Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs was placed on Code Yellow Wednesday morning after the school received a tip about a possible firearm on campus Altamonte Springs police arrested a student after they found a gun on campus that was reportedly stolen out of Orange County, according to the police department. Lake Brantley High Principal Brain Blasewitz confirmed that the weapon was unloaded and that no other weapons were found on campus.  Blasewitz initially sent out an email to school staff and parents Wednesday morning The lockdown was lifted between 10:30 and 11 a.m Code Yellow at Lake Brantley has been lifted. The remainder of the day is “optional”. Can tell you it’s been a max exodus last 15 minutes of students walking home, students with cars leaving, and parents picking up their children. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/GMHf6QndKN and reminded parents that during a Code Yellow the school said the remainder of the day was "optional" for students Spectrum News reached out to all five elected Seminole County school board members about school safety but has either received a "no" to an interview This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Stories you've missed since your last login: Recommended stories based on your interests: Judge John Daniel Dailey speaks to attorneys appearing before the Colorado Court of Appeals in the Ralph L Misconduct from Arapahoe County prosecutors and a trial judge's refusal to provide a key jury instruction prompted Colorado's second-highest court on Thursday to overturn a man's bank robbery convictions jurors convicted Steven Dudley Smith of robbery menacing and kidnapping charges related to four bank robberies Although police caught Smith at the scene of the final robbery there was only circumstantial evidence linking him to the three others Smith's defense at trial was that a "mobster"-like person coerced him into committing the fourth A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals determined prosecutors improperly suggested to the jury that Smith was guilty because he exercised his constitutional right to silence and the commentary was severe enough to warrant a new trial then-District Court Judge Michael Spear wrongly decided Smith's jury did not need to analyze whether he actually committed the final robbery under the mobster's duress Spear believed the evidence did not show Smith was under duress because Smith reportedly had two minutes to seek help and avoid robbing the bank "Maybe two minutes is enough time for action movie heroes to find ways to get themselves out of an emergency," countered Judge John Daniel Dailey for the appellate panel "but it may not be enough for an Ordinary Joe who is unused to being put in tense and potentially life-threatening situations." Background: Colorado appeals court reverses assault conviction due to Denver prosecutor's misconduct there was a series of bank robberies in the Denver metro area The first three all featured a White male suspect but the details of each robbery and the description of the suspect — someone in his 20s or 40s — varied was caught attempting to rob a fourth bank in April 2018 Smith's construction company owed $100,000 to Genesis Capital Ventures Smith met with "Vincent," who was allegedly linked to Genesis Capital flashed a picture of Smith's fiancée and daughters and told Smith if he did not rob a nearby bank in two minutes Smith requested that his jury be allowed to evaluate duress as an affirmative defense — meaning the prosecution would also have to prove Smith did not face an immediate threat or he had a reasonable alternative to robbing the bank finding that even if Smith was truly acting on Vincent's orders to perhaps use a phone to in some way contact law enforcement." the prosecutors allegedly committed misconduct at various points The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office indicated the prosecutors were W but the appeal was unclear about the role each man had Both have since left the office and neither immediately responded to an email seeking clarification one of the prosecutors addressed Smith's statements upon his arrest when he told a federal agent he "had to" rob the bank Smith chose to exercise his rights to silence and to an attorney The prosecutor repeatedly asked Smith to confirm that the trial was the "very first time anyone is hearing about this story" involving Vincent The prosecutor asked several additional questions about why he did not "attempt to reach out with this story" to police Smith challenged multiple aspects of his case but the appellate panel agreed two issues were decisive: the duress defense and the prosecution's suggestion that Smith's post-arrest silence meant he was making Vincent up The panel found Spear was mistaken when he declined to instruct the jury to evaluate whether Smith acted under duress Although they could disbelieve Smith's version of events it was possible for jurors to conclude Smith had no immediate alternative to avoid harm to himself or his family but to rob the bank the Colorado Attorney General's Office argued to the appellate panel that Smith "opened the door" to questions about the Vincent story by testifying to what he told the federal agent — that he "had to" rob the bank But that statement came before his Miranda warning, explained Dailey in the Aug. 24 opinion The prosecutor's questioning implied that if the Vincent story were genuine jurors should be suspicious of Smith's decision to invoke his constitutional protections used as a means of creating an inference of Smith’s guilt And because the questioning was quite extensive we cannot say that the error in permitting it was harmless," wrote Dailey Although they did not decide any of Smith's other claims on appeal the appellate judges implied the prosecutors committed further misconduct by asking about Smith's communications with his attorneys effectively calling Smith a liar to the jury and making improper emotional appeals to jurors A federal judge has declined to dismiss an incarcerated man's claim that a prison dentist retaliated against him for filing a complaint about … Email notifications are only sent once a day Colorado Politics is published both in print and online Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily designed for public policy arena professionals Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper containing outstanding features and news stories Secure your subscription to Colorado’s premier political news journal You can be in the know right alongside Colorado’s political insiders Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Daily Weather Report Powered By: Linda Stanley leaves the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse after the first day of her disciplinary hearing in Denver on June 10 Attorney and Attorney General John Suthers leaves Denver District Courtroom 2A after testifying in Linda Stanley's disciplinary hearing Friday A bench dedicated to Suzanne Morphew in her hometown of Alexandria Indiana is decorated with balloons in remembrance of her Barry and Suzanne Morphew moved to Maysville will handle any charges in the Suzanne Morphew murder investigation Suzanne Morphew was reported missing Mother's Day 2020 The arm of the Colorado Supreme Court that oversees the state's attorneys has pushed back Friday's deadline to decide the fate of the embattled former prosecutor in the Morphew case the sitting 11th Judicial District Attorney She is accused of professional misconduct associated with the Morphew case and also with a Fremont County first-degree murder case against a man accused of killing a 10-month old baby Charges in that case were dismissed in May after Stanley did a television interview She told the disciplinary court that she was under the impression that her comments were off-the-record Complaints filed against Stanley claimed she spoke too freely with the media had "continual discovery violations and was a poor leader." The state's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel had brought the charges against Stanley after it discovered enough evidence to possibly support ethical violations a county sheriff and Morphew's defense attorney Stanley's fate will be decided by three-person board Presiding Disciplinary Judge Bryon Large wrote that the delay would be brief the volume of evidence and given the Hearing Board's strong interest in issuing a thorough and detailed written opinion" the 56-day deadline could not be met a lawyer for Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel described Stanley as an absent leader who failed to steer the case and let it crash “This is a case about a ship with a captain who never manned the bridge,” said attorney Jonathan Blasewitz alleging Stanley violated attorney conduct rules pointed out that the district had few resources and was expected to serve a four-county area The 11th Judicial District includes Chaffee Stanley was at the helm of the Morphew case from the time she took office in January 2021 only to see it implode with a dismissal 16 months later she told The Denver Gazette that she had handed it to the neighboring 11th Judicial District where Suzanne Morphew's remains were found a year ago Suzanne Morphew was reported missing by her daughters and a neighbor on Mother's Day weekend 2020 He is now a free man and moved from Colorado he has a motions hearing in his civil lawsuit against Chaffee County in which he is suing more than a dozen investigators for their role in investigating and prosecuting him Morphew's lawsuit against law enforcement authorities alleged that they fabricated evidence against him and withheld evidence favorable to him The new eyes on the star-crossed case belong to Anne Kelly of the 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office The district is in the San Luis Valley area where Morphew’s remains were discovered She has been consulting on Morphew's murder with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation The four-year-old case took a sharp turn when Suzanne Morphew's autopsy results came back positive for chemicals in her bones that do not appear naturally in humans according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the official autopsy report a source who wished to remain anonymous stated that the tests came from the bone marrow of Suzanne Morphew's femur azaperone and medetomidine — the chemicals found in Morphew's femur according to the report — are used by biologists wildlife officers and hunters to anesthetize large-sized animals such as deer The report described the compound as an "injectable chemical immobilizer" for wildlife Barry Morphew was known to use those chemicals to subdue deer in order to get them into trailers for paid hunting expeditions He also told investigators that he routinely used the chemical mixture to immobilize deer before he removed their antlers The chemical solution is often sold in kit form with the acronym "BAM." Attempts to reach Stanley and her attorney Either the district attorney who oversaw the Barry Morphew alleged murder case was so loose-lipped with the press that she sunk the case After more than four years of disgruntled business owners, frustrated motorists and seemingly countless orange barrels, this week motorists will get their first glimpse of a less fury-inducing future on a 2.7-mile stretch of U.S. 19 between Whitney Road and Drew Street. A new four-lane overpass decorated with a seashell motif will open over Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard on Thursday (barring weather delays) — initially for southbound traffic only. It will eliminate what is sure to be a little-missed traffic signal at Seville Boulevard. The old northbound Gulf-to-Bay overpass, which looks like a shabby dwarf next to the gleaming new southbound side, will be demolished soon to make way for construction of a new four-lane northbound span, slated to be completed by March 2015. When the demolition starts, northbound traffic will shift onto the new overpass. For most of April, traffic will be rerouted along parts of the route as work crews tackle some major parts of the project. The state intends to turn U.S. 19 into a signal-free, limited-access highway for 12 miles through mid Pinellas County, from 49th Street N to Sunset Point Road. Officials say the congested road will be safer and will function better that way. The portion of the plan currently under construction consists of removing traffic signals and replacing them with new overpasses and frontage roads. By the time the $114 million project wraps up next year, the average commute should be about 10 minutes shorter, said Kris Carson, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Transportation. Joseph E. Blasewitz Sr., senior project administrator for Parsons Brinckerhoff, a consulting company for the project, helped build Interstate 75 in simpler times when road beds were cut through cow pastures. For the U.S. 19 reconstruction, 14 different utility lines, pipes and cables had to be moved. That work alone took two years. And then there was the "relic" sinkhole found by workers near the Belleair Road intersection. Two hundred feet deep, it hadn't caused any distress to the road, but it did cause an extra $350,000 in construction costs. But all that's in the past. Starting this week, U.S. 19 drivers will get their first peek at a smoother commute. "They're going to like it," said Blasewitz. "It's new asphalt. Rides better." Stanley Kulach, general manager of the Quality Inn, 20162 U.S. 19 N near Seville Boulevard, is already applauding. Since construction started in late 2009, he's seen a 50 percent drop in business, which has only recently begun to recover. But Kulach accepted the work with equanimity. Congestion was bad and something needed to be done, he said. Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. Construction crews were putting the finishing touches on the highway near Seville Boulevard when he arrived at work Monday morning. He didn't hear the "beep-beep-beep" of large construction equipment that has sent so many of his guests packing. In January, Gov. Rick Scott calmed angry business owners and jittery local politicians by announcing that FDOT would pay the contractor, Hubbard Construction, an extra $3.2 million so crews could work around the clock. If the work is done on time, the contractor will earn an additional $1.6 million incentive. An unusually rainy spring has complicated the effort. Lime rock, which forms the road bed, takes a long time to dry. Last week alone, four days were lost to rain, Blasewitz said. For much of April, traffic will be redirected as steel girders are placed to form the new overpass at Belleair Road. FDOT announced last week that starting this week, the intersection of Belleair Road and U.S. 19 and the southbound lane of U.S. 19 from Nursery to Belleair Road will be closed nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Friday morning. The eastbound lane of Nursery Road at U.S. 19 will also be restricted. A detour route will take motorists from Nursery Road to Belcher Road to Belleair Road and back to U.S. 19. Beginning Saturday, work on the southbound portion of the overpass will keep the Belleair Road intersection closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until April 19. The detour will route southbound traffic into a two-way configuration on the northbound portion of U.S. 19 from Belleair Road to just south of Haines Bayshore Road during those hours. Motorists who want to access Belleair Road from U.S. 19 will face a detour using Nursery Road to Belcher Road and back to Belleair Road. Growing up in Clearwater, Blasewitz never thought he'd be part of an overhaul of a road he witnessed expanding in the 1970s. U.S. 19 was widened again in the 1980s, he said. His parents fought to have a stoplight installed at Haines Bayshore Road when Blasewitz was a student at Clearwater Central Catholic High School in the early 1970s. "I'll have the pleasure of removing it," he said. Charlie Frago can be reached at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4159. Follow him on Twitter @CharlieFrago. Charlie FragoFormer Times Reporter Traffic on U.S. 19 through Clearwater and northern Largo has finally been shifted off the frontage roads and onto a new free-flowing highway that has been constructed down the middle of the roadway corridor. That highway now runs two lanes in each direction, but it will be three lanes each way by the time all the road construction work is finished in August, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. "Things are getting much closer to their permanent arrangement there," DOT official Joe Blasewitz said. "We've switched the traffic to where it will permanently go." A new northbound on-ramp between Seville Boulevard and State Road 60 just opened. A southbound on-ramp at Drew Street, which was closed for construction, has reopened. "I just want it to be done. Everyone's so ready for it to be done," said Ray Latimer of Clearwater, who drives up and down U.S. 19 for his job as an air-conditioning technician. "It seems like this thing has taken forever." It was way back in 2009 when officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of a 2 ½-mile stretch of U.S. 19 from Whitney Road to State Road 60. Crews were to build overpasses and frontage roads, widening and elevating the traffic-clogged road. The $116 million job was supposed to be finished by 2013. Construction has been repeatedly delayed by a host of problems, including a sinkhole, loads of buried concrete in the road corridor, rainy weather and difficulties with a creek. So, why does the new highway only have two lanes in each direction, and not three lanes yet? Because on the northern end of the construction project, crews are still working on the road's median. On the southern end, they're still working on the outer edges of the highway, as well as the space between the highway and its frontage roads. "As things progress, we'll be opening up more lanes as they become available," Blasewitz said. That means the end is in sight — at least on one stretch of the road. But there are still more orange barrels and concrete barriers to come. Over time, the state intends to turn U.S. 19 into a signal-free, limited-access highway through much of mid- and northern Pinellas County, from 49th Street north to Tampa Road. Officials say the congested road will be safer and function better that way. Contact Mike Brassfield at brassfield@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4151. Follow @MikeBrassfield.