Let’s review three stories out of Colorado Springs CO . . . see if you can guess the difference.
First is this account of a man who literally ran over a woman in a local parking lot, killing her. He has been found incompetent and all charges have been dismissed. He was released from jail with no punishment, no parole. The family of the victim is devastated. They don’t even know if the man will lose his driver’s license. Honestly, this story is just too bizarre to believe. I don’t get it at all.
Then there’s this, another unbelievable account of another arrest made in Colorado Springs! A repeat offender was captured with a few illegal things:
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A prolific offender was arrested multiple times in Colorado Springs, which resulted in the seizure of more than 40 firearms and over 23,000 fentanyl pills.
According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), the first arrest occurred on April 9, during which the Metro Narcotics Unit took 45-year-old Orvle Embry into custody for felony eluding. During a search of Embry’s car, detectives recovered a large amount of drugs, guns, and cash, including:
- Drug paraphernalia
- Hundreds of rounds of loaded magazines in various calibers
- Five rifles
- Four pistols
- 2,351.26 grams of fentanyl (approximately 23,500 pills)
- 14 grams of marijuana
- 0.91 grams of LSD
- 4.47 grams of prescription medication
- 51.41 grams of heroin
- 58.44 grams of cocaine
- 411.89 grams of methamphetamine
- $14,296 in cash
An additional search of Embry’s home on Hidden Circle near Austin Bluffs Parkway and Academy Boulevard recovered additional evidence:
- 32.3 grams of methamphetamine
- 13.5 grams of fentanyl
- Five guns
- 8.9 grams of cocaine
- $2,266 in cash
Embry was released on a $300,000 bond. On July 27, CSPD said an officer who was familiar with Embry’s extensive criminal history saw him going into the Walmart on Platte Avenue, and while he was inside the store, observed drug paraphernalia in Embry’s truck. When he returned to the car, Embry and a woman with him were taken into custody after a short foot chase.
Yep, he was released on bond,
And now here’s another story about one other man. It was more after the fact. This man died in 2018. He was tased to death by the Colorado Springs police.
The family of a 27-year-old man killed by Colorado Springs police officers in 2018 reached a $3.2 million settlement with the city Tuesday.
According to court documents, Jeffrey Melvin Jr. died in the hospital on May 2, 2018, six days after being tased up to eight times in a two minute period by CSPD Officers Daniel Patterson and Joshua Archer. The officers were attempting to arrest Melvin after responding to calls of a late night disturbance at the Remington Apartments in the southeast of the city.
Will you be surprised to learn that Jeffrey Melvin Jr. wasn’t even at the apartment during the actual altercation the police who killed him in 2018 were investigating? He arrived 18 minutes later, as officers were checking for warrants on the occupants and searching for evidence of other crimes.
“No amount of money will bring my son back home to us,” Melvin’s father, Jeffrey Melvin Sr., said in a statement. “But,I am glad that Colorado Springs finally came to the table and agreed to settle the case and recognize the tragedy they inflicted on our family.”
Body camera footage from the encounter shows Melvin appearing surprised and confused by the presence of the officers and trying to lock himself in the apartment. Officer Patterson ordered Melvin to turn around and put his arms behind his back. Melvin resisted, asking “What am I being detained for?”