Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams just got stuck doing the one thing no sheriff ever wants to do: let a dangerous man walk right back into the community. Not because the DA botched the case. Not because the jury would’ve been unconvinced. Nope – because some pinheads in Denver passed a law that essentially tells judges and prosecutors, “If a doctor says he’s too mentally ill to stand trial, well then, open the gates, boys – he’s free!”
That’s not criminal justice. That’s state-sponsored roulette, and every one of us is the chip on the table.
The Case That Lit the Fuse
The man at the center of this clown show is Debisa Ephraim, 21 years old and already racking up more criminal charges than a slot machine racks up cherries. Attempted murder. Assault. Robbery. Theft. Ten separate criminal cases in just three years. And do you know what he’s serving for it? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Every single case was dismissed because Colorado’s competency laws say if the state doctor rules you’re “incompetent and not restorable,” the judge must drop the charges.
Let me translate that legalese into plain Scott-speak: if you’re too unstable to face trial, congratulations! You just won a “get out of jail free” card. Don’t worry, though – they might keep you in a hospital for a while, unless of course, they don’t.
Sheriff Reams called it “demoralizing.” That’s polite. The real word is insane – in every sense. The sister of one of Ephraim’s victims told reporters she’s terrified now that he’s free in Weld County. Imagine that: you survive an attempted murder, and the state’s response is, “Good luck out there – don’t forget to double lock your door.”
HB24-1034: The Law That Broke the Dam
Now, how the hell did we get here? Enter House Bill 24-1034 – passed in 2024, courtesy of the Colorado Legislature. It was sold as a compassionate fix to our overcrowded jails and messy competency system. Lawmakers wanted consistency. They wanted efficiency. They wanted to look like they cared about mental health. So they changed the law from saying judges “may dismiss” charges if someone’s not restorable… to “must dismiss.”
That one-word swap – “may” to “must” – is the reason a guy accused of trying to kill someone in Weld County is now walking free.
And Ephraim isn’t the only horror story HB24-1034 has handed us:
- A man accused of stabbing a Lakewood doctor had his charges dismissed.
- A drunk driver who killed two people walked free after being found incompetent.
- A creep who tried to kidnap children in Aurora was released, despite national outrage.
All thanks to this legislative masterpiece that prioritizes paperwork consistency over public safety.
So the next time Denver politicians get up at the mic and wax poetic about “community safety,” remember this: they knowingly passed a law that guarantees violent, unstable offenders don’t face justice.
Weld County: The Outlier With a Charter
But here’s where Weld is different. Unlike most counties, Weld has a Home Rule Charter – basically a political get-out-of-jail card of its own, except this one actually helps people instead of hurting them.
Adopted in 1975, Weld’s Home Rule gives the county commissioners broad powers beyond the tight little box state law normally puts counties in. Most counties in Colorado have to play Mother May I with Denver before they act. Weld doesn’t. Under Home Rule, Weld can legislate locally on anything related to the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, so long as it doesn’t outright contradict state or federal law. That means:
- The commissioners can and should pass local ordinances with teeth to plug the holes Denver drilled in our safety net.
- The county attorney’s office can hire prosecutors to deal with these competency messes. Take note: This costs money – so Weld County citizens must decide if public safety is worth it (spoiler: this Weld County citizen believes it is).
- Weld could even create a Public Safety Code that ensures if Denver says “let ‘em walk,” Weld can at least slap ankle monitors, mandatory outpatient treatment, or other guardrails on them.
Home Rule doesn’t make Weld a sovereign nation – we can’t rewrite the state’s criminal code. But it does give us more tools than most counties. While Denver’s busy fiddling with “compassionate” legislation that leaves citizens exposed, Weld can step in and actually do something about it.
The Bottom Line: Every Crime is Local
Crime doesn’t happen to “the state.” It happens to people. It happens to your kid’s teacher, your barber, the woman you see at King Soopers. Every victim is one of our neighbors. And when the state shrugs its shoulders and says, “Sorry, the law says we can’t protect you,” then Weld not only has the authority – it has the obligation – to step up.
Sheriff Reams is right to sound the alarm. The public needs to know this gap exists. And Weld needs to start talking seriously about how to close it – quickly.
If Denver lawmakers won’t protect our citizens, then Weld damn well better. Because leaving people defenseless isn’t progressive. It’s reckless.
And if the state insists on flushing public safety down the toilet, Weld had better grab the plunger.
So here’s the call: Fellow Weld County commissioners, let’s dust off that Home Rule Charter and put it to work. Sheriff Reams has done his part by shining the spotlight. Now it’s time to show that Weld doesn’t just follow Denver off a cliff – we build the guardrails to keep our people safe.
