COLORADO DENBER CITY ATTORNEY FOUND TO HAVE STOLEN COMPUTER IN HIS HOME Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Local

City attorney on leave over stolen computer

By Rocky Mountain News
February 24, 2007

Denver city attorney Larry Manzanares was put on paid "investigatory" leave Friday after a stolen computer was found in his home, Denver's 7 reported.

Mayor John Hickenlooper put Manzanares on leave after being contacted by Denver's 7.

"We are extremely concerned about the serious issues raised by this situation and the fact that we were not made aware of the investigation until today," Hickenlooper said.

Manzanares told Denver's 7 reporter Tony Kovaleski he had bought the Gateway computer from a man in a parking lot one block south of the City and County Building last month.

"It was rather foolish of me to even think about buying a computer from a fellow in a parking lot," Manzanares said. "But being kind of naive, I bought it. I didn't have any idea that it was stolen."

The computer was stolen from Denver district court in the City and County Building. Denver police were able to locate it through Internet tracking and found that it was in use at Manzanares' home.

Manzanares said he returned the computer when police contacted him about it, and wasn't aware there was an investigation until Denver's 7 contacted him.

"I certainly did not take it," he told Kovaleski.

"I certainly would not have, would not jeopardize my career for a computer. But nevertheless, I recognize that buying a computer in a parking lot was not a very smart thing to do." Kovaleski asked Manzanares how, as a former judge and current city attorney, he didn't know better.

"It was foolish on my part to buy a computer on the street and all I can tell you about it is that I'm embarrassed about it," Manzanares replied. "I was mortified to find out about it."