Investigators with the Mesa County District Attorney’s Office will re-interview witnesses in an abuse case because the main police officer who gathered information on the case has died.
Former Grand Junction Police Department officer Glenn Coyne was the sole officer to conduct interviews in a case against Errin Hubbard, 23, who is accused of abusing an elderly woman at Larchwood Inns, 2845 N. 15th St.
Coyne was arrested Oct. 1 on charges of sexually assaulting a woman and he committed suicide five days later.
Hubbard, who has been charged with third-degree assault on an at-risk victim and a misdemeanor count of neglect of an at-risk victim, was slated Thursday for a plea hearing. Her case was postponed until Dec. 10.
Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said his office will not systemically re-investigate cases in which Coyne interviewed witnesses.
“It will be on a case by case basis,” he said.
However, the case against Hubbard is “fairly complex and sensitive,” Hautzinger said.
According to an arrest affidavit, a nurse’s aide at the facility watched Hubbard place a pillow over the face of a female patient to stop her from screaming. The woman was a patient of six years at the facility and has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the affidavit said.
The co-worker said that she heard Hubbard yelling at the woman to shut up, and that a moment later the patient’s voice was muffled. The patient told police that Hubbard placed a white rag in her mouth before covering her face with a pillow and had done similar things in the past, the affidavit said.
Hubbard declined to be interviewed by police without an attorney present.
Grand Junction Police Chief John Camper said authorities have no reason to question Coyne’s interviews, but that it’s normal procedure in this kind of circumstance to re-investigate the case.
Email AMY HAMILTON
Comments
By Snap
Nov 6, 2009 7:56 PM | Link to this
Better late than never I suppose. KKCO already broke this story a day or so ago. How about uncovering something new. Still haven't heard a thing about Shawn Miller, the Central & Palisade High School athletic trainer that killed himself in Utah on October 29th. Word is that a criminal complaint had been filed against him about something. Where is the story on that?
By TO RON:
Nov 6, 2009 3:35 PM | Link to this
It wasn't a complete ignorant remark as it was getting the facts right. I know the victim first hand so I know the facts and was just trying to set them straight.
By Ron
Nov 6, 2009 11:39 AM | Link to this
I can't help but wonder if people read some of their comment's before they have a brain fart and blurt out a complete ignorant remark what difference does it make if the victom is 50 or 5 she was in the care of a person who was to provide care and this person is reported to have abused her Jesus people have the moral's of this world sunk so bad that violence and abuse is now the acceptable action's of people and are we more concerned about a person's age rather than the reported crime taken against her?
By Correction:
Nov 6, 2009 10:55 AM | Link to this
The victim is not elderly and actually is only in her early 50's. Maybe you should get the facts before you report a story.
By Friend of the victim's family
Nov 6, 2009 10:23 AM | Link to this
I think it is wrong that this woman is only getting charged with a felony assault. The victim was unable to defend herself and if she wasn't stopped it could have come out a lot worse. What happened to the attempted murder charges? It's more than assault when you try to smother someone who is defenseless with a pillow just to get her to stop yelling because you gagged her with a rag. Background checks people, not only do we have a woman who gets a job as a nurse for the elderly trying to kill them, but then we get a cop to investigate the crime who's just as bad and kills himself because he should have been a sex offender and not a police officer.
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