AURORA | 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner announced Monday that he will step down at the end of his term, saying he is ready for “a new challenge” following his military career and tenure as Arapahoe County’s top prosecutor.
“While some jurisdictions may take a softer approach to crime, my staff and I stand up for victims and their rights,” Kellner said in the Feb. 5 news release. “I’m blessed to have an incredible team of dedicated professionals who support our mission. The success of my office could not have been accomplished without their leadership.”
Voters chose Kellner to serve as DA in 2020, narrowly rejecting Democrat Amy Padden. In 2022, he ran unsuccessfully to unseat Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. Kellner’s first and only term will end in January 2025.
For now, the 18th Judicial District encompasses Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, which include Aurora and the southeast portion of the Denver metro area as well as the rural areas surrounding Kiowa and Hugo.
Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln will break away to form the newly-established 23rd Judicial District next year, leaving Arapahoe as the sole county served by the 18th. Arapahoe County voters alone will choose the county’s new DA in November. DA’s office spokesman Eric Ross said Monday that Kellner does not plan to run for office in the 23rd Judicial District.
The news release from Kellner’s office highlighted his efforts to improve transparency and engage with the public, rolling out an online “data dashboard” that features information about crimes and prosecutions, hosting town hall meetings, publishing monthly newsletters and participating in other outreach work.
Kellner also called attention to his efforts to hold criminals accountable — including individuals accused of crimes of violence, bias-motivated crimes, motor vehicle theft and drug dealing — through prosecution as well as advocating in front of Colorado’s General Assembly. A unit within the DA’s office dedicated to prosecuting organized crime was also established under Kellner.
At the same time, Kellner praised the 2021 opening of an Aurora office offering diversion counseling to combat recidivism among juveniles and adults as well as his office’s new warrant forgiveness program.
“Not every criminal case warrants a prison or jail sentence,” Kellner said in the Monday release. “I recognize that people make mistakes — we’re all human. When we host and support programs that allow lower-level offenders to resolve their cases with minimal time in court, we’re able to dedicate more resources toward prosecuting high-level felony cases that threaten our communities.”
He previously described his prosecution of Aurora police officer John Haubert as evidence of his office’s willingness to hold cops accountable for misconduct. On other occasions, he was scorned by reform activists, such as when his office declined to file charges against the two officers involved in the shooting death of 14-year-old Jor’Dell Richardson last year.
Kellner said in the release that he believes his administration will be able to smooth the process of dividing the 18th Judicial District into two separate districts next year.
“I’m excited for the future, and I’m confident I’m leaving this office in good hands,” he said. “There are many seasoned leaders here. No words can ever express how proud I am of being able to watch our younger generation of attorneys and staff grow in their roles as advocates for the justice system.”
As of Feb. 5, Padden was the only person to have filed paperwork with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office formalizing her candidacy for the 18th Judicial District attorney position.
I think that using his prosecution of Officer Haubert as an example of his good work is a real mistake. I think that the upcoming trial is going to show that Officer Haubert was charged before they even looked at all of the evidence. There are two business videos that they did not even look at before charging the officers. They show a completely different story. The investigation was extremely poor but it allowed the DA and former Chief Wilson to look like they were staunch defenders of the citizenry. As a former detective, I can tell you that the detective’s affidavit did not make sense. To charge the officers without interviewing them after being told by the officer that the suspect was trying to take his gun, is bizarre. Further, to charge the officers after a brief conversation with the suspect in which he lied and then requested a lawyer is also bizarre. Then, to never have an interview with the suspect or the officers is incredibly inept police work. But, to not bring forth the other videos and allow the first officer to be convicted without anyone seeing the best evidence, is to me, criminal on the part of the DA and the detective. The detective even says in his affidavit that the suspect swatted at the officer’s gun twice before he was hit. You can even see his hand on the officer’s gun if you slow down the bodycam video. The detective passes that off as inconsequential. Amazing. He characterizes the suspect as compliant and not a threat to the officers even after the witnesses said that the suspect disobeyed all commands and resisted the whole time. I could go on. If this is honorable and competent work by a DA, then we are in real trouble. God save us from political types like former Chief Vanessa Wilson and I guess, now DA Kellner. It is a sad injustice to ruin the lives of two officers while paying $830,000 to a wanted felon drug addict who tried to take an officer’s gun. By the way, he is back in prison for other crimes. I think before the DA brags, he should look at the investigation more closely.
Our future DA needs to protect the public from crime and violence. The police, DA, judges, and jails must all do their part to keep perpetrators behind bars for long, full sentences.