Portland, Oregon’s homeless crisis has impacted the city of Denver. A homeless Portland man with an extensive criminal background recently relocated to Denver and accumulated even more criminal charges. The city sent him right back by providing a one-way bus ticket to Portland. According to police there, he is still homeless.
In an effort to tackle its homeless problem, Portland has initiated a bus ticket program called Ticket Home to provide bus tickets to homeless people who have places to live elsewhere; yet many cities are doing the same by sending their own homeless people to Portland. The convict in question received a $248 bus ticket back to Portland in November of 2016. He was originally born in L.A. in 1984. During his time in Portland between 2003 and 2010 he managed to be charged with ten crimes.
Among his most serious offenses were a fourth degree assault and harassment charge in 2005, and a menacing and harassment charge the next year. The man was sentenced to a year in jail after violating probation for the assault charge. Outside of jail he had no place to live. Prior to moving to Denver, Colorado, the latest charge he had against him was dismissed.
Once in Denver, he was charged with aggravated robbery and sentenced to spend four years in the Denver Department of Corrections. He continually rotated through the system by maintaining a cycle of failing to appear in court and violating parole. The Denver bus program returned him to Portland. The Denver program calls family or friends willing to house those who are homeless before sending them back home; unlike the Portland program, Denver does not follow up three months later to check that the homeless continue to have a place to live.
Police in Portland confirmed they made contact with the convict during a mental health call. They claimed he had family in the area and that sending him home was a sensible maneuver.
If you are facing criminal charges in Golden, Colorado, you need an experienced defense attorney on your side. As a former State Prosecuting Attorney, a former State Public Defender, and former Special Assistant United States Attorney, Miller Leonard has handled many criminal cases, including misdemeanor and felony crimes. He also dedicates a significant portion of his practice to federal defense. Call 720-613-8783 or contact us for a free consultation.