10 14 25 FOX 31 Meteorologist Kylie Bearse on her fight to change the justice system

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And it is Colorado's Morning News Chad Bauer and Gina Gondek.
Being on local TV has its perks from assisting the
community in times of needs and meeting and interacting with viewers,
but with the connection can also come concern.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
A meteorologist you know well here on KOA is sharing
her story of one viewer who has taken things too far,
leading to scary situations, temporary restraining orders, and new issues
when it comes to Denver's justice system. Joining us on
the KWA Common Spirit Halttline is Fox thirty one meteorologist
Kylie Burst. Kylie, we appreciate you coming on with us
this morning, not to talk whether as we usually do,

(00:34):
but to really shine light on a scary situation that
you've been in. And I just appreciate that you're making
this known so other people can learn and maybe take action.
For those who are unaware of the video that you
posted in the Denver Post article, can you give a
brief recap of the situation that you've been put in
the last few years.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, And the article goes into so much more detail
because it's gone on for years. Got a temper restraining
order against a viewer in September twenty three. He broke
it a few months later about fifty sixty times, and
then I got a permanent restraining order after about a
year and a half of dealing with pretty consistent stocking,
you know, on all sorts of different platforms, showing up
to events. He had I think eight different Instagram accounts

(01:14):
that friends and family would constantly have to block. And
then a couple of weeks ago, he actually followed me
home from work and that's when things really took a turn.
He was arrested and I was told he was going
to be charged with felony stocking, but then when it
got to the DA, they actually brought those charges down
to a misdemeanor. And when I was looking at the law,
when I'm talking to lawyers other das outside of Denver,

(01:36):
everyone was saying, Hey, this is this doesn't look right.
And so at the Denver Post did an incredible job
digging in and they found that Denver is actually quite
a bit lower when it comes to pressing seleny stocking
charges compared to other counties in our state.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
And Kylie, how has this whole situation affected your life
over the past few years? Having to deal with all this,
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
I mean it changes the way that you look at life.
I mean, when it comes to social media, changed how
I posted on there. I never post in real time anymore.
And then I think, whenever someone comes to your house,
and he specifically followed me home from work into the
back alley and then went around to the front, I mean,
my sense of safety was completely shattered. I had, you know,
a full panic attack as the police were coming to help.

(02:17):
And it's just been really hard. It's been very, very challenging.
I had to find different housing and it's really just
shaken my kind of perception of things. And it was
fine when he was in jail, I was like, Okay,
he's finally safe. And then when the charges were lowered,
and then when he was let out of jail, that's
when you know the real stress started.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Higley, Obviously it's only speculation, but is there any reasoning
of why we think there's so few cases in Denver
compared to El Paso County or other areas, and why
changing from a mystic from wanting it to be a
felony to a misdemeanor charge.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, when I was talking to the DA and he
was trying to explain it. He was saying that it
had been too long in between stocking events, because my
stocker actually took about a year and a half off
as far as I knew, you know, he certainly could
be watching the news every day. So they gave this
timeline that they use what they call common law practice
that it doesn't sound like other DA's are using. So
that's the only explanation that I was given. I tried

(03:11):
to push back, and he eventually just said, hey, this
is a judgment call. So just the way that they
handle it, I think is a little bit different than
some of the other counties.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
And Kylie, when you get that permanent restraining order, are
there any other than not going near you? Are there
any other requirements, like any sort of like mental health
treatment that this person had to get or anything like that.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
You know, I remember the judge saying, like, you do
need to get some help, because at the end of
the day, this is a mental health issue. This is
someone who's who's not well, but they're not allowed to
own a gun. Once you have a permanent restraining order,
you do have to disclose it when it comes to
getting a job. So those are the two big differences
a temporary restraining order. It's a crazy system to go through,
but the temper restraining order, it is just a year.

(03:51):
It doesn't really have an impact. You can still buy
a gun and after a year there's no issues. It
just goes away. And then when that's broken, that's when
it becomes a permanent and there are much bigger consequences
like not owning any firearms.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Kiley, what message do you have for those who are
going through similar situations. Maybe they're frusted with frustrated with
Denver's justice system, looking for changes, even action with the DA.
What is your biggest takeaway with sharing this message and
letting other people know about the situation you've been in.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Well, I've been blown away by the amount of women
who have reached out and have had similar experiences, and
all across the country too. You know, we can say
this is a Denver issue, but a stocking has taken
fairly lightly across the board, and I do hope that,
you know, our justice system takes it a little bit
more seriously. I know it's harder to prove in a
lot of cases, and I also just hope that people
are aware of what's happening and takes. You know from

(04:41):
that what they will and support people who are going
through it. But I've been blown away by the support
and unfortunately blown away by the amount of women that
I've heard from who have dealt with similar experiences.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Box thirty one meteorologist Kylie Burst, thank you so much
for sharing your story with us this morning.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it.