6 MAY 4-10, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Judge Not TYLER BOEBERT IS ALLOWED A VIRTUAL COURT APPEARANCE DESPITE A BENCH WARRANT FOR A PRIOR NO-SHOW. BY C HRIS PEREZ Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s eldest son, Tyler, has been accused of receiving special treatment over the past few months in relation to a September 2022 car crash that left a friend hospitalized and led to a misde- meanor charge of “careless driving causing bodily injury” — which was later reduced to a “defective vehicle for headlights” ticket. On April 24, the favoritism apparently continued: A Garfi eld County judge let Tyler appear in court virtually, instead of in person, despite his failure to show up at a previous hearing and getting hit with a bench war- rant as a result. “Typically, if a defendant misses a court hearing and a bench warrant is issued or stayed, they are required to appear for the next date,” says Sarah Nordgaard, deputy district attorney with the 9th Judicial Dis- trict. “Whether that is virtual or in person just depends on individual circumstances.” Tyler, who turned eighteen in March, was scheduled to appear in court and provide proof of completing the “Alive at 25” driver awareness program — one of the key terms of his “defective vehicle for head- lights” plea deal. It was the very last stop on his months-long road of legal drama. “He must’ve emailed in the certifi cate,” said a Garfi eld County court clerk, who added that virtual appearances are considered on a “case-by-case basis. If people request it, they can be granted or denied.” Clerk of Court Dawn Garey con- fi rmed that the judge overseeing Tyler’s case allowed him to appear virtually through the court’s WebEx service. “It’s up to the judge...to appear virtually by telephone or in person,” she said. The Boebert camp declined to comment. Tyler Boebert has hit a few bumps in recent months. In March, the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s 3rd Con- gressional District revealed that her son was about to become a father. At that point, he was already dealing with fallout from the September 2022 crash. Tyler was initially supposed to appear in court on April 10 for the mandatory “Alive at 25” review hearing related to the accident, when he fl ipped his father’s SUV into a creek bed in Garfield County. Noble D’Amato, a nineteen-year-old friend who was rid- ing shotgun, wound up hospitalized with “multiple concus- sions” and a severely lacerated hand. “I still have prob- lems with my hand,” D’Amato told West- word. “My thumb almost got cut off. It prevented me from getting a welding job, because I can’t hold a TIG torch anymore. I’m a personal-care provider now.” The crash, which went down around 11:30 p.m. on a Sat- urday night, also led to D’Amato’s being charged with un- lawful possession of a schedule IV con- trolled substance after he was found carrying unprescribed Xanax pills, according to the Colorado State Police. A “silver marijuana grinder w/small amount of marijuana” was also reported to have been found in D’Amato’s backpack at the scene of the crash, earning him a drug paraphernalia charge since he was under 21. Tyler was ticketed for “careless driving resulting in bodily injury,” but that was later pleaded down to a “defective vehicle” charge. He was supposed to appear in court on April 10 to show that he’d completed the court-ordered driving course, but was a no-show. His mother was not aware that he’d failed to appear, ac- cording to a source within the Boebert camp. In most cases, a bench warrant is typically issued for a defendant who misses a court date. But that didn’t happen in Tyler’s case. “The judge ordered the clerk to send a let- ter to the defendant with a stay of execution on the bench warrant,” Garey said. The court updated its system on April 11 to show that Tyler had called the clerk’s offi ce to get his hearing rescheduled for April 24. D’Amato was baffl ed by his former pal’s failure to appear in court last month, and accused Tyler of receiving special treatment. “Really, like what the fuck?” D’Amato said. “What else are you doing? Like, go to your court date. I would try to be like, ‘Oh, shit, I should be on my best behavior.’” Added D’Amato: “He’s the son of Lauren Boebert. If I did what he did, I’d still be in jail.” According to court records, being a no-show runs in the Boebert family. A 2016 careless driving incident once resulted in Lauren Boebert being tossed in jail for approximately 100 minutes for failing to appear in court, according to the Denver Post. In 2015, Boebert had been hit with a disorderly conduct charge related to an incident at a music festival near Grand Junction — and she missed her court date then, too. Over the past decade, Lauren Boebert has received a summons or been arrested at least four times. Critics have continually called out the con- gresswoman for putting her personal life and family in the spotlight, sending out Christmas cards with her children brandishing guns and bragging about being a young grandmother. “Obviously, I’m a Christian, and there are standards that we like to uphold, but none of us do it perfectly,” she said during a March 30 interview on The Rubin Report, after she’d announced Tyler’s impending father- hood. “We can nitpick what the Bible says is right and wrong, but I think just having that heart posture of wanting to serve God, it’s so important.” “Tyler never asked to be in the spotlight,” said the Boebert source. “He is just a young man trying to live his life as a private citizen.” At least his crash case is now in the rearview. “If a defendant fails to appear for a court appearance, and there is another court ap- pearance in the future, the defendant is re- quired to appear at that next court date,” reiterates deputy DA Nordgaard. “This judge’s practice is if any required paperwork is re- turned to the court in advance of the hearing, the defendant is not required to appear at all. If there is no paperwork in advance of hear- ing, the defendant is to appear; the method of appearance — whether in person or virtu- ally — depends on individual circumstances, to explain why they don’t have the required paperwork turned in to the court timely.” Since Tyler appeared virtually and he submitted proof of “Alive at 25” completion, his court requirements are offi cially satisfi ed. “His case is closed, and he has no fur- ther obligations to this judge for this case,” Nordgaard says. Email the author at [email protected]. NEWS KEEP UP ON DENVER NEWS AT WESTWORD.COM/NEWS Congresswoman Lauren Boebert with her son Tyler. L AUREN BOEBERT/INSTAGRAM Tyler Boebert’s friend Noble D’Amato, who was injured in the 2022 car crash. FACEBOOK
