Gov. Jared Polis pardons 27 people convicted of crimes in Colorado

Shelly Bradbury and Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post on Nov 12, 2026

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DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis pardoned 27 people Thursday for relatively minor crimes as he nears the end of his time as Colorado’s governor.

Among those pardoned was Vanessa Peoples, who was featured in a 2021 Denver Post story after she received $100,000 in a police brutality settlement from Aurora. Officers used excessive force on Peoples after she received a misdemeanor ticket for reckless endangerment and child abuse with no injury when her son briefly wandered away from her at a park in 2017.

Peoples later pleaded guilty to the charges in a deal that ensured she would not be jailed. She was sentenced to probation and ordered to complete parenting classes.

Since then, Peoples earned a certificate in nursing from Emily Griffith Technical College, Polis wrote in a letter to her Thursday.

“Your family, friends and supporters describe you as a devoted mother whose strength, work ethic and determination have carried you through extraordinary adversity,” Polis wrote. “They speak to your character, your commitment to your children, and your perseverance.”

“I’m in tears right now,” Peoples said in text messages Thursday. The pardon will help her secure a job and housing, she said. “It means so much.”

Also pardoned were: Victor Arellano, Richard Batdorf, Timothy Cordova, Luis Day, Mitchell Downing, Scott Ellison, Daniel Emmans, George Soon Fah, Matthew Focht, Craig Gipson, Phillip Hengemuhle, Ethan Hilton, Daniel Kelly, Thomas Knowles, Bruce Korum, Christina Latimore, Michael Low, Yeu Ly, DeAnna Martinez, Justin Mills, Sabrina Montoya, Joshua Moore, Walter Spangler, Veronica Stewart, Kelly Stovall and Jordan Wood.

Their crimes included trespassing, drug possession, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, theft, burglary, robbery, criminal mischief, dispensing marijuana, car theft, being an accessory to a crime, and fraud. The earliest conviction was in 1975 and the latest in 2017.

“Not everyone earns the privilege of a second chance,” Polis wrote to the people he pardoned. “But you have demonstrated that you deserve one.”

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