GOLDEN, Colo. — The Jefferson County jail began releasing inmates early on Sunday as part of a new plan to reduce the jail's population after budget cuts this year.
The sheriff's office said it planned to release 31 inmates on Sunday, according to a news release.
A $5.5 million budget reduction for 2020 cut staffing and forced the sheriff's office to close the seventh floor of the jail this year, dropping the jail capacity from 1,392 beds to 1,148 beds, the news release said. Under the reduction plan this year, when the jail population exceeds that capacity by 2%, the jail will begin releasing qualified inmates who have served at least 50% of their sentence.
Inmates sentenced to a statutory minimum sentence under state law won't be eligible for early release. Some inmates also may have a directive from a judge that prohibits emergency release.
In the news release, Sheriff Jeff Shrader said early release "undermines the authority of the judges and the authority of the court."
"Releasing inmates early, before they have completed their full sentence, is also not the message we want to send to criminals," Shrader saiad. "Unfortunately, it is the action we have to take to meet the budgetary constraints we are currently faced with, and to maintain a safe environment for those who are incarcerated and our employees who work in the jail."
The following are the names of 21 inmates that are being released, according to a list provided by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The charges and the percent of their sentences served are also listed. The 10 remaining names are not yet available.
INMATE: Karl Christopher
CHARGE: Probation revoked – DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 99
INMATE: Ronald Rogacki
CHARGE: Probation revoked – DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 99
INMATE: Veronica Bell
CHARGE: Possession of burglary tools, possession of controlled substance
PERCENT SERVED: 98
INMATE: Charles Lewis
CHARGE: Possession of aggravated motor vehicle theft parts, aggravated motor vehicle theft
PERCENT SERVED: 98
INMATE: Gary Quintana
CHARGE: Possession of controlled substance
PERCENT SERVED: 96
INMATE: Arnulfo Borrego
CHARGE: Probation revoked – theft
PERCENT SERVED: 95
INMATE: Jordan Havil
CHARGE: Probation revoked – DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 94
INMATE: Britton Hummell
CHARGE: DUI with 3 priors
PERCENT SERVED: 94
INMATE: Oscar Lopez
CHARGE: Motor vehicle theft
PERCENT SERVED: 93
INMATE: William Bowen
CHARGE: DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 93
INMATE: Frank Vialpando
CHARGE: Uninsured vehicle
PERCENT SERVED: 92
INMATE: Abraham Madrid
CHARGE: 2 counts of theft, possession of drug paraphernalia
PERCENT SERVED: 92
INMATE: Gary Larson
CHARGE: Probation revoked – DWAI
PERCENT SERVED: 92
INMATE: Damien Medina
CHARGE: Criminal possession of financial transaction device
PERCENT SERVED: 90
INMATE: Alejandro Gomez
CHARGE: Possession of a controlled substance
PERCENT SERVED: 90
INMATE: Joel Castorena-Ramirez
CHARGE: Reckless driving
PERCENT SERVED: 90
INMATE: John Podszebka
CHARGE: DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 89
INMATE: Brett Bogenrief
CHARGE: Theft
PERCENT SERVED: 88
INMATE: Steven Gonzales
CHARGE: Probation revoked – theft
PERCENT SERVED: 88
INMATE: Anthony Fisher
CHARGE: Probation revoked – identity theft
PERCENT SERVED: 88
INMATE: Ivan Alvarez
CHARGE: DUI
PERCENT SERVED: 87