Audio of alleged attack that led to firing of Empire Police Deputy Chief Keith Sandford was recorded, investigators say

The town of Empire's deputy police chief was arrested and has been charged with domestic violence and felony assault. Investigators said a nearby security camera recorded audio of the alleged assault.

Empire Police Deputy Chief Keith Sandford was arrested last week by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. CBS News Colorado is not identifying the victim, but an Arapahoe deputy said she interviewed the victim at an area hospital who said Sandford punched her, knocking her out.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) | 1-800-787-3224 [TTY]

When she regained consciousness, she told the Arapahoe deputy that Sandford, 44, was on top of her, straddling her, while choking her with one arm and covering her mouth with his other hand. She was able to kick him off her and barricaded herself in a room until he left. This all happened in late July, but he wasn't arrested until last week.

Sandford agreed to be interviewed by Arapahoe County Sheriff's investigators. He said the alleged victim hit him and he slapped her to get away from him and denied choking the woman, but investigators say a camera recorded audio of the encounter, corroborating the woman's story. She was also examined at the hospital and was reported to have bruising to her throat and suffered a concussion.

A judge set bail at $10,000, which Sandford posted.

The Empire Police Department fired him, saying, in part, "the Empire Police Department values high morals and expects the highest level of its employees, both on and off duty. Effective immediately, Keith Sandford has been terminated from the Empire Police Department for violating department policies. All accused are innocent until proven guilty, and Keith Sandford's case will be processed in the 18th Judicial District in Arapahoe County."

But court records show Sandford has convictions going back to at least 1996, including a third-degree assault conviction -- a misdemeanor -- two separate convictions for driving while ability impaired (meaning a blood alcohol level between 0.05 and 0.08), providing alcohol to someone under 21, and leaving the scene of an accident, among other traffic violations.

None of that stopped him from getting a job as a police officer in Idaho Springs, where he worked from January 2021 to December 2022, or in Empire.

He resigned from the Idaho Springs Police Department. CBS News Colorado reached out to both departments with questions as to why Sandford was hired with a criminal history.

Voicemails seeking comment were left at several phone numbers available through public records listed for Sandford.  

A spokesman for the Colorado Attorney General's Office said that felonies, certain misdemeanors and certain acts of misconduct can lead to a police officer losing their certification, or disqualify a candidate from becoming an officer, but some of those rules have only been in effect for several months. For a list of disqualifying convictions or incidents, click here.

Those changes were part of a police accountability law passed by the Colorado General Assembly in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, but many provisions didn't take effect until July of this year.

Sandford has been charged with felony second-degree assault, a felony, and two counts of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. If convicted of the felony, he'd lose his police certification and could face a minimum of five years in prison.