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Defendant guilty in 2022 killing of Arvada police Officer Dillon Vakoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

By Stephanie Butzer, Denver7A man accused of killing an Arvada police officer in 2022 amid a violent family disturbance has been found guilty on all counts by a jury in Jefferson County.Sonny Thomas Almanza III was standing trial in connection with the deadly shooting of Officer Dillon Vakoff, 27, and nonfatal shooting of a woman early Sept. 11, 2022.The jury reached a verdict Thursday, one day after prosecutors and the defense presented their closing arguments. They found Almanza guilty on all counts, which included first-degree murder of a peace officer with extreme indifference, first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder with extreme indifference, attempted murder, second-degree assault, possessing a weapon as a felon, possessing a large-capacity magazine during a crime and trespassing.Sentencing was set for 2:30 p.m. Dec. 14.Read more at Denver7.Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

Southern California home targeted by armed burglars twice in one week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

A Granada Hills family who was previously targeted in a “dinnertime burglary” was victimized again Tuesday night, marking the second time burglars have ransacked the home in less than a week.Located in the Greyhawk Ranch community, the victim’s home was burglarized on Nov. 29 when thieves escaped with around $150,000 worth of valuables.The victim, only identified as David, was returning home from Christmas shopping with his wife and their newborn baby when he spotted the thieves leaving his home with a stockpile of stolen items.He chased them down in his car and rammed their vehicle to prevent them from fleeing the neighborhood. The burglars eventually escaped in their damaged vehicle.However, just days later, a group of intruders, possibly the same ones who previously ransacked his home, broke into his residence once again.The home, currently undergoing renovation and upgrading, sits along Wood Ranch Road. The victim and his family are fearful for their safety.Video from a baby mon...

San Jose Sharks earn remarkable comeback win over Detroit Red Wings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

Mikael Granlund scored 37 seconds into overtime to give the San Jose Sharks an unforgettable 6-5 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.After creating a turnover, Fabian Zetterlund and Granlund came into the Red Wings zone on a 2-on-0. Zetterlund then passed to Granlund, who beat Red Wings goalie Ville Husso as the Sharks improved to 3-2-0 on their six-game road trip that ends Sunday in Las Vegas.The goal came after the Sharks engineered a massive comeback in the second period, scoring four unanswered goals almost immediately after they allowed four in a row.The Sharks then erased a second Red Wings lead, as Tomas Hertl scored with 1:29 left in the third period, more than five minutes after Dylan Larkin scored a go-ahead goal with 6:40 left in the third period at Little Caesars Arena.The Sharks put themselves in a spot to earn at least a point after an unlikely and nearly record-setting rally in the second period.The Red Wings scored four times in a span of 4:35 with Michael Ras...

Warriors: The latest on Gary Payton II’s calf injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

Gary Payton II will be out at least one more week as he recovers from a strained right calf, the Warriors announced.Payton, 31, injured his right calf coming off of a screen and exited early from the Warriors’ loss to the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 28. An MRI revealed a strain with a tentative week-to-week timeline for recovery.Payton will, at least, miss the Warriors’ next road trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. At the time of his injury, Payton was playing his second game since returning from an ankle sprain that sidelined him for three games prior.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Former Warriors GM Bob Myers shares a regret from 2020 NBA Draft Golden State Warriors | What the Warriors can learn from Jonathan Kuminga’s big game against Portland Golden State Warriors | Behind Curry and Kuminga, Warriors flip flat start into win over Portland Golden State Warriors | ...

Alissa Pili scores a season-high 31 points and No. 11 Utah women hand Saint Joseph’s its first loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alissa Pili scored a season-high 31 points to reach 20-plus for the fifth straight game and No. 11 Utah used a big fourth quarter to beat Saint Joseph’s 74-48 on Thursday.Pili took over in the first five minutes of the fourth, making all five of her field-goal attempts during a personal 14-2 run for a 65-43 lead. She finished 12 of 17 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds for Utah (8-1). Pili came up just short of tying her career high of 33 points, set in the NCAA Tournament last season.Kennady McQueen scored 11 of Utah’s opening 27 points and didn’t score again. Saint Joseph’s was held to six points in the first quarter and didn’t reach 11 points until Emma Boslet scored with 5:47 left in the second quarter. The Hawks started making just 3 of 19 shots. Talya Brugler scored 16 points for Saint Joseph’s (8-1), which was attempting to start 9-0 for a second straight season. The Hawks are 7-33 all-time against ranked teams under head coach Cindy Gri...

Two networks announce GOP presidential debates just days apart at same New Hampshire school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two television networks on Thursday announced they would hold separate Republican presidential debates at the same location in New Hampshire just ahead of that state’s GOP primary next month, but officials at Saint Anselm College said they were only aware of one of the events.CNN said earlier in the day that it would host a Jan. 10 debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, five days before the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, and a Jan. 21 debate at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, two days before that state’s leadoff primary.Later Thursday, ABC News and WMUR-TV announced that they would partner for a Jan. 18 debate at Saint Anselm College.Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm, told The Associated Press he was not aware of any planning for an event with CNN.“I have no idea about anything with any other network,” Levesque said Thursday night, referring to the CNN event.Levesque ...

Seychelles declares an emergency after deadly flooding and a blast at an explosives depot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

VICTORIA, Seychelles (AP) — The Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles declared a state of emergency Thursday after flooding killed three people and a huge blast at an explosives depot near the capital injured scores of others.The explosion caused mostly minor injuries to 178 people, the health ministry said. It took place around 2 a.m. Thursday and came after hours of heavy rain and flooding starting Wednesday evening, mostly in the north of the main island of Mahe, though authorities did not link the blast to the weather.Waters from the rains flooded houses, washed away parts of roads and caused landslides in some areas. Two of the people who died in the flooding were trapped in their home, authorities said.The explosion took place in the industrial area of Providence, around 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) southeast of the capital, Victoria, the country’s president said. The blast destroyed buildings, flattened trees and left a large crater. National TV showed people at hospital...

Defending champion Argentina opens Copa América against Canada or Trinidad. US starts with Bolivia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Defending champion Argentina opens next year’s Copa América on June 20 in Atlanta against the winner of a Canada-Trinidad and Tobago playoff, and the U.S. starts vs. Bolivia three days later at Arlington, Texas.Argentina also faces Chile at East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 25 in a repeat of the 2016 final at MetLife Stadium and closes Group A four days later against Peru at Miami Gardens, Florida, also site of the final on July 14.The U.S. was matched up to play Panama at Atlanta on June 27 and finishes Group C against Uruguay at Kansas City, Missouri, on July 1, according to the draw Thursday night.Brazil heads Group D of the 16-nation tournament and faces the Costa Rica-Honduras playoff winner at Inglewood, California, on June 24, Paraguay at Las Vegas four days later and Colombia at Santa Clara, California, on July 2.Mexico is seeded in Group B and plays Jamaica at Houston on June 22, Venezuela at Inglewood four days later and Ecuador at Glendale, Arizona, on Jun...

Homeless encampment has Uptown residents prepared to break leases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- When a homeless encampment appeared at 18th Avenue and North Marion Street near Saint Joseph Hospital on Oct. 4, neighbors hoped it would be short-lived.Instead, residents from the upscale Kendrick apartment buildings told the Problem Solvers it's been a downward spiral of safety concerns. Homelessness in Denver up 58% since 2016 "Drug dealers are coming by. Drug deals are happening, open drug use, there's needles and human waste everywhere. We've had residents report that they found people in stairwells doing fentanyl," said Corrine, a recent transplant from Phoenix.The 36-year-old is one of three Kendrick residents who spoke to FOX31 but requested we not use their last names because of safety concerns.Residents describe security concerns"I feel unsafe in my own home scenario because I can't go outside without a new thing happening. We're right next to a hospital. We thought we were going to be safe living near here," said Connie, a 33-year-old transplant from C...

Longmont horse therapy program needs property donation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:15 GMT

LONGMONT, Colo. (KDVR) — A place where horses are changing the lives of children coping with disabilities is in danger of shutting down.The Horses Make Miracles program must find a new location within the next few months because the existing property is being sold. That means children and seniors along the Front Range will no longer have a place to receive therapy that is improving their quality of life. Photos: Bighorn sheep stuck on roof in Boulder Founder Linda Raulino has been providing horse therapy to children and adults for nearly 40 years.“They are very sentimental and sensitive beings, and I know having horses all my life, I went through a rough patch, and they saved me,” Raulino told FOX31.Gabe Villarreal, 8, and Sam Villarreal, 9, participate in the program. They demonstrated their grooming skills while pampering their best friends, horses Dakota and Tony.“I like to get the circle brush and brush in circles," Gabe said.Their mother told FOX31 that her children have trul...