Latest news with #ArapahoeCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
an hour ago
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2 healthcare workers accused of elder abuse after woman, 92, found with broken bones
DENVER (KDVR) — Two women are accused of elder abuse after a patient at a local health care center sustained injuries, including a broken leg. A detective was called to Sky Ridge Medical Center on May 9 after a report of elder abuse against a 92-year-old woman who suffers from severe dementia, according to a press release from the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox The woman was taken to the hospital in an ambulance from Orchard Park Health Care Center, and hospital employees noticed that she had broken bones in her leg, according to the sheriff's office. The employees told a detective that the serious bodily injuries were not consistent with the injuries stated in the report from Orchard Park Health Care Center. According to the sheriff's office, the report from the health care center said that the woman was found sitting in her wheelchair, 'screaming for help in terrible pain,' and that no one saw her fall or knew what happened. During the weeks-long investigation, the sheriff's office said investigators learned that two employees at the health care center were lying about how the woman obtained her injuries. One of the suspects, identified as Certified Nursing Assistant Patience Jackson, 35, was arrested at her home. The other suspect, identified as Zainab Namale, 34, is in Miami and was given 24 hours to turn herself in. Both are facing charges of criminal negligence, crimes against an at risk person and complicity. 'In addition, investigators say both suspects were complicit in their actions to hide the truth of what happened to the victim,' the sheriff's office wrote. Detectives believe that the woman was injured on May 8 and that the injuries were a result of criminal negligence, which is a crime against an at-risk person. 'The story that Orchard Park gave us could not have happened this way, to break the leg like this,' said Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Detective Eric Van Cleave. 'She is more pigeon-toed, if you will, it would have to be some kind of twisting motion; somebody pulling her leg, trying to straighten her legs out, somebody might have gotten rough with her. We don't think she fell from what the injuries look like; again, this is what doctors are telling me in my interview. Whatever happened to her inside the facility at Orchard Park was egregious.' Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV According to arrest affidavits obtained by FOX31, detectives first began investigating the case on May 10 and were told fairly quickly that the patient had a 'spiral fracture' that was not consistent with the injuries stated in the nursing home report. The detective then went to Orchard Healthcare Center to speak with staff about the incident. He noted that several employees were visibly nervous about his visit, and was given a cellphone with the CEO on the line. The detective said that the CEO was also audibly nervous, and 'spoke so fast that I was unable to understand his name or what he was saying.' After the phone call, the detective sat down with the director of nursing and the charge nurse. They also appeared visibly and verbally nervous, according to the arrest affidavits. The director of nursing said that the victim was 'found by staff in her room, half in and half out of her wheelchair, screaming in pain.' The staff members said that two staff nurses placed a 'gate' belt, or transfer belt, which is used to help nurses support patients with mobility issues when they are walking or transferring locations. The nurses told the detective that the victim 'planted her feet' while being moved, and the nursing director said this is how they believe the patient was injured, but they weren't sure, according to the affidavit. The detective returned to the hospital, according to the arrest affidavit, and spoke with a surgeon who operated on the victim. 'He stated that the break was not a spiral fracture, and the TIB/FIB was broken in two places,' the arrest affidavit stated. The detective reported that the surgeon said that the events described by the director of nursing 'did not match the type of injury the victim had, and that there was no way the injury happened while the victim was in a wheelchair.' The arrest affidavit said the surgeon called it a clean break of the tibia and fibula. According to the arrest affidavit, Patience Jackson was the first person who heard the victim screaming in her room. She told the detective that she ran into the room and saw the victim halfway in her wheelchair and sitting next to her bed with the bed remote control in her hand. She told the detective that she grabbed the bed remote and went for help, finding Zainab Namale, and the pair of them returned to the room. 'Once in the room, Zainab took the remote and raised the bed as it was sitting, pressing the victim's legs underneath the bed,' the arrest affidavits state. 'Once the bed was raised they observed something 'poking' out of her left leg but did not know what it was.' The staff took X-rays and transported the victim to Sky Ridge. Later, in a separate interview, the facility's director of nursing said she believed the bed, coupled with the victim holding the remote control, meant she did injure herself. When Sky Ridge medical personnel were asked if the story aligned with the victim's injuries, the personnel said there is 'no plausible way the bed came down with that much force on the victim's legs to create the substantial injury she has.' The staff even provided a demonstration, showing there is ample room between the frame and the floor that would not have caused the injuries exhibited. The family released the following statement regarding the incident: 'As a family, we are heartbroken that Colorado facilities have failed to provide the safety and dignity our elderly family member needed. Our family grieves the reality that safe, respectful elder care is not guaranteed in Colorado.' FOX31 reached out to Orchard Park Health Care Center, which initially said that it has no comment. Later, it provided this statement to FOX31: Orchard Park Health Care Center prides itself on providing safe and high-quality care to its residents through its qualified and caring staff. As a testament to Orchard Park's commitment to its residents and their families, Orchard Park has been recognized as a Five-Star Quality Rated facility by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and has received the Governor's Gold Seal Award by demonstrating excellence over a sustained period. Orchard Park is also certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Health Care Organizations. Orchard Park will not comment on ongoing investigations but has cooperated while providing its residents with the high-quality care they expect and deserve. The statement was provided by Christopher Jones, a partner with the Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Law Firm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
30-04-2025
- CBS News
Aurora teen convicted in fatal shootings of refugee, local teen sentenced to decades in prison
An Aurora teen convicted in two fatal shootings that claimed the life of an Iraqi refugee and a teenager at Southlands Mall will serve three decades in prison. Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus, 18, pleaded guilty to the two separate shootings, which took place in 2023. On Sep. 19, Rogers-Broadus and two other teens attempted to steal a vehicle at an apartment complex in the 7400 block of E. Harvard Avenue. Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office When Ahmed Zainuldeen heard his car alarm going off, he went outside to discover three people attempting to break into his sedan. They shot and killed Zainuldeen when he confronted them. Authorities said Zainuldeen and his family fled Egypt from their home country of Iraq and settled in Denver just nine months before his death. Ahmed Zainuldeen Zainuldeen family Although prosecutors said they didn't believe Rogers-Broadus was the shooter, the gun used in the shooting belonged to him. He was on probation when Zainuldeen was murdered. Eleven days later, Rogers-Broadus was involved in a shooting outside the Southlands Mall. Authorities said 15-year-old Raphael Velin was shot multiple times in the mall parking lot in an aggravated robbery. Rogers-Broadus and four other suspects were arrested and charged for their roles in Velin's death, although investigators were unable to determine who fired the fatal gunshot. Southlands Mall CBS Rogers-Broadus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in both cases. On April 30, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Zainuldeen's murder and 30 years for the murder of Velin. Both sentences will be served concurrently.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
18-year-old pleads guilty in deadly 2023 carjacking, killing of 15-year-old at mall
DENVER (KDVR) — An 18-year-old has pleaded guilty in two unrelated homicide cases from 2023 that left an Iraqi immigrant and a 15-year-old dead. According to court records, Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus, 18, pleaded guilty in two homicide cases from September 2023. He is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases on April 21 in Arapahoe County. Teen arrested in shooting involving 3 children, transaction meetup The first case stems from Sept. 19, 2023, when 23-year-old Ahmed Zainuldeen was shot and killed at an Arapahoe County apartment complex. Rogers-Broadus, then 17, and Raydon Collins, then 18, were arrested and charged as adults. A third suspect was tried as a juvenile. Rogers-Broadus had several charges dismissed by the court or dismissed by his plea in his case involving the death of Zainuldeen, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty to one charge of second-degree murder and pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated robbery – confederate menacing with a weapon and sentence-enhancement charges of violent crime causing death and violent crime using a weapon. Zainuldeen, an Iraqi immigrant in the U.S. since 2022, was at an apartment complex at East Harvard Avenue and Quebec Street at about 10 p.m. that Tuesday when four people approached his 2012 silver Hyundai Sonata, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said at the time. According to Zainuldeen's brother, he saw his car being stolen and ran to stop them. That's when Zainuldeen was shot and killed, and then the suspects allegedly took off in his car, according to police. South Metro Fire Rescue contain brush fire Anna Hanel, a caseworker for the African Community Center, told FOX31 in 2023 that she had known the Zainuldeen family for some time. The family had spent years living in Egypt, jumping through bureaucratic hoops in search of reaching America, having left Iraq because of the violence. 'These are refugees who came here to seek freedom from violence and persecution,' Hanel said at the time. According to court records, Rogers-Broadus pleaded not guilty in the shooting death of 15-year-old Raphael Velin on Jan. 6 of this year. On April 11, the court accepted the plea agreement and scheduled the 18-year-old for sentencing. Under the plea agreement, Rogers-Broadus pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and prosecutors dropped a count of first-degree murder, another count of second-degree murder, three counts of aggravated robbery – menacing victim with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated robbery – confederate menacing with a weapon and one count of failing to report an accident to police. Police said that the encounter had been pre-planned by Velin and the suspects. Witnesses told police they saw four or five male suspects leaving the scene in a black sedan. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Suspects wanted for robbing ATM technician in Centennial
DENVER (KDVR) — The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office said an ATM technician was robbed while servicing a machine in Centennial. The sheriff's office posted on X and said the robbery occurred on April 3 at around 3:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Bank located at 18515 E. Smoky Hill Road. Motorcyclist dies after crash in Fort Collins According to the sheriff's office, an ATM technician at the bank was reportedly robbed while servicing the machine by three men in ski masks. During the robbery, deputies said some money spilled out, but it was immediately recovered. Investigators said the men fled the scene in a 2023 gray Nissan Rogue. Aside from the ski masks, the sheriff's office said the suspects were also wearing gloves. Now, deputies and the FBI Denver Safe Streets Task Force are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or submit a tip on the FBI's website. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
06-04-2025
- CBS News
From Colorado storage unit, Arizona man practiced placing bombs in churches
A Phoenix man who traveled across the western U.S. to sneak backpacks into Christian churches in three states was simultaneously assembling bomb-making materials in Colorado, according to a federal investigation. He was convicted Friday of a federal hate crime. A federal jury in Sacramento, Calif., returned a guilty verdict against Zimnako Salah, 45, to conclude an 11-day trial. Salah, between September and November of 2023, traveled to four Christian churches in Arizona, California, and Colorado while wearing black backpacks. At two of those churches, Salah planted the backpacks, "placing congregants in fear that they contained bombs," the U.S. Department of Justice stated in a press release . At the other two churches, including one in Greenwood Village, Salah was confronted by security before he got the chance to leave the backpacks behind. Salah visited the unnamed Greenwood Village church on Nov. 19, 2023. Kevin Heaton, now a captain with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, was working during his off-duty hours for the church that day. "I noticed a male wearing a red hat retrieving a black back pack (sic) from a light green Toyota Prius parked in the visitor area," Heaton stated in a report to federal investigators. "The male put the back pack on his back and began to walk toward the main entrance." Heaton greeted the man, later identified as Salah, and walked with him into the church. Salah walked toward the church's bathrooms. When Heaton followed him, Salah turned around, walked back to his car, and left the church property, Heaton said. Heaton notified church staff. Together, they checked the bathrooms and Salah's route through the church. They found nothing suspicious. That was not the case a week earlier in Roseville, California. Security cameras showed a man later identified as Salah entering the Christian church in the Sacramento suburb during Sunday morning services. He walked directly into a men's restroom carrying a black backpack. He left the church - without the backpack - through the same side door less than four minutes later. Church personnel found the backpack, called 9-1-1, and began evacuating children from nearby classrooms. One volunteer, a former sheriff's deputy, decided to unlatch the backpack from the toilet, per a court document. She later told investigators that, before handling it, she thought she "might meet Jesus today." She carried the backpack into the parking lot and opened it. A pillow was the only item inside. The volunteer later admitted to making a big mistake by touching the backpack. There were no witnesses to Salah's presence in the church. But when police arrived, officers found several images on the church's security cameras. Also, recordings from highway cameras near the church caught a green Toyota Prius with Arizona plates around the same time Salah was entering and leaving the church. The Federal Bureau of Investigation distributed an alert days later - an alert that was received in Colorado and used by the Arapahoe County deputy. Following the Colorado encounter, the FBI issued another alert. From it, they learned about another incident. Two months earlier, a man on a motorcycle had walked into a Christian church in Scottsdale, Arizona, during services. This person was dressed in all back and wore a black facemask, per the report, and "appeared to be trying to conceal their identity," per the court document. The person left a black backpack between seats in the church's worship center. Police found clothing inside. Later, federal investigators found the motorcycle used in the Arizona incident at Salah's former residence in Phoenix. The current residents there told federal investigators they purchased it in August 2023 from Salah's mother. She had recently returned to Iraq. Salah still had items stored there. One of the residents described to federal investigators Salah's negative reaction to a hat he wore displaying an American flag. Salah, per the report, told the resident, "F*** this country. I hate America. This country went to Iraq and killed a lot of people." Federal investigators also attributed two more attempts in October 2023 to Salah. Both occurred at a Christian church in La Mesa, California, a suburb of San Diego. There, a security guard followed a man with a black backpack walking in the parking lot. The man immediately left. But security reported seeing the same man days later. The Middle Eastern man lied about belonging to a family he was standing in line with at a children's ministry. An off-duty police officer working church security then tailed the man with the backpack as he entered a bathroom and walked through an auditorium. The man eventually left the building - still wearing his backpack - and drove off in a Toyota Prius. Later, investigators pinged Salah's phone to the area. Salah was eventually arrested in the San Diego area six days after the Colorado incident. In an interview, Salah told investigators he was a Sunni from Northern Iraq who has been living in Arizona for approximately 20 years. When investigators searched the Salah's Prius, they found a receipt for a storage unit in Colorado. Inside that storage unit, they found propane canisters (one of which had wiring protruding from the neck), strips of duct tape with nails attached to the adhesive side, wire cutters and more wiring, a battery connected to wiring, what appeared to be an Islamic Koran, and a bed mat. The storage unit was located 15 minutes from the Christian church in Greenwood Village. In Salah's phone, federal investigators found records of social media searches to what they called extremist propaganda. Those records included searches for videos of "Infidels dying," per the court document. Other videos which Salah allegedly searched for and watch depicted ISIS terrorists murdering people. "This Department of Justice has no tolerance for anyone who targets religious Americans for their faith," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated in the DOJ's press release. "The perpetrator of this abhorrent hate crime against Christians will face severe punishment." "Planting a hoax bomb at the Roseville church was not an isolated incident or a prank for this defendant," Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California added. "His actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs. "People of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence." Salah is scheduled to be sentenced July 18. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
