Colorado man worries about public safety as parole violator walks free
Every time Michael Bryant leaves his apartment, he worries.
"It's gotten to the point where I feel like it's getting dangerous," Bryant said.
That's his punishment for doing a good deed -- calling 911 when a neighbor was in trouble.
"I had heard him downstairs causing a commotion," Bryant said. "He would beat on the neighbor; he would break out her windows. It got to the point that I asked him not to come back, and he did not like that."
He is talking about Darryl Springs, a convicted felon who served more than 10 years in prison for robbery of an at-risk adult, as well as separate sentences for escape and theft, before being granted parole.
The Colorado Department of Corrections has Springs listed as an absconder, which means he left parole supervision without permission, or has not reported as directed, and whose location to the department is unknown. This is a violation that comes with a warrant.
Bryant says he's reported Springs's whereabouts directly to DOC.
"Very frustrating because I know where he is," Bryant explained. "I know exactly where he is."
Sean Hanneman is another example of a parolee who has spent years out in the community unsupervised. His warrant was issued in 2021 before becoming the focus of a massive police search in August of this year.
"He's described as having violent tendencies and known to carry large knives," the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office posted on social media.
Days after that search, the sheriff's office tracked him down and arrested him for parole violations. He remains in the Arapahoe County jail.
Mark Allison, a former parole office supervisor in Colorado Springs, says parolees going AWOL is not uncommon, and little is done when an offender does.
"When I left, there was probably about 200 maybe 300 absconders -- could have been gone a day or gone five years -- who knew it was just until they got picked up or they made the radar somewhere," Allison said.
A records request to Colorado Department of Corrections shows, of the 9,225 parolees across Colorado, 1,006 of them are now AWOL, and of that group, more than 200 have been gone for at least three years.
"Unless they really screw up or get a new felony that actually gets a sentence to DOC, they are just going to be back out on the street doing the same thing," Allison explained.
An internal investigation by the DOC inspector general supports that claim. The report includes an interview with the fugitive apprehension unit (FAU) which says, "they have to carefully pick and choose when an absconder or AWOL parole is picked up and jailed or when they are issued a summons and released again." He goes onto say, "that quashing warrants was an everyday occurrence."
"He shouldn't be running the streets," Bryant said. "I feel like DOC should have, once he got arrested again, he should have been put back in DOC."
Instead of being put behind bars, Bryant says Springs is out and still making threats -- nearly assaulting him, Bryant told CBS Colorado.
"I heard the gate open; I came around the corner, and Mr. Springs approaches me right here," Bryant explained. "I didn't have time to get my phone out. He started reaching in his sleeve, and I knew he had a large knife."
A court granted Bryant a permanent protection order in July.
CBS Colorado also found Springs has also pleaded guilty to threats to injure a person and has two outstanding domestic violence cases. Both include assault charges
"Do you think that's fair that you have to live looking over your shoulder?" CBS Colorado asked Bryant.
"No. I don't. I don't think it's fair that he gets to walk free and just run around and do whatever he wants." Bryant responded.
A spokesperson for Colorado's DOC declined an on-camera interview, but responded to questions about how DOC decides when to go after an AWOL parolee in a statement.
"Each case gets attention," the DOC spokesperson shared in a statement. "FAU supervisors review each case, assessing its specifics and severity to prioritize based on risk to public safety. "
The spokesperson also directed CBS Colorado to the administrative policy that guides revocation decisions. DOC says, "Responses to violations need to be swift, certain, and consistent; and should take into consideration the criminogenic risks and needs of the offender and the resources available to best address those needs."
CBS Colorado reach out to an attorney listed for Springs in one of his recent cases but did not hear back, and his parole officer directed us to DOC.
A request for comment from the public defender representing Hanneman, the other offender CBS Colorado references, also went unanswered.
Bryant says his experience has left him worrying more about the community than just himself.
"You know there's probably one of him in every city, which is the scariest part," Bryant added.
