Frantic 911 Call Released Involving House Speaker
Ex-Girlfriend Calls Police Asking For Help
A frantic 911 call from the girlfriend of Colorado House Speaker Doug Dean appears to reveal a panicked woman pleading for help.
Dean, R-Colorado Springs, told reporters last week that he wanted to get inside the house (pictured, right) to pick up his cell phone. He admitted using a screwdriver to jimmy a window in the basement of the house owned by Sanek.
Police responded to the disturbance but made no arrests.
The day after the incident, Sanek obtained a temporary restraining order, writing in a sworn affidavit that Dean was holding a screwdriver when she encountered him in her home. She wrote that he "chased" her down the street to her neighbor's house.
The restraining order was lifted last week at Sanak's request. Sanek is a lobbyist who works with state lawmakers that Dean oversees.
The two admitted living together but Dean said that he and Sanek broke up the night of the incident.
Ellen Stein Wallace, who runs Safehouse Denver, said that she noticed three things about the 911 call: fear in Sanak's voice, claims that Dean broke into the house, and that Dean followed Sanak to a neighbor's house.
"As I listen to this tape, the first thing that comes to mind is that the caller was clearly in fear," Wallace said.
She was hesitant to second-guess police, but based on what she knows about the case, Wallace said that she thinks there should have been an arrest.
"Given what we know about domestic violence, that's domestic violence," she said.
7NEWS reporter Lance Hernandez asked police if an arrest should have been made.
"At that time, (Sanak) reiterated that no crime had been committed. Officers must base their decision on whether or not to arrest on the elements that exist and the information that was given at the time," Denver police detective Virginia Lopez said.
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Dean, R-Colorado Springs, told reporters last week that he wanted to get inside the house (pictured, right) to pick up his cell phone. He admitted using a screwdriver to jimmy a window in the basement of the house owned by Sanek.
Police responded to the disturbance but made no arrests.
The day after the incident, Sanek obtained a temporary restraining order, writing in a sworn affidavit that Dean was holding a screwdriver when she encountered him in her home. She wrote that he "chased" her down the street to her neighbor's house.
The restraining order was lifted last week at Sanak's request. Sanek is a lobbyist who works with state lawmakers that Dean oversees.
The two admitted living together but Dean said that he and Sanek broke up the night of the incident.
Ellen Stein Wallace, who runs Safehouse Denver, said that she noticed three things about the 911 call: fear in Sanak's voice, claims that Dean broke into the house, and that Dean followed Sanak to a neighbor's house.
"As I listen to this tape, the first thing that comes to mind is that the caller was clearly in fear," Wallace said.
She was hesitant to second-guess police, but based on what she knows about the case, Wallace said that she thinks there should have been an arrest.
"Given what we know about domestic violence, that's domestic violence," she said.
7NEWS reporter Lance Hernandez asked police if an arrest should have been made.
"At that time, (Sanak) reiterated that no crime had been committed. Officers must base their decision on whether or not to arrest on the elements that exist and the information that was given at the time," Denver police detective Virginia Lopez said.
- May 16, 2001: House Speaker Says No Laws Broken During Dispute
- May 15, 2001: House Speaker Barred From Girlfriend
Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
