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Boulder defendant accused of trying to bribe juror

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOULDER – A Boulder woman is accused of offering $5,000 to an alternate juror if she were found not guilty of weapons charges.

An arrest warrant affidavit alleges Darine Chely left a note on the alternate juror’s chair on Thursday saying, “Please don’t find me guilty. I will pay $5,000. I am very frightened. Please don’t give this to anyone.”

The note addressed the alternate juror by his first name, the affidavit said. It’s not clear whether Chely knew him.



Chely faces new charges of bribery, jury tampering and bribing a juror. Mark Biddison, her attorney in the weapons case, declined to comment.

Chely was convicted Friday of illegal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment. She was free on bail at the time.



It wasn’t clear whether she was arrested on the new charges. No one answered listed numbers for the Boulder County jail Saturday.

Authorities say the note was left when no one else was in the courtroom.

Sheriff’s deputies provide security in the Boulder County Courthouse. Sheriff Joe Pelle said he doesn’t have enough deputies to staff each trial.

He said Roxanne Bailin, chief judge for the 20th Judicial District, hasn’t ordered any security changes.

Courtroom security changes are under the control of judicial districts and sheriff’s departments, said Jon Sarche, a spokesman for the State Court Administrator’s Office.

He said the office has distributed $6.2 million in grants since 2007 for courtroom security measures, including metal detectors and cameras.


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