Last week, Boulder County released a suspect in a knife menacing case on a personal recognizance bond based on a fake name she provided.
According to Boulder police, the suspect, 52-year-old Alyiah Faith Vega, has active warrants out of Boulder County, Lakewood and Edgewater related to dangerous drugs, criminal impersonation and DUI charges. But Vega gave police the name of a 31-year-old relative with virtually no criminal history. Her true identity wasn’t discovered until she failed to appear in court.
Vega is accused of threatening a teacher and a group of schoolchildren with a knife during a field trip downtown on Monday, May 5. She was arrested that day, released from jail on May 6, and failed to appear in court on May 8 — prompting a judge to revoke her bond and issue a warrant.
Police arrested Vega again on May 9 under a bridge at 9th Street and Arapahoe Avenue. That same day, the city corrected all press releases to reflect her true identity.
Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, told Boulder Reporting Lab that the county’s bond commissioner recommended the PR bond based on the belief — held by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office — that the defendant was a different person “with limited criminal history and no criminal convictions.”
“The DA’s Office strongly disagreed and fought for a secured bond that would have kept her in custody,” Carbone said. “Over our office’s strong objection, the judge granted the personal recognizance bond.”
When asked how officers typically verify a suspect’s identity, Boulder Police Department spokesperson Dionne Waugh said the department could not comment on the case while it’s pending trial and now in the hands of the DA’s office.
“Once a person is turned over to jail deputies, they enter the information provided by the arresting agency,” said Vinnie Montez of the sheriff’s office. Fingerprints are also taken and submitted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
It’s likely that CBI matched Vega’s fingerprints with her prior arrest records, which allowed police to confirm her real identity.
Vega is currently being held in Boulder County Jail on $45,000 cash-only bonds. Her next court hearing is scheduled for May 29. She faces 35 charges — 18 counts of felony menacing and 17 counts of child abuse. Prosecutors are also filing additional felony charges for providing false information.
Timeline:
- May 5: Vega is arrested after allegedly threatening a teacher and schoolchildren with a knife.
- May 6: Released on personal recognizance bond after appearing before a judge.
- May 8: DA files additional charges. Vega misses her court appearance. Boulder Police issue a public alert.
- May 9: Vega is arrested again. City updates press releases with correct name.
- May 13: Court date set to formally inform Vega of the charges.
- May 29: Preliminary and full hearings scheduled.
It would be interesting to know the name of the Judge who released the suspect over the “strong objections” of the DA’s office. Is that common or newsworthy in itself? Is the Judge an elected official and do they have a history of over-ruling the DA’s recommendations?
I can’t answer how these things are typically handled by the press. It’s fairly easy to look this up in the public record, but I’m not going to ID them here. I’ve seen some alarming comments about the judge in response to this case that make me uncomfortable.
I believe these Judges are appointed, but we vote on their retention.
If you do look them up, you can find their evaluations. This judge scored higher than their peers in all categories surveyed.
I’ve interacted with this judge and found them to be overly deferential to the Boulder Police in my case. In spite of that, I trust this judge any day over the DA and Police given the politics associated with those agencies.
I think it’s also notable that the Boulder Police Department wouldn’t say how they typically verify a suspect’s identity.
Brodsky is the judge.