From Ballotpedia
El Paso County
Douglas Bruce
Ticketed for trespassing
On September 21, 2009 Colorado Springs Municipal Judge Spencer A. Gresham dismissed the trespassing charge against Douglas Bruce and Douglas Stinehagen after finding that the date on the ticket was incorrectly changed by the officer. According to reports, Bruce objected to the dismissal because he said that it may only delay the case further and may interfere with the November election. Later that day, police reissued the citations with a court date of October 14, 2009.[1]
Bruce argues against petition blocking
Douglas Bruce, a local advocate against taxes, was charged with trespassing while circulating a petition for Colorado Springs City Enterprise Measure, a measure scheduled for the November 3, 2009 ballot in El Paso County. Bruce and a fellow signature gatherer were collecting signatures in the parking lot of Costco. Bruce argues that he was charged with crime in order to slow down his ballot measure efforts because in past practice people are allowed to gather signatures in large commercial spaces. On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, the city prosecutor Michelle Keller filed a motion to order both Bruce and Douglas Stinehagen from any "...mention of freedom of speech, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution or Article II, Section 10, of the Colorado Constitution." Additionally, the motion calls for preventing ant mention of a defense based on "vindictive prosecution," the petition itself and "police policies regarding petition activities."[2]
City official said to break campaign law
City Attorney Patricia Kelly was accused in September of illegally using government resources to oppose a 2008 ballot measure proposed by Douglas Bruce. According to Thomas Marreses, a former city employee, Kelly was involved in preparing a memo to marshal opposition for the 2008 measure - a violation of the Fair Campaign Practices Act. Despite the failure of the 2008 measure, Bruce has since proposed a similar measure, Colorado Springs City Enterprise Measure, 2009, which is scheduled to appear on the November 2009 ballot.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 7News - The Denver Channel,"Judge Tosses Doug Bruce Trespassing Charge, Officers Reissue Ticket," September 21, 2009
- ↑ The Gazette,"OUR VIEW: Prosecutor puts brakes on Bruce," September 18, 2009
- ↑ The Gazette,"Fired city attorney accuses boss of breaking campaign law," September 9, 2009
