Ex-Officers Face Charges In Arrest Of Colorado Woman With Dementia
One officer allegedly used excessive force when he pushed 73-year-old Karen Garner to the ground. Another officer is accused of failing to stop or report his partner s actions.
Colleen Slevin
DENVER (AP) A police officer who pushed a 73-year-old Colorado woman with dementia to the ground after she left a store without paying for items worth about $14 is facing charges of using excessive force, while a second officer is accused of failing to stop or report his actions, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Austin Hopp is facing charges of second-degree assault, attempting to influence a public servant and official misconduct in last year’s arrest of Karen Garner in Loveland, a city about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver. Daria Jalali, who arrived after Garner was handcuffed, is facing charges of failing to report use of force, failing to intervene and official misconduct.
Screengrab courtesy of attorney Sarah Shielke, Life and Liberty Law Office
Originally published on May 19, 2021 8:05 pm
Multiple charges have been filed against two former Colorado police officers for their roles in the arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia last year.
The charges were filed on Wednesday against former Loveland Police Department officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali, who arrested and booked Karen Garner as she was walking home from a local Walmart after failing to pay for about $14 worth of merchandise. I was able to review dozens of witnesses, interviews, scores of records, phone calls, reports, and photographs, hours of audio and video, and a host of additional evidence, which led me to the decisions I m making here today, Gordon McLaughlin, district attorney for the Eighth Judicial District of Colorado said during a news conference, Colorado Public Radio reported.
Loveland Police Department Karen Garner was arrested by Loveland police officers last summer after trying to leave a Walmart store without paying for $14 of items.
Updated at 5:13 p.m.
Following the violent arrest of an elderly woman with dementia last summer, two former officers with the Loveland Police Department are now facing criminal charges.
Prosecutors filed charges on Wednesday, after Fort Collins Police and the Eighth Judicial District wrapped up a criminal investigation into the officers conduct.
The first officer involved in the arrest of Karen Garner, Austin Hopp, faces charges of second-degree assault of an at-risk person, attempt to influence a public servant in how he reported the incident and official misconduct. The second officer who arrived on the scene, Daria Jalali, was charged with failing to report excessive use of force, failure to intervene and official misconduct.
WHO S LAUGHING NOW?
Arrest warrants issued for loved-up Colorado cops fired after vid of them laughing over breaking dementia-sufferer’s arm
M.L. Nestel
Updated: May 20 2021, 0:59 ET
M.L. Nestel
Invalid Date,
TWO Colorado cops whose recorded violent arrest last year of a dementia-stricken elderly woman are now facing criminal charges.
Former Loveland Police officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali are facing multiple criminal counts for their actions.
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Former Loveland cop Austin Hopp and fellow former officer Daria Jalali face criminal charges for a 2020 arrest where 73-year-old Karen Garner s shoulder was dislocatedCredit: Sarah Shiekle/Life and Liberty Law Office
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The police officers were fired after the bodycam of the arrest and CCTV footage of them giggling and fist-bumping following the booking of GarnerCredit: The Life & Liberty Law Office
Attorney, family members of Karen Garner say more consequences needed for those involved in arrest
Attorney: âThat is a start, but itâs not good enough.â
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Shannon Steward (left), the daughter-in-law of Karen Garner, and Allisa Swartz, Garner s daughter, speak at a news conference on May 19, 2021, after the district attorney announced two former officers involved in their mother s arrest had been criminally charged.
and last updated 2021-05-19 20:02:25-04
DENVER â Karen Garnerâs family members and their attorney said Wednesday they are pleased that two of the former officers involved in her violent arrest were charged, but that they believe more charges are warranted and that others involved need to face consequences.