CBI will investigate allegations against DA Newsome

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday launched an investigation into 4th Judicial District Attorney John Newsome's travel expenses and allegations that he misused taxpayer money, according to Colorado Springs police.

The announcement late Tuesday came a day after state Sen. John Morse asked police to investigate a trip that Newsome took in October in which he attended a college football game but didn't pay taxpayers back for expenses for six months.

Colorado Springs police referred the case to the CBI, according to a police statement.

"The CBI regularly conducts inquiries into assertions of misconduct of public officials and is experienced in these investigations," the statement said. Police also were reluctant to conduct an investigation because a police detective accompanied Newsome on the trip."

"Although Senator Morse is not alleging any criminal wrongdoing by the employee, several supervisors in that employee's chain of command had investigative discussions with Mr. Newsome as part of an internal inquiry in which no misconduct was found," the statement said. "These conversations were not made as part of any criminal examination; however, they could taint the impending investigation."

Morse, a Colorado Springs Democrat and former Fountain police chief, mailed a letter to Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers alleging that "Newsome committed a felony by using public money for private purposes."

Morse based his request on a June 24 Gazette report outlining Newsome's side trip to South Bend, Ind., to watch his alma mater, the University of Southern California, play Notre Dame. The weekend football excursion came at the end of a trip to Chicago in which Newsome and Colorado Springs police detective Derek Graham interviewed witnesses in a death penalty case involving the killing of a Colorado Springs police officer. Newsome initially let stand $699 worth of hotel rooms, a rental car, gas and per diem for the day of the game, when no witness interviews were conducted.

A KOAA reporter asked for Newsome's travel records on April 1. Newsome wrote El Paso County a check for $584.90 on April 24, according to records obtained by The Gazette.

Newsome has denied any wrongdoing and said Morse's accusations are politically motivated. "We are aware of this and completely welcome it," Newsome wrote Tuesday in an e-mail. "This is standard operating procedure for CSPD because there is a CSPD officer involved and because it is politically charged. This office will fully cooperate, so that the matter will be resolved in an expedient manner."

Newsome added that Morse's allegations are "politics of personal destruction" and that he looks forward to refocusing the campaign on his accomplishments as district attorney.

Newsome is running for re-election and faces Republican primary opponent Dan May on Aug. 12. Since no Democrat is seeking the seat, the winner will become district attorney.

May, a former deputy district attorney in Colorado Springs, holds the same position in Douglas County. He lost to Newsome in 2004.

A Colorado law prohibits an elected official from "using of public money for the official's own gain." Morse's letter states: "When corporate executives travel personally on the corporate dime, it is unethical. When public officials do it, it is illegal."