Prominent defense attorney Kenneth Padilla, whose cases often find him in opposition to established authority, was arrested and booked into city jail Thursday for alleged domestic violence.
Padilla, 61, surrendered to Denver police at 10 a.m. Thursday on a warrant alleging assault and disturbing the peace under the Denver city code.
Denver police had been searching for Padilla since the arrest warrant was issued Monday, said Denver police spokesman Detective John White.
Details of the incident weren’t immediately available, but White said Padilla’s wife was the alleged victim. He didn’t know if she suffered any injury. The incident occurred May 30 in the couple’s home in northwest Denver, according to court records.
Padilla married Roberta May Salas, 41, in July 2002, only months after he represented her in an unsuccessful appeal of a sentence in a guilty plea to third-degree assault.
The defense attorney has represented many high-profile clients, most recently the family of Frank Lobato, who was shot to death by a Denver police officer who said he believed Lobato, who was in bed, was armed. A can of soda was found next to the bed.
Padilla’s clients have included Indian activist and sometimes actor Russell Means and Francisco “Kiko” Martinez, who was acquitted of sending letter bombs to Denver police. Martinez fled the country in 1973 when a warrant for his arrest was issued, and he wasn’t tried until he was caught re- entering the U.S. from Mexico in 1980. Courts cleared him of all charges.
Padilla also represented a woman who said she was raped by Denver officer Buster Snider, both in his patrol car and personal car. Snider was found not guilty of second-degree sexual assault, but he was fired, and the city settled a civil suit over the case filed by Padilla for the woman for $75,000.
Padilla was honored by the Latino community in 1998 “for defending individuals other lawyers would not handle,” regardless of color or creed.
Staff writer Jim Kirksey can be reached at 303-820-1448 or jkirksey@denverpost.com.
