Douglas County launches Fresh Start event for people with warrants
Fresh Start in the 23rd will let people with eligible warrants clear cases free on July 10 in Englewood, with more than 1,500 Douglas County warrants potentially eligible.
People with certain warrants in Douglas County will get a one-day chance to clear them without an arrest at Fresh Start in the 23rd, a free event scheduled for Friday, July 10, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 11045 E. Lansing Circle in Englewood. Registration will not be required. County officials say adults with eligible misdemeanor and traffic cases that are not Victim Rights Act cases, class 5 and class 6 felony offenses that are not VRA cases, class 4 drug felony offenses, and probation-violation warrants tied to eligible cases may qualify. Juveniles with class 4 felonies and below that are not VRA cases may also qualify.
Cases involving weapons, escape, arson, or Victim Rights Act offenses, including assault, child abuse, unlawful sexual contact, and domestic violence, will not qualify. People who believe they may be eligible can call the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office at 303-688-3081 with eligibility questions.
Douglas County says more than 1,500 active warrants in the county may qualify, a sign of how many residents could be carrying legal problems that can block work, housing, transportation, and family stability. The county is pitching the event as a way to connect residents with legal resources and, in some cases, resolve cases on the spot before a routine encounter with law enforcement turns into an arrest. If a person is arrested on a warrant, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says that person is taken to jail and the court decides bond.
The program will bring together the 23rd Judicial District, the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Probation, Douglas County Community Justice Services, and Douglas County itself. The district covers Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties and began taking cases in 2025 after the counties left the 18th Judicial District, making it the first new judicial district in Colorado since 1965. The public defender’s office operates a regional trial office for the district in Castle Rock. Jefferson County’s Fresh Start program has already cleared more than 750 low-level warrants since 2021, giving Douglas County a tested model as it tries to reduce the shadow that unresolved warrants can cast over daily life.
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