Phone call could spur harassment charges in Colo. against officer who shot, killed teen

By Brian D. Crecente, Rocky Mountain News
July 25, 2003

The Denver police officer suspended after his former mother-in-law said he threatened her could face prosecution in Colorado, officials said Thursday.

Officer James Turney, 29, has been suspended with pay since July 8, after Rosella Orme, of Shenandoah, Iowa, reported that Turney threatened in a July 4 telephone call to shoot her.

Turney's suspension came three days after he shot and killed Paul Childs, a 15-year-old developmentally disabled youth armed with a knife, after family members called police to their home for help.

A statewide Iowa arrest warrant was issued for Turney on July 18 for third-degree harassment, a misdemeanor, in connection with the July 4 call in which he threatened to "put a bullet through the middle" of Orme's head, according to Iowa Court records.

Orme told authorities that Turney was calling from Colorado.

Tony Almquist, assistant Page County attorney, said authorities there filed the charges immediately because they were worried about Orme's safety.

"We thought it would be best for the victim's safety, security and peace of mind to file the harassment third-degree charge," he said.

Prosecutors asked the magistrate to take the unusual step of issuing a statewide arrest warrant to prevent Turney from returning to Iowa, where his ex-wife and 10-year-old son live, Almquist said. If he did return, he would be arrested.

Iowa officials will not extradite Turney for a misdemeanor, but they might be willing to drop their charge to allow Colorado to take the case, Almquist said.

Turney's lawyer, Douglas Jewell, has been in contact with the Page County attorney's office in the past few days, Almquist said.

Although Almquist would not discuss the details of the phone calls, he said Turney likely miss a court date for the Iowa charge. Jewell could not be reached for comment.

"We might reconsider our charge if (a Colorado) district attorney requested us to, based on them wanting to exercise jurisdiction," Almquist said.

Denver district attorney spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said Turney could face Colorado charges if the call originated in this state.

"If a crime spans jurisdictions, whether it's Denver and other areas in the metro area or spans outside of Colorado, charges could come from any of the jurisdictions that had a piece of that," she said. "Usually the agencies that are involved work together to determine which agency would take the case."

The Denver district attorney's office has not started an investigation into the phone call because of the ongoing internal affairs investigation, Kimbrough said.

If convicted of harassment in Iowa or Colorado, Turney could lose his badge. Misdemeanor harassment is one of the 42 charges that would cause Colorado's Police Officer Standards and Training division to revoke certification. All Colorado police officers must have the certification.

crecenteb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303- 892-2811

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