Durango police officer arrested on suspicion of domestic violence

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office investigating allegations
Justin Moore, a K-9 handler for the Durango Police Department, plays with Betty, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, in February at the police station. Moore was arrested Tuesday morning in the Denver area on suspicion of domestic violence.

A Durango Police Department officer was arrested Tuesday morning in the Denver area on suspicion of domestic violence, according to a news release from the city of Durango.

Law enforcement booked officer Justin Moore into the Denver Downtown Detention Center around 7 a.m. on a warrant from the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, according to Denver Sheriff’s Department records.

The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office issued the warrant for domestic violence Dec. 1, said spokesman Chris Burke. Deputies responded to a call from a third party to a home in Bayfield related to domestic violence allegations, but Moore left the home before law enforcement arrived, Burke said.

Moore, a five-year officer with the DPD, was suspended with pay “upon notice of the arrest,” said Durango Police Chief Bob Brammer.

The DPD did not comment about the allegations.

The case involves one victim, Burke said. Deputies spoke to Moore’s “significant other” on Dec. 1 and established probable cause for domestic violence. Court documents detailing the nature of the allegations were unavailable as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Sheriff’s Office is conducting the criminal investigation related to domestic violence; the Durango Police Department will conduct a separate internal investigation, Brammer said.

“There’s a lot of things going on,” Brammer said. “We’re taking care of the family.”

Moore, 31, is the department’s K-9 handler, according to The Durango Herald archives and the department’s Facebook page. His most-recent registered address is in Bayfield, according to voter records.

Law enforcement plans to bring Moore to La Plata County this week to be advised of possible charges, Brammer said.

Moore is being held without bail, according to Denver Sheriff’s Department.

bhauff@durangoherald.com

Dec 7, 2019
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