Susan Holmes case: What happened in court Thursday Wochit
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the woman who filed a red flag case against a CSU police officer who fatally shot her son in July 2017.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Susan Holmes, 64, on suspicion of perjury and attempt to influence a public servant, both Class 4 felonies.
The warrant was issued Jan. 23, according to online court records. Arrest documents were not available as of Thursday afternoon.
According to online jail records, Holmes is not in custody. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office issued a “most wanted” notification for Holmes on Thursday afternoon.
Deputies attempted to serve the warrant at Holmes’ address once on Jan. 23, according to the Larimer County Sheriff Office online incident report. Though LCSO told 9News that multiple attempts were made.
The sheriff’s office typically sends out a weekly “most wanted” notification for Larimer County for suspects accused of a range of crimes.
In a Friday morning Facebook post, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said deputies have been unable to locate Holmes since the warrant was issued. He asked for anyone who may know the whereabouts of Holmes to contact the sheriff’s office.
The warrant allows for Holmes to be extradited from anywhere in the country back to Larimer County, Smith wrote.
“Ms. Holmes demonstrated enthusiasm to abuse the legal system when she fraudulently filed a red flag affidavit besmirching the name of an honorable CSU police corporal,” Smith said in a statement to the Coloradoan on Friday. “In doing so, she sought to deprive the officer of his constitutional rights.”
Smith said Holmes has now either fled the state or gone into hiding, which is why they’ve asked for the public’s help in finding her.
Holmes filed a red flag case — known as an extreme risk protection order — against Colorado State University Cpl. Philip Morris. Morris was one of two officers involved in the fatal shooting of Holmes’ 19-year-old son, Jeremy Holmes, on July 1, 2017. The Larimer County district attorney cleared both officers any wrongdoing in the shooting.
In the petition, Holmes claimed under oath she is a family or household member of Morris, specifically that she has a child in common with him. In a sworn written statement presented by Morris’ attorney during the red flag hearing, Morris said he did not share a child with Holmes.
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Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Stephen Howard denied Holmes’ petition in a Jan. 16 hearing.
Smith had refused to serve the petition and the notice of the hearing to Morris, calling it “a fraud” in a Facebook post prior to the hearing.
Holmes refused to present any evidence during the Jan. 16 hearing on the petition, claiming she believed Howard would not give her a fair hearing on the issue.
FAQ: Here’s how Colorado’s red flag law works
After the hearing, Holmes also refused to share any evidence with reporters, citing potential for appealing her case.
“I do not feel that I’ve perjured myself,” Holmes told reporters after the Jan. 16 hearing.
The red flag law allows law enforcement, a family member or household member to petition to have a person’s firearms removed if they are deemed by a judge to be a threat to themselves or others.
Holmes has been outspoken about police brutality since her son’s death. She ran for Fort Collins City Council unsuccessfully in 2018. After she announced her candidacy, Smith was critical of her past protests, citing an instance where she held a sign that read “Kill all police” on CSU’s campus.
At the time, Holmes responded that the sign was “intentionally provocative” and she was not truly advocating people to commit acts of violence. She added that she believed Smith’s post was a direct attack on her campaign and her platform.
The warrant for Holmes remains active, and no court dates have been set in this case. Online court records indicate Holmes is accused of committing these crimes Jan. 9, the day she filed the red flag petition. A $5,000 personal recognizance bond has been set in this case.
A personal recognizance bond allows the accused to sign themselves out of custody, promising to return for their next court date. If that person does not appear in court, they would have to pay the amount set by the judge — in this case, $5,000.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
Sady Swanson covers crime, courts, public safety and more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan.Support our work and local journalism with a digital subscription at Coloradoan.com/subscribe.
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