JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A woman accused of abducting a man's 7-year-old child from Lakewood on Monday was prohibited from contacting the man and had allegedly threatened his girlfriend about two weeks ago, according to new court documents and a court hearing Tuesday.
The boy's disappearance on Monday led to an AMBER Alert after police determined he had been taken from a Lakewood apartment after a shooting that injured his father early that morning. The boy was found safe around 3:45 p.m. outside of Last Chance in Washington County on Colorado's eastern plains and the suspect was arrested. The boy has been reunited with his family.
Police identified the suspect as Crystal Star Denmon, 26.
Lakewood
7-year-old who was allegedly abducted in Lakewood found safe near Last Chance
Aurielle Green, the boy's mother, spoke with Denver7 on Monday after learning her son was found safe. She said her son is very smart, artsy, shy and loves dinosaurs.
"He's my baby," she said. "He's the sweetest kid you'll ever meet, literally... I just want to hold him and never let him go."
She said the man injured in the shooting Monday is her child's father, and Denmon was his ex-girlfriend.
Denmon was in court on Tuesday morning for her first advisement. She appeared in an orange jail outfit.
In the courtroom, the prosecutor said Denmon shot the boy's father in the chest, stole his phone and took the child from the apartment. Just before this, she had threatened the man at the apartment — which was caught on camera, the prosecution said. At the time of the shooting, Denmon was under a no-contact order where she was not allowed to contact the boy's father, they said. He had repeatedly told her to stay away from him. The man is currently still in the hospital, unconscious with a breathing tube, they said. Police said Monday he is expected to recover. The prosecution added that Denmon had just had an advisement hearing on Nov. 15 in connection with a case where she allegedly attacked the man's girlfriend with brass knuckles.
The prosecution asked for a $500,000 cash-only bond, which the defense argued was unconstitutional because Denmon could not afford it. Her attorney requested a $20,000 bond.
At the end of Tuesday's court hearing, the judge ordered a protection order for both the boy and his father, so Denmon would not be allowed to contact them in any capacity. The judge, noting concern for the safety of the victim and community, set a cash-only bond at $500,000. Denmon's next court date is scheduled for Dec. 4, when a judge will read the charges filed against her.
Denver7 obtained Denmon's arrest affidavit on Tuesday morning. While Denmon has not yet been formally charged, the document listed out the charges she faces, which include attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary while armed, menacing, false imprisonment, protection order violation and first-degree kidnapping (no injury). The First Judicial District Attorney's Office will determine final charges against her.
According to her arrest affidavit, Jefferson County authorities received a 911 call on Monday around 6:10 a.m. The caller — who was not identified — said he had received a video from a redacted person "showing a black female pointing a handgun at (redacted)... and threatening to shoot him." That woman was later identified as Denmon.
As a result of this call, Lakewood police responded to the 1700 block of Kendall Street. The affidavit reads that while they were at the scene, "the door to (an apartment) opened and they heard someone screaming for help."
Police found a man, who "was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound," lying near the doorway, the affidavit reads. Officers found a shell casing in one of the apartment's bedrooms, but did not locate anybody else. They also did not find any cell phones or firearms, the affidavit reads. Police have not yet identified if the shooter was Denmon or somebody else.
As police helped the injured man, a neighbor told them that a boy had been at the residence the night prior. Police did notice one of the bedrooms was set up for a child. Police said on Monday that they believed that Denmon had kidnapped the boy and fled from the scene.
The man was transported to a hospital, where doctors confirmed he had a gunshot wound to his chest, the affidavit reads.
During the investigation, police identified the woman in the video as Denmon. They confirmed the video was taken just after 6 a.m. Monday.
"In the video, Crystal is holding a black handgun and a male voice, presumably (redacted) tells Crystal that she has been holding him hostage for hours and asks Crystal to leave his apartment, multiple times, which she refuses to do," the affidavit reads.
They also learned from a records check that Denmon has a mandatory protection order and is not allowed to contact the man or possess any firearms.
A Lakewood detective called Denmon's cell phone and when she picked up, she confirmed that the missing boy was with her and that she still had a gun. She told the detective that she "would not release (the child) because having him is keeping her safe," the affidavit reads. Detectives asked her multiple times to let the boy go.
At the time the affidavit was written, Lakewood police said Denmon was still fleeing and somewhere on the eastern plains of Colorado. At one point, Colorado State Patrol (CSP) located Denmon driving, but she refused to stop for them, according to the affidavit. Because she had the missing child in the car, CSP did not begin a pursuit of her car. Instead, they "transitioned to surveillance," lost the car around Cheraw in Otero County — at which point the AMBER Alert was issued — and found it again on County Road 59 south of Limon.
At 3:45 p.m., the child and Denmon were both found near Last Chance, about 80 miles away from Lakewood. The child was brought back to the Denver metro area and was reunited with his family.
"It was like the weights were lifted off, and I could just thank God with such a hallelujah praise, because God is good, and I'm so happy right now I just want to jump up and down again. Thank God," said the boy's grandmother, Stephanie Vaughn-Green. "I want to say thank you to all the professionals, detectives, police officers. I mean, you know, they were one in a million, and I am so grateful for them today.”
You can watch the moment he is back in his family's arms in our Monday report below.
"I'm very thankful for my support system for keeping me sane and not allowing me to crash out," Green, the boy's mother, said.