Friday was Tyler Boebert’s day in the Garfield County Court in Colorado, and he appeared by himself and dressed to the nines in an all-black-suit, to hear the charges against him and the punishments he could face in connection to car break-ins and property thefts he allegedly committed in Rifle earlier this year.
“Thank you for the attire,” 9th Judicial District Judge John F. Neiley told him. “I appreciate it when people dress for court.”
But spiffed up or not, Tyler, at 19 the eldest son of GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, claimed he was having a difficult time finding a lawyer that he could afford to represent him in the felony case, Westword [1] reports.
“We are working to hire an attorney, but it’s just been kind of hard with the prices,” Tyler told the judge. “Worst-case scenario, if we can’t get something figured out with the lawyer, then we’re going to apply for a public defender or whatever works best for me.”
Boebert has said he’s working to obtain discovery in his case and has been told by defense attorneys to wait until finding out the official advisement of his charges, which happened today before hiring a lawyer.
Judge Neiley listed all fourteen counts that Boebert is currently facing, including felony counts for identity theft. Those charges carry a potential sentence of two to six years and misdemeanor charges for criminal trespass, which carries a possible sentence of up to 364 days in prison and fines of as much as $1,000.
And I’m going to say that this judge seems entirely too sympathetic to a young man who allegedly robbed a woman with a brain tumor. Neiley advised Boebert that he could apply for a public defender while he searches for a lawyer.
“I always think it’s a good idea to maybe do both, because if you qualify, you have options,” the judge said. “We can set this off for a little bit of time for you to make that decision.”
I wonder if this judge would do this for a more anonymous client.
Boebert’s felony charges stem from a series of car thefts on February 19 and 20 in Rifle, where he and underage friends allegedly robbed several people, including the woman with the brain tumor who said she had only $75 “left to her name,” police say.
According to investigators, Boebert and his buddies — two female minors and one male minor — stole wallets and credit cards, and of course, tried to run up tabs with them.
And this is not the first time Boebert has had brushes with the law. In 2022, charges were filed against him for a car crash that put one of his friends in the hospital. Tyler was charged with a misdemeanor traffic charge of “careless driving causing bodily harm” for the incident. His friend was charged with unlawful possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance when police found unprescribed Xanax pills in a bag.
Tyler’s charge was eventually dropped down to a “defective vehicle for headlights” ticket. He was supposed to appear in court in September 2022 but was (of course) a no-show. He was hit with a bench warrant but was allowed to appear virtually in Garfield County Court.
Lauren Boebert’s campaign hasn’t commented as to whether she will help her son pay for a lawyer. She has previously said he should be held accountable for his own actions just as any ordinary citizen would be, but added she will remain by his side no matter the outcome.
Considering the fact that his parents have been involved in plenty of their own controversies, it’s not really any wonder this young man has perhaps grown up with the wrong set of values, but this is the one time I’ll ever agree with his mom. He needs to be held accountable for his own actions.