Police chief at Colorado’s mental health hospital still on paid leave 7 months later

The police chief at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo remains on paid leave nearly seven months after he was removed from his position amid an investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Richard McMorran was escorted out of the mental health hospital in late September as the CBI launched a “possible criminal investigation” at the request of the Colorado Department of Human Services.

The CBI finished its investigation and presented the case to the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in December so the prosecutors could decide whether to bring criminal charges, CBI spokesman Rob Low said this week. The district attorney’s office has not asked CBI to conduct any additional investigation, he said.

In December, then-District Attorney Jeff Chostner told The Denver Post that the case was still under review but that he would make a decision on charging “in the near future.” He left office in mid-January at the end of his term.

New District Attorney Kala Beauvais said Tuesday that no charging decision has been made.

“This is still a pending and open investigation,” she said.

It remains unclear why McMorran was placed on leave. He has collected roughly $65,400 in salary across the seven months he has been on leave, according to salary information obtained by The Post through an open records request. The chief is paid $112,000 annually, those records show.

McMorran did not return a request for comment Wednesday.

Stephanie Fredrickson, a spokeswoman for the Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health within the Department of Human Services, said the office could release no information about the “personnel matter” involving McMorran.

She did not answer a question about why he remains on paid leave.

The state mental health hospital’s small police department handles criminal matters at the 516-bed campus in Pueblo. The department includes a handful of certified police officers, as well as a number of security guards.

McMorran remains a certified police officer, according to a database of law enforcement officers maintained by the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.

He was appointed as chief in 2018.

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