On October 10, in two separate articles by Peter Roper, The Pueblo Chieftain uncritically reported a false claim -- which it attributed to Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez -- that, as Denver district attorney, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter allowed “152 arrested illegal aliens” to avoid deportation by “getting them to plead guilty to trespassing on agricultural land instead of more serious charges.” In one article, the Chieftain reported that “Beauprez said those more serious charges, such as drug trafficking, would have resulted in deportation.” In fact, as The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News have reported, the felony plea bargains in question were given to both legal and illegal immigrants. And while such plea agreements reportedly did allow legal immigrants to avoid deportation, the Ritter campaign has pointed out that illegal immigrants can be deported at any time, regardless of any other crimes they commit or plea bargains to which they agree.

One of the articles also reported erroneously that the plea-bargain cases in question were among “the 3,800 cases” Ritter handled during 12 years as Denver district attorney, when in fact Ritter reportedly handled 37,000-38,000 cases during the seven-year period over which he agreed to the 152 agricultural-trespass plea bargains.

Both of Roper's October 10 articles echoed allegations that Beauprez leveled against Ritter during an October 9 “press event” in Pueblo. One of the articles focused on Beauprez's visit to Pueblo; the other reported on Ritter's attendance that day at Pueblo's annual Columbus Day Dinner. In the article about Beauprez's visit to Pueblo, titled “Owens, Beauprez warn of Democratic control,” Roper described Beauprez's attack on Ritter:

He [Beauprez] pointed to a recent Denver newspaper story showing that Ritter had plea-bargained with 152 arrested illegal aliens, getting them to plead guilty to trespassing on agricultural land instead of more serious charges. Beauprez said those more serious charges, such as drug trafficking, would have resulted in deportation.

Beauprez apparently was referring to either an October 1 Post article or a September 30 News article, both of which made it clear that the 152 cases involved legal and illegal immigrants. In addition, the News article contained Ritter's response to the misleading suggestion that the felony agricultural trespass pleas helped illegal immigrants avoid deportation. The News reported that Ritter “stressed that illegal immigrants can be deported just for entering the country, even if they are charged with no other crimes.” The News further reported Ritter's explanation that “there were circumstances in each of the cases that led to the plea bargains, including the involvement of one police detective who was under investigation for criminal wrongdoing.” The News added, “It wasn't clear ... how many of the cases involved the detective, who resigned while he was under investigation by the FBI.”

In its review of case files of illegal and potentially illegal immigrants who agreed to agricultural trespass plea bargains, the Post reported:

Sometimes, police reports included the notation “refer to immigration”; in others, “immigration consequences” are noted by the court.

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said officers generally make those notes when they arrest someone and find their documents altered, or if an interview determines there is a good chance they are in the U.S. illegally. Sometimes, he said, people admit to being in the country illegally.

The Post further reported that, for whatever reason, such immigration “consequences” or referrals do not appear to have occurred in at least two cases. The Post also reported that Ritter “said he insisted his office contact immigration officials whenever a defendant was an illegal immigrant or had questionable immigration status” and that Ritter added, “It was up to the federal government to deport them.”

In the article on Ritter's visit to Pueblo, titled “Ritter, Udall court support at Columbus Day dinner,” Roper reported:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter worked the crowd just hours after his Republican opponent, Rep. Bob Beauprez, came to Pueblo for a quick press event where he criticized Ritter for plea-bargaining 152 cases involving illegal immigrants who were not deported.

Ritter defended his record, saying those cases were a small fraction of the 3,800 cases he prosecuted as Denver district attorney for 12 years. “There were a host of concerns in those cases, including whether we could prove the more serious charge,” Ritter said. “It was usually a matter of plea-bargaining the case or dismissing it.”

In fact, rather than prosecuting “3,800” cases over 12 years as district attorney, Ritter reportedly prosecuted closer to 38,000 cases from 1998 to 2004. According to the Post, the number is 38,000, whereas the News reported 37,000. Regardless, the number of reported immigrant agricultural trespass plea deals amounts to fewer than one-half of one percent of the cases Ritter handled during those seven years.

The actual number of cases Ritter prosecuted as Denver district attorney is closer to 38,000, not “3,800.” According to the Post, the number is 38,000, whereas the News reported 37,000. Regardless, the number of reported immigrant agricultural trespass plea deals amounts to fewer than one-half of one percent of the cases Ritter handled as district attorney.

From Roper's October 10 Chieftain article, “Ritter, Udall court support at Columbus Day dinner”:

In an election year, politics is always on the menu at the annual Columbus Day Dinner and that was the case Monday night as candidates and lawmakers turned out for the event at Pueblo's Union Depot.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter worked the crowd just hours after his Republican opponent, Rep. Bob Beauprez, came to Pueblo for a quick press event where he criticized Ritter for plea-bargaining 152 cases involving illegal immigrants who were not deported.

Ritter defended his record, saying those cases were a small fraction of the 3,800 cases he prosecuted as Denver district attorney for 12 years. “There were a host of concerns in those cases, including whether we could prove the more serious charge,” Ritter said. “It was usually a matter of plea-bargaining the case or dismissing it.”

From Roper's October 10 Chieftain article, “Owens, Beauprez warn of Democratic control”:

Beauprez also went after Ritter, the former Denver district attorney, for his record on illegal immigration. He pointed to a recent Denver newspaper story showing that Ritter had plea-bargained with 152 arrested illegal aliens, getting them to plead guilty to trespassing on agricultural land instead of more serious charges. Beauprez said those more serious charges, such as drug trafficking, would have resulted in deportation.

“In the one area where he has a record, he failed to protect the public safety,” Beauprez said. “Why would you put him in charge of the state?”

Those plea bargains represented less than 1 percent of the cases Ritter prosecuted as Denver DA, replied Evan Dreyer, Ritter's spokesman. “And the trespassing charge was still a felony,” he said.