The Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) issued a warning on Monday regarding the release of an inmate who is a potential danger to the community. 21-year-old Debisa Ephraim was released early on the afternoon of September 8 from a court order after courts determined in July that he was not competent to stand trial. Ephraim was arrested on April 5 by the Greeley Police Department on criminal suspicion of criminal attempt to commit second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and engaging in a riot.
While in custody at the Weld County Jail, Ephraim was charged in a separate case for aggravated felony menacing with a weapon and first-degree burglary without forced entry. The WCSO shared two video clips of two separate unrelated incidents that purport to show Ephraim participating in a riot and getting into a physical fight with an individual. Both videos appear to show a man alleged to be Ephraim knocking out an individual in a fist fight and then striking the unconscious victim. The WCSO notes that the videos could not be authenticated, but were found on social media and shared by one of the victims to the Greeley Police Department.
“The state legislature and the Governor have continued to weaken the criminal justice system by handcuffing law enforcement, prosecutors and judges for the sake of criminals,” Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams wrote. “Colorado HB24-1034 has created a crisis where very dangerous individuals are being released to the street to reoffend over and over, this is the latest example. I pray this individual doesn’t hurt another innocent victim but the public deserves to know of his past violent actions so they can protect themselves accordingly.”
HB24-1034 was signed into law last year by Governor Jared Polis after it passed the legislature and states “While a defendant is incompetent to proceed, the defendant shall MUST not be tried or sentenced, nor shall the court consider or decide pretrial matters that are not susceptible of fair determination without the personal participation of the defendant.”
The court determined Ephraim’s competency could not be restored and thus he must not be tried for the crime. Under § 16-8.5-116.5(6), the court “Shall dismiss the criminal proceedings” if the court determines that “there is not a substantial probability that the defendant, with restoration services, will be restored to competency within the reasonably foreseeable future, the court.”
