DENVER – The security guard charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man outside of dueling protests in Denver last year will no longer have to wear a GPS monitoring device as part of his bond conditions, a judge ruled Friday.
Matthew Dolloff, 31, was scheduled for his arraignment Friday in Denver District Court, but the arraignment was continued to April 23. The arraignment had originally been scheduled for Feb. 19 but was continued at that time as well to give the parties more time to prepare.
On April 23, he is expected to be arraigned and his defense counsel and prosecutors are also expected to undergo a motions hearing regarding a defense witness who specializes in cell phones, counsel said during Friday’s hearing.
Dolloff is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Lee Keltner, 49.
Dolloff’s defense counsel, attorneys Doug Richards and Kristen Frost, asked the judge to remove the requirement of his bond terms that he wear a GPS monitor at all times, arguing that Dolloff had not violated any conditions of his bond thus far and that the GPS monitor was “overly burdensome” and “unnecessary.”
They said that the requirement was put in place when he was originally facing a first-degree murder charge, though he was formally charged with the lesser second-degree murder count. And the attorneys also noted that there was no victim listed in the protection order that was issued.
Zach McCabe, a senior deputy district attorney in Denver, said that Keltner’s widow and family members objected to the removal of the requirement and said he believed the bond terms should stay the same.
But Senior Judge R. Michael Mullins granted the defense’s request, saying he did not believe that Dolloff posed a threat to the community if he was not wearing a GPS monitor nor that he might leave the jurisdiction of the court and flee.
At the April 23 arraignment, Dolloff will be advised of the charge he faces and is likely to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
Dolloff was working as a security guard contracted by Isborn Security Services and Pinkerton on behalf of 9News last October for the two protests when he allegedly shot Keltner during a confrontation between the two men.
Both security companies were cited in early November for violations of the city’s municipal code related to employing or directing an unlicensed security guard.
But Dolloff was not licensed to carry a firearm in Denver and did not possess a Denver Security Guard License, which led to a settlement agreement between Isborn and the city in December and a recommendation issued last month on Pinkerton’s license suspended.
Dolloff was released on a $500,000 bond in early November.