In this image taken from El Paso County District Court video, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, center, sits during a court appearance in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Dec. 6. (El Paso County District Court via AP)
A judge in Colorado Springs dismissed kidnapping charges against Anderson Lee Aldrich in 2021 even though that same judge had previously raised concerns about Aldrich stockpiling weapons and explosives and planning a shootout, according to documents obtained today (Friday, Dec. 16) by the Associated Press.
Aldrich, whose lawyers have claimed identifies as nonbinary, faces more than 305 criminals charges including first degree murder and first degree attempted murder in connection with the Nov. 19 shooting at the LGBTQ bar Club Q in Colorado Springs.
The Associated Press is reporting that several relatives, including the grandparents who said he had kidnapped them, warned Judge Robin Chittum in August last year that Aldrich was struggling with mental illness and needed treatment. His grandparents also reportedly sent Chittum a letter late last year warning that he was certain to kill someone if he was set free. But Chittum still granted defense attorneys’ motion to dismiss that case because a deadline was looming to bring it to trial.
Read the full AP story here.
— Tammye Nash
