Ryan Kamada, Former Weld County Judge, Resigns Amid Cocaine Investigation
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) - Women who appeared before a Weld County district court judge want their cases thrown out or re-heard after the judge resigned during an investigation of an alleged cocaine ring. Last April, a member of a drug task force came to the Weld County courthouse seeking a warrant. Judge Ryan Kamada recused himself because he knew some of the targets in the probe. The investigator seeking the warrant noticed that the judge was friends with the targets on Facebook.
One of those targets was Geoffrey Chacon, who has now pleaded guilty in federal court to destroying text messages between him, a judge (no name given), and an accused drug dealer.
In his plea agreement, Chacon claimed the judge explained to him that law enforcement was watching and to stay away from the dealer.
News of this claim has disturbed people like Amy Barton, who had an unrelated child custody case before that judge.
"I would like to see the cases that he ruled on to be either re-investigated, reopened, dismissed or reheard," she told CBS4's Rick Sallinger.
She questioned the judge's actions, which included communicating with Chacon about the investigation through an Xbox video game, according to Chacon in the guilty plea documents.
Sarah-Jean Buck also had a custody case before the judge while the drug investigation was going on.
"If his decision making was questionable, he never should have been put in the position he was in. You know, he had decisions over children's lives," she said.
Alberto Loya, 46, was indicted in Weld County on numerous drug charges around the same time that the judge suddenly resigned from the bench. Kamada has since gone to work for a law firm. Neither he nor the law firm responded to CBS4's requests for comment. He has not been charged. The investigation is continuing.
Some of those who had cases before the now-former judge say they plan to stage a protest at the Weld County Courthouse in an effort to get their cases reviewed.
