CENTENNIAL — A judge rejected assertions Monday that two Glendale police officers acted unlawfully when investigating allegations John Bowlen, the son of Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen, was involved in a June domestic violence encounter.
Specifically, Judge Darren Vahle said, the officers legally entered John Bowlen’s upscale apartment with probable cause and consent and that statements Bowlen made to police can be presented to a jury.
“Police can’t enter a home unless a specific emergency exists,” John Bowlen’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, argued, contending the officers had no reason to believe his client was involved in any crime.
John Bowlen, 29, is accused of Class 1 misdemeanor for telephone obstruction and a Class 3 misdemeanor for harassment in the June 3 altercation. Police say Bowlen and hung up a phone when she tried to call 911.
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He in the case in August.
“She was crying,” Megan Gillis, a Glendale officer who responded to John Bowlen’s apartment the night of the alleged assault, testified Monday during a motions hearing.
“It seemed more loud and hysterical,” Gillis added of what she heard from Bowlen’s girlfriend as they arrived at the apartment.
A second Glendale officer who responded to the apartment June 3 said John Bowlen made statements that his girlfriend was trying to “get him in trouble with ESPN” because of his link to the Broncos.
John Bowlen, clad in a form-fitting dark suit with his hair slicked to the side, did not speak aloud during the hearing except to quietly whisper to his attorney. Before the court proceedings began, a man whispered in Bowlen’s ear: “Don’t be nervous.”
John Bowlen is next due in court in December for trial.
Bowlen’s girlfriend John was under the influence of “whippets” — nitrous oxide — and alcohol. She said she had been dating him for about 10 months during which there were “previous incidences of verbal abuse,” a warrant said.
The Broncos placed Bowlen, a marketing employee, on an indefinite leave of absence after the arrest.
In a from Bowlen’s girlfriend, she screamed and hung up, prompting the dispatcher to call back.
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Bowlen answered.
“She has had seven beers,” Bowlen said. “She is 95 pounds, and she is being picked up by another male who she works out with. She is fine, and she is trying to cause a problem. As the blood of the city, I’m telling you right now, nothing is wrong. She is leaving my house.”
Bowlen went on to assure the dispatcher that he was sober and had “done nothing wrong.”
“I’m a man of the city, a friend of the mayor, and everybody knows exactly who I am,” he said. “I’ve been going through a lot because I’ve been taking care of my dad.”
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
Updated Oct. 28, 2015 at 1:57 p.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Because of a reporter’s error, this story incorrectly listed the charges John Bowlen is facing. Bowlen is accused of a Class 1 misdemeanor for telephone obstruction and a Class 3 misdemeanor for harassment.
