Latest news with #Northglenn
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Colorado family says contractor failed to finish construction project, filed for bankruptcy
One Colorado family's hopes turned into a nightmare after they said a construction company disappeared mid-project, then filed for bankruptcy. It's been more than a year since Northglenn residents Christina and Scott Latimer embarked on a construction project they hoped would bring their family together. "My mom is getting older. She just turned 80, and we were a little worried about her in her home, just going up the stairs, and just wanted her closer," said Christina. However, the project has since become more of a nightmare than a solution. "It's frustrating, it's extremely frustrating," Christina said. CBS The Latimers contracted a company to help build an accessory dwelling unit for Christina's mother, Peggy Eversole, to live next to them. The money was pooled together from some of what Peggy made from selling her home. "It's a 750 square foot unit for my mom and an attached 2 car garage," said Christina. "We thought we did everything correctly. We went on Angie's List. We looked at all of the reviews," said Scott. The project cost more than $320,000, which Christina and Scott were ready to pay through installments they negotiated with the contractor, Cooner Construction LLC. The construction company broke ground in April 2024. "We paid the progress through the whole thing, on time, whenever he sent us the bill, so we would pay him," said Christina. After months of seeing progress, Peggy's new ADU came to a halt. "August 13 of 2024 was when the last person was out here doing anything," said Christina. The Latimers had spent around $300,000 up until this point, with roughly $25,000 still scheduled to be paid. CBS "We have a heating and air conditioning unit set up behind you, so those are not up yet. We still have to paint, we obviously need cabinets and shelving and vanity and shower door and doors," said Christina. "They need to put the lighting in and fully connect the plumbing and hook up the electrical because there is no electric and running water here." The Latimers believe roughly forty percent of the project is still left to be completed, including a patio extending from their home to the ADU. When they realized the project might never be finished, they installed temporary pavers and drainage to protect their homes, themselves and their dogs from potential flooding. "There's a lot of tears that come from me," said Christina. "It's really hard to go through this. It's not something I wish on anybody." The last time the Latimers heard from the owner of Cooner Construction LLC, Joel Cooner was in September. "He had indicated [in] construction sometimes runs into some issues, and just to be patient with us," said Christina. "It was the following week that we were served with our first lien." CBS Multiple subcontractors and suppliers who worked on the house started demanding payment from Christina and Scott when workers did not receive any payments from Cooner. However, Christina and Scott had paid for each part of the project up until that point and believed that money had gone to everyone involved. "It seems to me like almost all the contractors that worked on the place did not get paid," said Scott. Facing lawsuits from the subcontractors amid an unfinished project, the Latimers issued their own lawsuit this past January against the construction company and Cooner. However, in February, they learned Cooner filed for bankruptcy. "One remedy that homeowners do have in this situation is, if a contractor takes their deposit, if the contractor doesn't hold it in trust for their project, that's defined by statute to be an act of civil theft," said Attorney Jesse Witt. CBS Witt has been helping the Latimers hold Cooner and his company liable for all of the money that's been taken from them and the subcontractors. This month, he filed an adversary complaint with the hopes of taking Cooner to bankruptcy court. "It's not right what he's done," said Christina. It is a wrong this family worries might just take too long for Peggy to see corrected, even if the Latimers win their case. "I will say that I'm not sure I'll even be alive to be in here if we don't do it soon," said Peggy. The Latimers are now turning to crowdfunding to recuperate some of the money they poured into this project, while warning others who take on any construction project, "[They] should be including proof of payment, so you know he's paid his subcontractors and suppliers. Keep it in writing, keep track of everything, try not to let it get too far out of hand." "Be in more control of your money," advised Peggy.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Jared Polis vetoes Colorado rideshare bill that had strong opposition from Uber and Lyft
Gov. Jared Polis has vetoed a bill that was intended to improve safety for rideshare passengers. Uber had threatened to leave if the bill became law. Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images It would have required background checks, among other regulations. State Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, sponsored House Bill 25-1291 after sharing her story of being sexually assaulted during a ride on Lyft. Polis said in a letter "together, these changes would jeopardize these services in Colorado to an untenable degree, and could very well lead to companies that Coloradans rely on exiting the market, raising prices, or reducing the number of drivers. " The govenor is instructing the Public Utilities Commission to figure out additional safety enhancements it can take.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Boondocks in Northglenn cleared after threats prompt evacuation: police
DENVER (KDVR) — Northglenn police on Sunday afternoon evacuated a family-friendly entertainment center after threats made to the facility before clearing the building a couple hours later. Police investigated the threats at Boondocks Food and Fun, which is at 11425 Community Center Dr. right off Interstate 25, according to a 12:21 p.m. post on X. The building has been cleared and reopened, police said just after 2 p.m. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox 'There are no injuries and at this time there is no danger to the public,' police said in the initial post. There was a reunification point for parents who need to pick up children at 100 Malley Dr., right across the street from Boondocks. This is a developing story and will be updated. Police have not said what kind of threats were made, and FOX31 has a photojournalist on the way to the scene to learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Colorado lawmaker sexually assaulted in 'fake' Lyft taxi...as cops hunt down phony driver
Prosecutors have charged a man they say posed as a Lyft driver so he could sexually assault a Colorado state representative last February. Mukhammadali Mukadyrov, 42, was charged Tuesday with one count of felony unwanted sexual contact after Democrat Jenny Willford claimed he assaulted her in the back of the car near her home in Northglenn, a suburb north of Denver. A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Mukadyrov, who is not in custody and is actively being pursued by police. Mukadyrov allegedly picked Willford up on February 24, 2024, but used another man's rideshare account to do so, according to a lawsuit Willford filed against Lyft earlier this year. A tearful Willford laid out the horrifying details of what happened to her at a press conference announcing the lawsuit in January. Willford, who is married and has two kids, said that she had went out in the city with her friends and called a Lyft to get home. On the ride back, Willford said things seemed off immediately because she said the driver asked her if she was married, according to Colorado Public Radio. 'Then it quickly escalated to inappropriate comments about what he wanted to do to me and how he felt that my husband wouldn't mind if we had sex. He clearly had a plan for how he wanted his night to turn out,' she said at the press conference. Once they arrived outside her home, Willford said the driver attacked her as she tried to exit from the backseat of his car. 'I don't know how to put into words how excruciating it was to be so close to home, so close to my husband and our two kids, and so close to safety while being assaulted in view of my house,' she said. Willford named Mukadyrov in her lawsuit against Lyft as the man who attacked her, adding that he allegedly used the authorized driver account of a man named Kholmurod Halimov. Halimov is the registered agent of a company called Shanu Transportation, which was also sued by Willford. Willford claims that when she called for a ride in the app, the driver's name showed up as 'Shanu' because of a Lyft policy that allows 'drivers to avoid using their real, legal names and instead go by nicknames.' According to Lyft's terms of service, riders are given their driver's 'name, profile photo, preferred pronouns, rating, real-time location, and the vehicle make, model, color, and license plate.' It does not specify if the name being shared with the rider has to be the driver's legal name, or whether the driver can input any name they want, as Willford claims in her lawsuit. Lyft has moved to dismiss Willford's suit and didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. After Willford made her public statement on the alleged sexual assault she faced, she introduced a bill that would force companies like Uber and Lyft to implement more safety measures and better vet their drivers. The bill says transportation network companies must conduct criminal record checks on all its drivers before they are hired. The bill also seeks to prevent exactly what Willford claims happened to her, by telling rideshare firms they need to create policies that prevent imposter accounts, account sharing and account renting. By July 1, 2026, it mandates that all rides are audio and video recorded from start to finish. Willford's bill passed last week after its language was amended. Rideshare companies have opposed the measure, with Uber going so far as to threaten leaving the state of Colorado over it. Uber told that it already does background checks and offers riders a safety button if the rider is concerned about their safety. 'We urge Governor Polis to veto HB25-1291, a bill developed behind closed doors and driven by the financial interests of billboard attorneys—not the needs of Coloradans,' the Uber spokesperson said. 'If enacted, this legislation would force Uber to shut down operations, stripping thousands of drivers of flexible earning opportunities and cutting off a trusted, reliable transportation option for hundreds of thousands of riders.' Willford issued a statement on April 23 slamming Uber for its opposition, adding that she and her colleagues have negotiated with the company on the language of her bill. 'This is a cynical and disheartening move by a multi-billion dollar company to turn their back on survivors rather than implement real safety measures,' she said. 'We have worked with Uber in good faith for months and accepted many of their amendment requests - including a full rewrite of the bill.' She concluded: 'For years, Uber has checked the box on safety, but time after time failed to deliver for victims. It's clear Uber won't stand up for safety so they can continue to maximize profits rather than address the horrible incidents that change the lives of riders and drivers forever.' The bill now awaits Governor Jared Polis' signature. He refused to tell reporters last week whether he would sign it or not.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Survivor, former Colorado police officer detail sex trafficking in Northglenn home: "It was pure evil"
A Colorado woman, who says she was held as a "sex slave" for years in a Northglenn home, and a former police investigator involved in the case, say convicted human trafficker William Tidwell was "pure evil." They say he held as many as 20 women in his basement over the last five years, getting them to sign a 75-page contract that dictated he was the "master" and they were his "slaves." The former police investigator said the contract "basically gave Tidwell the right to do whatever he wanted to them whenever he wanted." One of the women held by Tidwell for more than four years said, "It was so degrading and I felt so worthless." Both the woman -- who is now 24 -- and the officer agreed to their first media interviews about the case on the condition that their real identities not be used. The investigator still works in an undercover law enforcement capacity. He said he came to know Tidwell years ago when Northglenn police believed Tidwell was "grooming" a 14-year-old neighbor. William Tidwell Boulder County Sheriff's Office The investigator next heard about Tidwell in 2023 after the man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman near Nederland. When police executed a search warrant at Tidwell's home related to that Nederland case, they found an unexpected scene; three women emerged from the basement. They were "living in an environment that seemed like they were being held captive in a way," said the investigator. "It seemed as if they had been abused in some fashion. The shock of what they were saying caused us to say, "We need to remove them from this environment right now." One of the women in the home, who called herself "Emily" during an interview with CBS News Colorado, said she was 17 and living in a state in the south when she first encountered Tidwell in an online chat room. He was 46. She said she came from a "chaotic" childhood, was extremely vulnerable, and spent all of her time either at school or in her room, online. "I had never been taught the dangers of the outside world or online. I almost can't believe how naive I was to the world," said Emily. She said she began an online conversation with Tidwell that saw him gaining her trust by seeming personable and relatable. "Getting any sort of attention or anyone relating to me felt good, and there are all sorts of people who prey on that," she said. The grooming went on for six months, with Tidwell representing that he had been a police officer and could be trusted. Police and prosecutors say that was a ruse and that Tidwell was never in law enforcement. Eventually, he told Emily that he was willing to "rescue" her and provide her with love, a family, and a safe environment. She and police now say it was the complete opposite. Tidwell drove from Colorado to her home and picked her up in the middle of the night. "I was so nervous; the most nervous I've ever been in my life," Emily said. She told police that the day after she met Tidwell, he raped her at a gas station while they were on the road. When they arrived in Northglenn, she said Tidwell put her in a basement room that she says was the size of a queen-sized mattress, had no natural light, and was covered in cobwebs. She said there were other rooms in the basement filled with other women. "All the rooms were filled constantly," she said, by women who also came from rough backgrounds and were vulnerable. "He made a comment that, finding women that are broken, they're easier to get." She said that in the years she was in the home, she estimates more than 20 women were brought into the home. She said Tidwell presented her with a 75-page manual or contract that outlined everything from what she was supposed to wear to who she talked to to what she called him. "We had to call him 'master' or 'sir' and he would only refer to us as his slaves," she said. "For us, it was whatever he wanted to do whenever he wanted to do it. 100% of our lives were dictated by him." She said he manipulated the women psychologically, physically beat her badly if she didn't cooperate, and threatened to kill her family members. "I was beaten and bloodied on almost a daily or weekly basis. You can't just walk away because if you walk out of the house or say you're going to leave, there's physical violence, threats against you and your family." She said sex with Tidwell was a daily occurrence. "There was really no consent. It was just saying, 'come here, this is happening, go away now.' Almost daily," she said, "but that was all up to him. All of us, one of us, all of us together. It was up to whatever he felt like." Police documents and the investigator interviewed by CBS News Colorado corroborate Emily's story. "I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of these girls being abused," the investigator said. "He had this mindset (that) they were his, he was allowed to sell them, give them to his friends, use them whenever he wanted." Tidwell eventually forced the women into performing sexual acts online to make money or by acting as prostitutes. Police say they recovered numerous text messages, electronic data, and financial records that verified Tidwell forced the women into the sex trade, with him pocketing the money. Emily says Tidwell strong-armed her into having sex for money "from a couple times a week to a few times a day. I hated it. I have never felt worse about myself. I felt so out of control and violated," she said. After police discovered the women in Tidwell's home in August 2023, he was charged with numerous felonies stemming from trafficking and abusing women and children. In March of this year, he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child, assault in the second degree causing serious bodily injury, human trafficking for sexual servitude, and sexual exploitation of a child possessing exploitative material depicting a child under age 12. Tidwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Adams County District Attorney Brian Mason said, "he preyed on vulnerable individuals, using lies, intimidation, and violence to manipulate his victims into submission. Human trafficking is real -- it happens here in Adams County and throughout Colorado." "I sat back and cried and realized it was over," Emily said of the imprisonment of Tidwell. "I was free. I remember sitting at the airport on the way to my grandmother's house, looking at planes taking off and crying," she said. "I was just so excited to have my freedom and my life back." The law enforcement agent interviewed for this report suggested some tips for parents: Be more aware of what your kids are doing; Teach them the realities of the internet and social media. Pay attention to their search history and what chat rooms or forums they are in. For young women online, be wary of another person who portrays themselves as a guardian-like figure, or suggests they have had the same experiences and are "just like you."
