Attorney General Phil Weiser announces plea agreement with District Attorney Brittny Lewton in drug possession and official misconduct case
Nov. 2, 2020 (GREELEY, Colo.)—The Colorado Attorney General’s Office has reached a plea agreement with Brittny Lewton, district attorney of the 13th Judicial District, who was indicted earlier this year on drug and official misconduct offenses related to a drug transaction that occurred in her Sterling office in the summer of 2019.
Today in Weld County District Court, Lewton pleaded guilty to one added count each of possession of a controlled substance (Schedule III, IV or V), unlawful conduct on public property, and second-degree official misconduct. She was sentenced to two years supervised probation and must undergo a substance abuse evaluation and successfully complete a course of treatment as a condition of probation. Lewton may serve jail time if she violates probation. Additionally, Lewton is subject to review by the state Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel for alleged professional misconduct. She also must perform 48 hours of useful public service.
Attorney General Phil Weiser, who was appointed as a special prosecutor in this case by Gov. Jared Polis, said that Lewton is being held accountable for using her position as a law enforcement official to illegally obtain opioids from another person for her own use.
“The abuse of an official position is a serious cause for concern. In today’s plea, Ms. Lewton takes responsibility for her actions and is held accountable for them. Significantly, she has committed to a complete course of treatment to address her struggles with opioid use disorder. We support Ms. Lewton in her efforts to recover and recognize that her experience is just one example of how the opioid epidemic is impacting lives, families, and communities,” Weiser said.
In March, the Statewide Grand Jury indicted Lewton on three drug counts and one count of first-degree official misconduct. Lewton took from one of her employees a sealed, pre-packaged bottle of Norco, a prescription opioid painkiller that includes hydrocodone, a schedule II controlled substance. In an interview with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Lewton admitted to taking the pills from the employee and ingesting them at her home later that evening. Lewton also told CBI investigators she knew that her actions were a criminal act.
In exchange for Lewton’s guilty plea, the Attorney General’s Office asked the court to dismiss the original drug and first-degree official misconduct charges.
The Attorney General’s Office filed the indictment in Logan County District Court in Sterling. Today’s hearing was moved to Weld County District Court in Greeley. The case number is 20CR105.
Attorneys in the Special Prosecutions Unit in the Criminal Justice Division of the Department of Law prosecuted the case.
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