I believe the Easter Bunny leaves colorful eggs for children to find.
I believe Gov. John Hickenlooper spends $200 on those fancy haircuts.
I believe U.S. Senate candidate Cory Gardner is positively, unequivocally, steadfastly opposed to, uh, well, to something or other.
And I believe it’s OK that 24-year-old John Elway III walks around today, happy and free, with a weak, one-year probation sentence after dragging his girlfriend out of his car by the hair in downtown Denver, tearing out a handful and then shoving her onto the sidewalk.
I also believe his sugar-coated “disturbing the peace” plea deal from the city attorney and a judge was fair to the victim, sends a strong anti-domestic violence message and had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Coloradans (apparently including the Denver city attorney and a judge) drop to their knees and pray at even the briefest glimpse of the kid’s two-time Super Bowl champion god/father.
The Elway kid was arrested at daddy’s very large house in Cherry Hills Village earlier this year.
According to the warrant, his girlfriend of a year told police she was assaulted by him May 31 on Colfax Avenue at 1:40 a.m. She said they’d argued, and he responded by stopping the car, walking around to her side, grabbing her by the hair as all real men do and yanking her out of the vehicle. Some of her hair was ripped out.
When she tried to get back into the car, she told police, Elway shoved her to the sidewalk. Both of her knees were scraped on the concrete.
Then young Elway ran away. He left the car, with his driver’s license inside, at the scene and made his way back to his father’s house where he was arrested at 4 a.m.
Enter, as you might imagine, the big-shot lawyer. He was good, if that’s the right word, and once again the victim never stood a chance. From The Post: “Jack Elway, son of Broncos executive vice president of operations and general manager John Elway, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from what police said was a violent fight with his girlfriend. The plea was made quietly, one day before a publicly scheduled hearing.”
Try to get your scheduled court hearing changed, secretly, without public notice, to an earlier date.
Elway’s attorney was Harvey Steinberg. The judge who approved the quiet court date change was Denver County Judge Johnny Barajas.
“This is one of the events before a trial that is traditionally public and should be public,” said attorney Tom Kelly, who has represented media, including The Denver Post. “To change that at the last minute, without giving the public a chance to be there, is wrong.”
Wrong twice.
Because 10 days ago young Elway pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace in a court appearance that was once again changed and not posted on the court docket the previous day, as the law requires.
So, secretly, the assault charge was dropped by the city attorney. Judge Barajas approved the sweet disturbing-the-peace deal. If Elway doesn’t get arrested again in 12 months, his lawyer will withdraw the guilty plea for him and the case will be dismissed.
Beat up a woman, get a slap on the wrist.
Sounds like the kid is ready for the NFL.
Contact Rich Tosches at richtosches@gmail.com.
