Photo Of Kyle B. Sawyer
Photo Of Kyle B. Sawyer

Charged With A Crime? It Doesn’t Mean You’re Guilty.

873 Counts of Sexual Assault on a Child, Delta / Montrose County

On Behalf of | Jun 7, 2011 | Sexual Assault on a Child |

A Delta, Colorado man (Delta County, Near Montrose County) was recently charged with 873 counts of Sexual Assault on a Child.  When I read this Associated Press story as reported through 9news.com, my immediate reaction was, “you have got to be kidding.”  I also read all the comments and reactions to this article that were posted on another website.  Without exception, every person assumed this man was guilty.  Most of them volunteered to execute him based on no more evidence than a short, sensational news article.  This is a common mindset we encounter with juries.

Many times a district attorney in Adams County or Jefferson County, Colorado, will over-charge a defendant in a dramatic way to scare someone into taking a plea bargain, or to persuade a jury into believing someone is guilty by the sheer number of charges against him or her.  This is a common tactic that is easily accomplished because the government is not obligated to specify an exact time or place for each of the alleged criminal acts.  Think of it this way: if someone (one person) falsely accused you of sexual misconduct when that person was not yet an adult, and that person told the authorities you did it three times a week, for over six years.  With that one allegation, you could be looking at over nine hundred counts of sexual assault.

If you are one of the people that commented on the story I cited above, you may be thinking, no one would ever accuse someone of that unless it really happened.  Or perhaps you are under the false belief that the government would never prosecute someone on such flimsy evidence as one person’s word.  If so, you would be wrong, and you would be like many of my clients in Denver, Colorado that are horrified to find themselves faced with these types of charges.  I have defended and won many such cases all over Colorado.  But to win, it takes an attorney who is willing to listen to the whole story, including your story, and who will work tirelessly to make sure a jury does not jump to conclusions.

If you have or someone you care about has been accused of sexual assault on a child in Delta, Montrose or other Colorado counties, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and call us at (303) 731-0719.  Together we can protect your future.