Airline holds plane for slain tot's grandpa

AURORA | The family of a toddler who police say was killed last week by his mother’s boyfriend shared a pretty remarkable story Monday about a sympathetic airline crew. 

According to the story, first posted on the blog www.elliott.org, run by consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, Caden Rodgers’ grandfather was rushing from California to Denver to be with his family after the toddler was hospitalized. 

When he landed at an Arizona airport, where he switched planes for the flight to Denver, he was running a few minutes late. The Southwest Airlines pilot, knowing what the family was going through, held the plane for him for 12 minutes. 

Here is a link to the full story on Elliott’s blog. 

Nancy Dickinson, the woman who shared the story, confirmed to me this morning that Caden Rodgers is her grandson. I will have more on this story this afternoon.

-Brandon

Toddler dies, stiffer charges likely

Theodore Madrid

AURORA | A man arrested Wednesday on a felony child abuse charge will likely face an even stiffer charge after the toddler died Thursday night. 

It wasn’t clear Friday what charges Theodore I. Madrid, 30, will face, police said, but they will be more-serious than the felony child abuse charge police arrested him on earlier in the week. 

Caden Rodgers, the two-year-old son of Madrid’s girlfriend, died around 9:20 p.m. Thursday from injuries suffered while he was in Madrid’s care Wednesday, police said. 

The Arapahoe County coroner’s office said Friday the cause of Rodgers’ death had not yet been determined. An autopsy on the toddler was scheduled for Monday. 

Police arrested Madrid at an apartment in the 100 block of Dayton Street after his girlfriend called 911 Wednesday afternoon. 

Sgt. Cassidee Carlson, a spokeswoman for Aurora police, said the girlfriend came home from work and found the child, who Madrid had been watching, seriously injured. 

DUI crackdown nets 1,500 arrests

AURORA | Police around Colorado arrested more than 1,500 people on DUI charges during a statewide crackdown that stretched from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

In addition to the 1,556 arrests, police around the state dealt with 41 fatal crashes during that stretch, 14 of which were alcohol-related. 

Click below for the CDOT release on the crackdown. 

****UPDATE**** Man faces felony child abuse charge

Theodore Madrid

The toddler hurt Wednesday has died, police just announced.
Police identified the boy as Caden Rodgers, 2, and said he died Thursday night. 


Our original story on the case is below, we will have more on this shortly.
-Brandon


AURORA | An Aurora man is facing a felony child abuse charge after his girlfriend’s toddler son was seriously injured Wednesday at an Aurora apartment, police said. 

Police arrested Theodore I. Madrid, 30, Wednesday afternoon at an apartment in the 100 block of Dayton Street. 

According to a statement from Aurora police, officers responded to the home that afternoon on a 911 call. 

When officers arrived they found the toddler, who was in Madrid’s care, suffering life-threatening injuries.

Bus driver gets probation in fatal crash

AURORA | A bus driver from Aurora charged in a fatal crash last spring at a Denver intersection was sentenced to probation Thursday, Channel 7 is reporting.

Tideneykiyalesh Hawariyat, 30, pleaded guilty in November to two counts of careless driving resulting in death and one count of careless driving resulting in injury.

Under terms of her plea, she faced up to three years of probation, which a judge sentenced her to Thursday.


In addition to probation, Hawariyat was given a one-year suspended jail sentence on the condition she completes probation, performs 250 hours of community service, pays a $450 fine and additional fees and court costs and relinquishes her driver’s license for three years, Channel 7 reported.


Prosecutors say on April 3, Hawariyat, a driver for Veolia Transportation, failed to stop at a red light at Eighth and Lincoln, colliding with two vehicles. Two people were killed, 10 bus passengers were injured, and one passenger in a second vehicle was injured, prosecutors said.

Rice up for parole next year

Braden Rice

AURORA | A man sentenced to six years in prison Monday for a July 4, 2009 slaying in north Aurora will be eligible for parole in May 2012, prison records show. 

Braden Rice, 20, will get his first parole hearing in February 2012, according to Colorado Department of Corrections records posted online. 

If the parole board rejects Rice’s release and he serves his entire six year sentence, Rice will be released May 25, 2015, when he is 25. 

Rice, 20, was convicted last fall of reckless manslaughter for the July 4, 2009 slaying of MacWinston Dowthard, 40, outside a north Aurora apartment complex.

Prosecutors charged Rice with first-degree murder, arguing he “executed” Dowthard that night at the Sage Creek Apartments. 

But two juries balked at that charge, first a hung jury last spring and again last fall when a jury convicted Rice only of the lesser charge of reckless manslaughter. 

That charge carried a maximum sentence of six years in prison, which a judge gave Rice on Monday. 

According to prison records, Rice has yet to be transferred from the Adams County Jail, where he has been held since July 2009, to a DOC facility. 

Man gets 216 years for shooting at cops

Manuel Diaz

AURORA | A man who fired a pistol at police and led them on a high-speed chase in February 2009 was sentenced to 216 years in prison today.

Manuel Adrian Diaz, 32, was previously convicted of multiple charges, including attempted murder and drug trafficking, prosecutors said in a statement. 

Here is a link to previous coverage of the case. 

Click below for the statement from prosecutors.