Both of Denver’s dailies today politely report the news that former Colorado House Speaker Doug Dean has been named director of the state’s Public Utilities Commission. I say “politely” because neither the Post nor the News saw fit to mention the incident for which Dean was best known during his years as a state legislator. In May 2001, Dean admitted using a screwdriver to break into a former girlfriend’s home. Though the 40-year-old Republican said he only wanted to retrieve his cell-phone charger, he then stayed in the house for at least 30 more minutes, until the woman, a statehouse lobbyist named Gloria Sanak, returned home. Seeing Dean still holding the screwdriver, she fled to a neighbor’s house. When Dean followed her, she called 911.

Sanak was crying and appeared to be gasping for breath as she urged the dispatcher to send help immediately. The sound of terror in her voice is unmistakable, according to the News. When the dispatcher asked Sanak if Dean was still there, Sanak yelled back. “Yes, yes,” she said. … The day after the incident, Sanak obtained a temporary restraining order, writing in a sworn affidavit that Dean was holding a screwdriver when she encountered him in her home. She wrote that he “chased” her down the street to her neighbor’s house.

Welcome back, Doug.

Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan
Daniel Brogan is the founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of 5280 Publishing, Inc.