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Councilwoman intends to sue former Aurora police chief's partner, Arapahoe County following false accusations

Police Reform Chief Fired Colorado
Posted at 8:49 PM, Jun 03, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-03 22:49:22-04

An Aurora City Council member has filed paperwork showing her intent to sue the partner of former Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson and Arapahoe County following false accusations made against her concerning her toddler.

Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky claimed that Robin Niceta, Wilson's partner, falsely accused Jurinsky of unlawful sexual contact with her own child after the councilwoman made critical remarks about Wilson's performance. Investigators determined the accusations against Jurinsky were unfounded, and Niceta was arrested for charges of retaliation against an elected official and making a false report.

Niceta, 40, resigned from her position as a social worker and case manager with Arapahoe County with a brief letter that read: "Please take this email as my immediate resignation from Arapahoe County. I appreciate the last 5 years and I wish you both the very best."

According to Niceta's arrest affidavit, Jurinsky said she was a guest on the Steffen Tubbs radio show on Jan. 27, and when the subject of Aurora's high crime rate came up, Jurinsky said Chief Wilson “is trash.” The following day, Jurinsky received a phone call from the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services (DHS) concerning an anonymous accusation that alleged inappropriate contact with her own child.

The Department of Human Services visited Jurinsky’s home, daycare, and more, and the case was closed on Feb. 14 with no wrongdoing on Jurinksky’s part, according to the affidavit.

Investigators were able to trace the anonymous party's phone call to a specific number, which was on record as a personal phone number for Niceta, according to the affidavit.

Investigators pulled Niceta’s T-Mobile record and discovered she allegedly dialed *67 before calling the hotline in an attempt to block the number, the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, a search of Niceta’s county-provided laptop showed multiple Bing searches for “child abuse and neglect reporting hotline” and “does the child abuse hotline keep phone numbers in Colorado” just minutes before the tip came in to the hotline.

In the notice of claim, Jurinsky's legal team accuses the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services of failing to properly screen the allegation, failing to determine the source of the complaint once it was deemed unfounded and failing to fully investigate the allegations of misconduct against Niceta.

Jurinsky's team also accuses Arapahoe County of "[failing] to train, supervise or discipline Niceta or her supervisors." The notice of claim alleges multiple complaints were filed against Niceta during her employment alleging perjury, falsified reports, failure to document and intimidation.

Jurinsky is seeking at least $1 million in damages, according to the notice of claim.