Understanding Colorado’s Deferred Judgment and Sentence Options for First Offenders
May 1, 2026
At the end of May, Denver was one of many cities that enacted a curfew due to protests and violence. Your first reaction to a curfew may be to think that you’re no longer a child, so it doesn’t apply to you – but you’d be wrong.
Even though you have rights associated with protesting, you can also face consequences for ignoring curfews in cities such as Denver. Here’s what you need to know about your rights as a protester, [...]
Halloween has become a highly popular drinking holiday in Colorado and across the US. Couple this with a holiday that is already supposed to be about engaging in “devilish” behavior and you may be at a higher risk of getting charged for disorderly conduct this Halloween.
In this post, we’re going to detail how disorderly conduct charges can be filed against you, and what you can do to fight back against your charges.
First, though, a bit more on Halloween [...]
Protests are a wonderful way to get out in the streets and make your voice heard. Whether you are passionate about reproductive rights, your opinions regarding President Trump’s multiple travel bans, or any other hot-button topic, you have the right to join a march or protest and speak your mind.
However, these protests can seem intimidating, especially if you have been watching the news. While most protests are peaceful and productive, the news has highlighted many recent protests that have [...]
A deferred judgment and sentence allows a first-time offender in Colorado to plead guilty, complete a period of court supervision, and then have the guilty plea withdrawn and the charge dismissed permanently. For someone facing their first criminal charge, this is often the best available outcome.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver criminal defense team has negotiated deferred judgment agreements in Colorado courts since 2014.
How a Deferred Judgment and Sentence Works in ColoradoThe defendant enters [...]
Eyewitness testimony is undeniably a powerful form of evidence in criminal cases. However, there have been studies showing it is also one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions in Denver and across the United States. This suggests that human memory is not perfect and that some situations can lead to errors in identification.
In Denver, cases involving eyewitness misidentification span a wide range of crimes. You must defend against wrongful convictions, which requires a detailed review of the circumstances [...]
Violating a Colorado protection order can trigger a new criminal charge and contempt proceedings in the same court, and any new sentence must be served back-to-back with the sentence you were already facing, not at the same time. That means a single phone call, text message, or chance encounter can double your exposure while you are still on bond or probation. Denver criminal defense attorneys at the Law Office of Jacob Martinez have defended clients against these charges across Colorado [...]