Larimer County judge rules there is probable cause in assault charge against former Loveland police officer Austin Hopp

3 years ago 391

Eighth Judicial District Judge Michelle Brinegar has ruled determination is probable origin for the battle complaint successful the transgression lawsuit against Austin Hopp, the erstwhile Loveland Police Department serviceman who arrested Karen Garner successful 2020. The parties progressive successful the lawsuit volition instrumentality to tribunal successful precocious September for an arraignment proceeding to determine however to determination forward.

Hopp was criminally charged by the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office for the apprehension of Garner, a present 74-year-old pistillate with dementia, successful April pursuing the merchandise of a suit from Sarah Schielke and the Life and Liberty Law Office claiming excessive usage of unit successful Garner’s arrest.

The erstwhile LPD serviceman has been charged with second-degree battle causing superior bodily injury, a people 3 felony; effort to power a nationalist servant, a people 4 felony; and authoritative misconduct, a people 2 misdemeanor for his apprehension of Garner past year.

While Hopp appeared for a preliminary proceeding Aug. 19, Brinegar postponed her ruling successful the lawsuit to let her much clip to comb done the lengthy video grounds that was submitted successful the case, which she said she had gotten done astir of but not each of.

In a little proceeding Monday morning, Brinegar said aft afloat reviewing each the grounds that had been submitted arsenic good arsenic taking into relationship the grounds and introspection from the preliminary proceeding that determination is probable origin for the battle number against Hopp.

Brinegar said the battle complaint was the lone 1 being considered successful the preliminary hearing. Hopp inactive faces the different 2 charges, effort to power a nationalist servant and authoritative misconduct, arsenic well.

Jonathan Datz, Hopp’s attorney, requested that the tribunal acceptable a caller proceeding day with plentifulness of clip to spell implicit what helium called “substantial caller discovery” that helium is expecting precise soon. He aboriginal added this find consists of “hours upon hours of multimedia” and could beryllium arsenic exculpatory grounds against the different 2 counts Hopp faces.

Assistant territory lawyer Matt Maillaro clarified that this important find is expected to travel from the interior probe the LPD launched pursuing the Critical Incident Response Team probe into the arrest.

The metropolis of Loveland announced successful June that Hillard Heintze — “one of the nation’s starring instrumentality enforcement and nationalist information consulting firms,” the metropolis said — is conducting a nonrecreational standards probe regarding the Garner apprehension and is besides assessing the department’s policies, practices and procedures.

Brinegar acceptable the lawsuit to instrumentality astatine 4 p.m. Sept. 29 for an arraignment proceeding to determine wherever to spell adjacent successful the case. She said that if the anticipation is to instrumentality to trial, the earliest it could statesman would beryllium aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth based connected the court’s existent schedule.

“I americium going to acceptable it successful for proceedings arsenic aboriginal arsenic imaginable successful 2022,” Brinegar said, adding that volition beryllium the lawsuit if the defence wishes to instrumentality the lawsuit to trial.

Alongside the lawsuit against Hopp, erstwhile LPD serviceman Daria Jalali faces a transgression lawsuit of her ain for her transportation to the arrest.

Jalali appeared successful tribunal Aug. 10 and volition beryllium returning to tribunal astatine 1:45 p.m. Oct. 13. She has been charged with nonaccomplishment to study an excessive usage of force, a people 1 misdemeanor; nonaccomplishment to intervene successful the usage of excessive force, a people 1 misdemeanor; and first-degree authoritative misconduct, a people 2 misdemeanor.

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