Republican Women Of Montezuma Host Lunch With DA Matt Margeson Guest Speaker
The republic women's committee, hosted a question and answer luncheon Thursday February 10, 2022 with guest speaker District Attorney Matt Margeson. The Meeting which was held at the Annex building with approximately 50 people in attendance. Mr. Margeson was only able to speak for 30 minutes due to his schedule.
Mr. Margeson opened up with explaining to the audience the how the District Attorneys Office worked.About 10 minutes into his speech members of the audience spoke out wanting to ask question and not to be schooled on the operations of the DA office. Mr. Margeson assured the audience they would have their time to ask questions.
During the DA's speech he spoke about how bail was set, stating it was not the prosecution's final say but the presiding Judge. He stated the Prosecution would ask for a certain amount of bond, but it was ultimately up to the Judge.
Far too many times defendants are released on a PR bond (personal Recognizance Bond). Which is basically no more than a pinky swear, and "-:i will return to court-." Failures to appear in this county has skyrocketed over the past two years. Even when the PR bond defendants do not return to court and are arrested for failure to appear, they are often given another PR Bond.
Though it is indeed the Judges final say in the amount of Bond the Montezuma County Prosecutors often do a poor job in representing the need for a monetary bond. These PR bonds not only cost the tax payers money because of the failure to appear rate, which in-return takes time for Law enforcement to apprehend and return to jail, it has damaged the spirit of our Law enforcement Officers. The officers who arrest, do their due diligence, perform their duties and watch the criminals be released right back into the community.
Matt also informed the audience that the DA office is short handed, He stated they had about 2000 misdemeanors and 400 felonies last year and it was not possible to take them all to trial. He said his office has been looking to hire a new attorneys but has had no luck. He stated housing vs. income being one of the reasons.
Matt Margeson also told the audience that there is presently no jury trials set because of covid restriction. According to the Colorado Judicial Branch website, covid restriction are at the discretion of the Court Administrator. Mask are still required in the Montezuma County Court house as per orders of Judge Walker.
Matt Margeson spoke for 18 minutes before taking questions. Leaving the audience with 12 minutes for questions. The audience asked several questions, "Why did you request the constitution and God not be allowed in a recent case? Mr. Margeson said he could not discuss it because it was still on going. Another question asked was why did he appoint Will Furse as Deputy DA, when the people had voted no? Furse tried to run for a third term. The question also involved questioning why Margeson ignored the voice of the people by having Mr. Furse still in the prosecution office. Mr. Margeson did not give a clear answer and rather danced around it. This was again brought up by another audience member stating, "that was a lame answer"
Time was short and many questions did not get asked. A Montezuma County Patriot asked if Mr. Margeson would be wiling to meet with the patriots in which he replied he would.
The lunch was provided by End of The Trail Catering and owner Shannon Englehart served a great meal The meal consisted of BBQ pork, chicken, Salads, rolls and a variety of deserts. The crowd was pleased and it was a nice time to visit with other community members and share concerns for our county and our country.
One of the Guest that day was a new face, Shelli Shaw who is running for Colorado House District 59. Ms. Shaw introduced herself and spoke for a few moments after lunch.
Shelli Shaw- a fresh face, stating she was not a politician, but someone who saw we need for change. This may be one to keep your eyes on, bold and energetic.
"I am not a politician."
"I am a Coloradan."
"I am an American."
" I am a concerned citizen, and it’s time We the People take back our country and our freedoms."
You can find more about her by visiting: