeks leading up to O'Keefe's death, and he was seen on video footage at the Waterfall, the second bar the group visited on the night in question, gesturing aggressively in O'Keefe's direction as the group prepared to leave around midnight for the afterparty on Fairview. At one point in the clip, another patron seems to restrain Higgins by grabbing his forearm. In addition, the jury saw footage of Higgins briefly entering the Canton police station, where he had an office, around 1:30 a.m., about an hour after Read allegedly struck O'Keefe. He then headed back out to the parking lot, where he retrieved an empty duffel bag from another vehicle amid heavy snowfall. He also retrieved a garden hoe from another part of the lot. Higgins did not testify at the retrial. Former R.I. chief medical examiner testifies Dr. Elizabeth Laposata defines a specific head injury for the defense during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Pat Greenhouse/Associated Press Among the defense witnesses who testified was Lopasata told jurors that O'Keefe's injuries, including a skull fracture, abrasions on his right arm, swelling to his eyes, cuts over his right eye and to his nose, and bruises on his hand and right knee, weren't consistent with a vehicle strike. 'By looking at the body, I could tell that there was no evidence of impact from a vehicle,' she testified. Government expert says otherwise Dr. Judson Welcher, an accident reconstruction expert, testifies, during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Mark Stockwell/Associated Press Lopasata's opinion was contradicted by Advertisement Welcher also described a test he ran with a replica Lexus SUV in which the right taillight area was painted blue as the vehicle lightly contacted him, leaving blue paint on his arm in the same general area as O'Keefe's wounds. Welcher's colleague also provides key testimony Digital forensics analyst Shanon Burgess testifies during the Karen Read trial Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Matt Stone The government also called Welcher's colleague, ARCCA reenters the fray Expert Daniel Wolfe returns to the stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Pat Greenhouse/Associated Press Jurors also heard testimony from The analysts were initially hired by the Justice Department, which launched a federal grand jury probe into state law enforcement's handling of O'Keefe's death, and the defense later retained them separately. No one was charged with any federal crimes in connection with the case, and jurors were barred from learning about that probe at trial. A dog bite expert testifies Dr. Marie Russell, an emergency physician and forensic pathologist, is questioned during Karen Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Libby O'Neill/Associated Press Another defense witness was A Boston police officer gives tense testimony Dedham, MA June 2 Boston Police officer Kelly Dever, formerly with Canton Police, testifies. The murder retrial of Karen Read continues in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, MA on Monday June 2, 2025. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff The defense also called Boston police o In a tense exchange, Read attorney Alan Jackson asked her about an interview she gave to the FBI in which she said Ken Berkowitz, the Canton police chief at the time, and Higgins were in the police garage for a 'wildly long time' on the afternoon of Jan. 29, 2022. Advertisement Dever said that was her recollection at the time she spoke to the agents. She told Brennan on cross-examination that she knew her shift ended at 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, and that she left then. Dever said the defense later produced a timeline showing the SUV came into the garage after that, 'meaning it is not possible that I saw that.' Dever said it was a 'false memory' that she 'provided in good faith,' which she then 'retracted immediately [upon] being provided evidence that it was not possible.' She said her false memory may have been colored by media reports she saw about the case. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Move Over' law violations put law enforcement at risk
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — Drivers not obeying Colorado's 'Move Over' law are putting law enforcement officers and others in danger on the roads. The law requires drivers to move at least one lane over when approaching emergency vehicles with flashing lights. The Castle Rock Police Department tells FOX31 a marked patrol car with emergency lights running was totaled when another driver crashed into its back end on Tuesday, causing the car to catch fire. Castle Rock police vehicle totaled in crash on I-25 The officer was standing nearby but was not Sherri Mendez of the Colorado State Patrol told FOX31 she has almost been struck by drivers not abiding by the law while doing her job. 'It just sounds so fast and loud, and you can feel sometimes the car shake,' she said. Mendez says following the Move Over Law is crucial to saving lives on the road and drivers should slow down and move over when they see any vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights. 'We're doing our job and we expect other people to do their job and be responsible and move over for us,' she said. The Problem Solvers found that at least three accidents per month occurred between August and November of 2024 as a result of drivers violating the Move Over Law, including a fatal accident in Golden that killed 33-year-old police officer Evan Dunn, who had served in the Army as an aviation officer and Blackhawk pilot. Loveland police arrest street racer who fled by car and foot: 'A dangerous problem' Another officer was seriously injured. The driver in that case was arrested for vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and violating the 'Move Over' Law. Mendez says the State Patrol motto is 'no one's final resting place should be on the roadway' and encourages drivers to consider the harm that can come from failing to consider the well-being of others by following the law. 'Think of everybody on the shoulder of the road as their family members — us included,' she said. The Colorado State Patrol is still investigating the crash in Castle Rock. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family of Boulder terror attack suspect will face immigration proceedings in Texas
DENVER (KDVR) — The family of the suspect in the June 1 attack on Israeli hostage supporters in Boulder will not be deported at this point, a judge ruled on Thursday, after federal officials began expedited removal proceedings. The family of 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Farag Soliman was taken into federal custody by U.S. immigration officials on June 3. A temporary restraining order preventing the expedited removal proceedings was issued on June 4, keeping them in the U.S., but confined in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in West Texas. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox The facility is run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The transfer was allegedly made because no Colorado ICE facilities are designed to house families, according to the judge's order. The Department of Homeland Security said Soliman, his wife and his five children came to the U.S. on Aug. 27, 2022, on a B2 visa and were granted entry until Feb. 26, 2023. On Sept. 29, 2022, Soliman filed for asylum, listing his wife and five children as dependents, in Denver, and was granted a work authorization in March 2023, but that's also expired now. Officials have accused Soliman in both federal and state charges of attacking with Molotov cocktails a group from Run for Their Lives as they were peacefully demonstrating while calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Boulder County officials say 15 people were injured in the attack. The family members have not been charged in the attack. All are Egyptian citizens. Soliman faces federal hate crime charges and over 100 state charges for attacking the Run for Their Lives group in downtown Boulder. 'Punishing individuals — including children as young as four years old — for the purported actions of their relatives is a feature of medieval justice systems or police state dictatorships, not democracies,' said Eric Lee, the family's lead counsel, on June 4. In court documents filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher of the District of Colorado noted that 41-year-old Hayam Salah Alsaid Ahmed El Gamel, Soliman's wife, and her five children reportedly entered the U.S. with B1 visitors visas in 2022. Because they've been in the U.S. uninterrupted for over two years, 'are therefore not subject to expedited removal,' according to the judge. 'I can't think of anyone who deserved this less': Holocaust survivor among Boulder attack victims The petition provided to the judge also said that El Gamel is a network engineer with a pending EB2 visa, which is given to professionals with advanced degrees. It says that she and her children are also included on Soliman's still-pending asylum application. 'In short, while the Government may make rules in the immigration-detention context that it could not constitutionally apply to United States citizens, and while the Government need not treat all noncitizens alike, due process nevertheless requires the Government to comply with its own laws,' the judge wrote in his order Thursday. He added that if the government had proceeded with expedited removal processes, El Gamal and her children likely would have had their due process rights violated. 'But the Government is constitutionally obligated to provide due process,' the judge wrote. 'It therefore was and remains necessary to halt immediate deportation until the situation is figured out—to measure twice and cut once.' The judge ruled that the family must stay in the U.S. while going through immigration proceedings, but that the case will be transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, since they are confined there. The injunction will remain in effect through its present 14-day limit, the judge wrote, and the sister court will determine whether the relief is further warranted. Matthew Barringer, an immigration attorney, told FOX31 earlier this month that the underlying criminal investigation makes this situation different from 'pretty much any other 'garden variety' situation.' 'This very very quick process, it deprives the defendants wife and those children their due process to have their proceedings in front of an immigration judge, and it's a violation because the executive says well we're going to get these people and take them out, well the judicial side says woah woah woah…we need to know what their claim is,' Barringer said. CBI: 'Colorado's firearm background check system worked' with Boulder terror suspect He provided some insight into why the federal judge halted removal proceedings. 'It is not typical when someone is the target of a criminal investigation that ICE automatically comes in and arrests and detains family members,' Barringer said. 'To then ship them to a facility in Texas, really in the dead of night, that too is very rare.' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said shortly after the family's detention that her department is investigating whether or not they had any knowledge of the attack. Soliman, according to an arrest affidavit, told police that he never told his family about his plans to attack the peaceful, weekly demonstration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
