Understanding Colorado’s Stand Your Ground Laws in Self-Defense Claims
August 26, 2025
Colorado sees a lot of car thefts in a year – and the numbers continue to climb.
This has led lawmakers to reconsider how car theft is penalized here. Currently, how much a car is worth will inform the penalty for the crime upon conviction.
However, lawmakers are now fighting to change the sentencing structure for this crime. They want to enhance the penalties related to car theft that don’t take the vehicle’s value into account. Their reasoning? This property [...]
There are all kinds of theft crimes. Shoplifting. Package theft. Identity theft. Stealing motor vehicles.
Some kinds of theft many people don’t really even think of as a crime – like using your friend’s Netflix account. What may surprise you more, though, is that the more common theft crimes don’t involve people walking into stores to take items they didn’t pay for. Instead, it’s employees who steal from their employers.
It can be tempting to take something from the workplace [...]
In the United States, control of the property you own is seen as a fundamental right. Colorado adheres to that principle, which is why the state takes theft very seriously.
It’s been reported recently that, in the first quarter of 2021, vehicle theft in Denver increased by 114 percent compared to the same time period in the previous year. This has resulted in police keeping a sharper eye out for auto theft than ever before – since the economic impact [...]
When your friend shares their Netflix account with you, your first thought probably isn’t that what you’re doing is illegal. After all, it’s just the sharing of a password on a streaming service, how bad could it be?
It turns out that sharing streaming service account information with friends and family isn’t unusual, but it is technically legal.
According to internal streaming service polls, 12 percent of people who use the streaming service aren’t paying for it and it’s costing [...]
Taking a couple of towels or a pillow from a hotel room may not seem to be a big deal. While it’s true that hotels build losses due to theft into their annual budgets, it’s still a crime to take something from one that doesn’t belong to you.
In Colorado, the penalties you may face from theft are based on the value of the property taken. Here’s what you need to know about theft in Colorado that may give you [...]
Self-defense is one of the most frequently raised arguments in Colorado criminal cases involving assault, homicide, or weapons charges. When a person believes their safety is threatened, the law allows them to use reasonable force to protect themselves. However, the scope of that right depends on the circumstances. While some states have explicit “stand your ground” statutes, Colorado takes a different approach, blending principles of the Castle Doctrine, the state’s “Make My Day” law, and court rulings that have shaped [...]
If a prosecutor has surveillance footage, you might feel your case is hopeless. The reality is, this powerful evidence is not foolproof. The Law Office of Jacob Martinez, a Denver, CO criminal defense attorney, focuses on challenging the reliability of surveillance footage. We investigate technical flaws like poor image quality and legal issues such as a compromised chain of custody or constitutional violations. By exposing these vulnerabilities, we can work to have the footage excluded or cast significant doubt on [...]
The legal process can be confusing and intimidating, with serious consequences for your future, your freedom, and your reputation. Knowing you have a lawyer who understands the local legal system, knows the judges and prosecutors, and is ready to act on your behalf can make a significant difference. If you are in Denver, having a Denver, CO criminal defense lawyer with this local insight is particularly important.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, we are deeply familiar with Denver’s [...]