AURORA | An Aurora city attorney was apparently poked but not provoked during an argument with former interim police chief Art Acevedo that got heated earlier this month, saying the altercation captured on courthouse surveillance cameras was “nothing.”
“I didn’t think anything of it, just kind of went on my way,” Pete Schulte of the Aurora City Attorney’s Office said of his Jan. 12 row with Acevedo.
“We were having a discussion, and Art got pretty animated, which we both can be. We use our hands to talk a lot. I think that’s what you’ll see in the video. And I didn’t notice him doing the poking motion.”
The Sentinel received a tip about the incident — which happened in the rotunda of the Aurora Municipal Court, in view of city employees and members of the public who gawked at the exchange — and requested the surveillance camera footage that the city released Jan. 23.
Hallway cameras show Acevedo gripping the collar of Schulte’s suit jacket as the two men walk toward the courthouse’s rotunda on the morning of Jan. 12.
The two stop next to the rotunda, talking and gesturing at each other for about 20 seconds, before Acevedo appears to become frustrated with someone standing out of view of the cameras and moves on.
As the two enter the rotunda and are joined by then-interim deputy chief Heather Morris, other cameras show Acevedo becoming increasingly agitated while talking to Schulte.
Then, Acevedo appears to poke Schulte twice in the chest. Morris reacts to the first poke by folding her arms in front of her, while Schulte does not react. Acevedo then walks off, and the two follow the chief up a staircase.
Before leaving, the chief waves toward a person who appears to have been photographing or recording the incident on their cellphone.
Schulte wouldn’t say what he and Acevedo were talking about that precipitated the poking but said it wasn’t uncommon for him and the chief to have similar “animated” interactions on the topic of public safety.
Morris — who earlier this week succeeded Acevedo as chief, after Acevedo invited her to join the department last year — said the squabble was “attorney-client privileged.”
The footage released by the city did not include audio, and city spokesman Michael Brannen later said the courthouse cameras do not capture audio.
Morris and Schulte both laughed when asked whether they thought Acevedo was trying to intimidate or act violently toward Schulte.
“There was no assault,” Schulte said. “There was no intimidation. I’ve known Art for a long time, and there was no intimidation factor.”
Acevedo did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The incident happened on the same day that Schulte and City Manager Jason Batchelor said Acevedo told city leaders he would be stepping down. His resignation was announced publicly four days later, and Morris took over as interim chief on Jan. 22.
Batchelor said he didn’t learn about Acevedo and Schulte’s interaction until a few hours after Acevedo told him he was stepping down.
“Now, several days later, folks are saying, ‘Oh, that must have been what it was,’” Batchelor said. “There’s no connection between that incident and Art’s departure. Any assertions to the contrary are just not true.”
Schulte, too, said the incident had “nothing to do with” Acevedo’s decision to step down.
Acevedo said when he announced his departure that he would be returning to Texas to be present for his teenage son.
“I can’t be without my boy, and I can’t move him right now, so I have to get home to him, because I want to be judged as a father, and family has to come first,” Acevedo said Jan. 16. “I leave a piece of my heart with Aurora.”
He served in the interim chief role for about 13 months before stepping down.
Acevedo previously served as chief of the Austin Police Department and accepted a job as an assistant city manager and police liaison in the city the same day he told Batchelor he was leaving, City of Austin spokeswoman Shelley Parks confirmed.
Acevedo has since backed out of the Austin job, writing in a Jan. 23 social media post that “politics and power struggles” in the Texas city had influenced his decision.
Austin City Council members publicly questioned the decision to rehire Acevedo after it was announced, bringing up how the city’s crime lab failed to text thousands of sexual assault kits during Acevedo’s tenure, according to the Austin Chronicle.
Batchelor said Monday that the city is still determining how it will proceed with filling the Aurora chief’s role. Morris said that if the city and officers approve of the job she does while serving as interim chief, it would be a “privilege” to be appointed permanently.
Schulte said he wishes Acevedo the “best of luck” in his next role.
“Art served our city well,” Schulte said. “I’m thankful for him being here for the 13 months. I have no ill will.”
Heated argument or simply an animated passionate chat between colleagues? This brings to mind a lyric by the Greatful Dead:
“Did you ever waken to the sound of street cats making love?
You guess from the cries you were listening to a fight.
Well you know, oh know, haste is the last thing they’re thinking of.
You know they’re only tryin’ to make it thru the night.”
excerpt from Looks Like Rain
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. Some people simply create drama to have drama. Nothing to see here, move along.
I think the reason why the intern police chief left the Aurora Police department is because they’re hiding something and I think Colorado district attorney Phil wiser needs to investigate why they can’t keep intern police Chiefs
Under the police reform bill, the poke would be a use of force by a police officer and would require a report, at a minimum. Considering the fact that the other party had done nothing, it could;d be considered excessive force and Chief Acevedo could have faced the loss of any police certification in Colorado. Any other police officer would. The Deputy Chief Morris is then guilty of failure to report use of excessive force which could also result in loss of certification in Colorado and certainly criminal charges. The rules work differently for them, however. But, see how great the police reform bill is for everyone. Read it.
Same old never change Aurora
disgusting politics. Maybe future hires for the City of Aurora should be adults!
Really?
What a great demonstration of “civility, “professionalism”, and “respect”. All one has to do is look at who is in the leadership role. True leadership? Someone to be emulated?
Something mighty fishy about this whole thing
It’s always something political in Aurora. The councilman who doesn’t want panandlers by his sports bar. The Mayor posing as a homeless person. Yes I read about the potential hotel purchase but it’s pretty obvious to me the Mayor and council aren’t sympathetic to the homeless. The gay police of chief who was fired, yes I read about what her girlfriend but????? It just seems like it’s a good ol’ boys club much like Congress???? Heather Morris doesn’t stand a chance of becoming Chief IMO!!! I agree something fish about the whole thing. Acevedo’s departure is fishy?? I’m not buying the reason.
We know the date and time of the interaction as it is listed on the video. We know the participants are emerging from a courtroom down that hallway, either courtoom 5 or 6 as they are the only two rooms down that hallway. Knowing the time and date and being able to check the dockets for each courtroom, presuming both may have been in use, one might well find out what matter the Chief and the Public Safety Attorney were concerned with. One or both may even have testified or argued before the court in which case one could obtain a transcript of what transpired. One might find out if they testified. One might wonder if the City’s position on whatever the matter was before the court went poorly and could ascertain what caused the Chief’s apparent ire. Did Attorney Schulte not adequately represent the Department?
The Police Department has suffered since Ken Murphy was driven out.
The City Attorney’s office has suffered since Charlie Richardson retired. Attorneys fired from other jurisdictions have gathered in that office. Why?