A former Rocky Ford police officer accused of killing an unarmed man in his mother’s home is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday morning for a preliminary hearing.
The court appearance could shed new details on why James Ashby, 41, followed 27-year-old Jack Jacquez into the home on Oct. 12, 2014 and .
Records in the case have been sealed and authorities in southeast Colorado have been tight-lipped about the investigation. Ashby has been charged with second-degree murder.
Ashby’s preliminary hearing was scheduled for last month but moved after his attorney’s in the case. The postponement who felt the delay was catering to the defense.
Ashby had been accused of professional misconduct several times at his first policing job in Walsenburg and was the in Rocky Ford filed days before the fatal shooting.
With his November arrest, Ashby became the first Colorado law enforcement officer in more than two decades to face a murder charge in an on-duty death.
The former officer, fired after he was taken into custody, .
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
