Sheriff calls Colorado lawmakers "pro-criminal" after parolee linked to Windsor shooting
Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams says the law enforcement profession is "frustrated" by laws created at the state level, laws which he says prioritize alleged criminals over the safety of the public. Reams said the recent drive-by shooting and police chase in Windsor allegedly by a repeat offender on parole is a prime example of that.
Last Thursday, 39-year-old Kyle Bertsch was arrested after he allegedly fired a gun at a Windsor business before speeding away. Police said Bertsch then pointed the gun at other drivers on the roadway before leading police from several agencies on a chase. Multiple police vehicles were damaged in the response.
Though Bertsch was arrested and transported to the Weld County Jail without injury to members of the public, Reams vocalized his concern with how Bertsch was out of jail in the first place to be able to allegedly commit the new crimes.
Bertsch has a lengthy criminal record including dozens of cases, some of which were violent crimes. He was paroled from the Colorado Department of Corrections. And, records obtained by CBS News Colorado show Bertsch has been arrested more than once since being granted parole.
CBS News Colorado's Dillon Thomas asked Reams how it was possible for someone on parole to be arrested multiple times and still be out of jail.
"That is a great question. I wish I had a better answer other than the judicial system has been put into a box where they are basically forced to release people except for on the worst of the worst charges," Reams said.
Reams accused Colorado lawmakers at the state Capitol of creating laws since 2020 that made it more difficult for the judiciary to hold inmates in jail or prison.
"Really what it comes down to is legislative efforts which have been pro-criminal and not pro-victim," Reams alleged.
Reams, who called the state Capitol the "golden dome," encouraged residents to research the laws for which elected officials are writing and voting in Denver.
He has been outspoken in the past on his distaste for judges releasing inmates on low bonds in recent years. He even started listing the names of the judges who issued the bonds, and the amounts, on his inmate release page on the Weld County Sheriff's Office website.
Though Reams has raised issues with the judges in the past, he said some of them have their hands tied with the laws that they took an oath to enforce and protect.
Reams noted, that many times parolees are arrested for their roles in alleged crimes. However, they cannot be held at length for some of those crimes as they are considered innocent until proven guilty, even as parolees.
He said the resolution to assuring the public is prioritized, in his opinion, is to create new laws that give more power to the judicial branch to make sure people with histories of committing crimes can have their bond revoked if necessary.
"The judges need the authority to actually look at that person and say, 'Are you a risk to society? Are you a risk for fleeing the criminal justice system? What should we do to make sure you are going to show up to get your day in court to prove yourself innocent, if that is truly what you are, while also not endangering the public,'" Reams said. "Right now, that is a process that is being skipped, it seems. People are being returned to the community almost as fast as they come to jail."
