Ex-Colorado Cop Who Arrested 73-Year-Old Woman With Dementia Gets 45 Days In Prison

Daria Jalali, a former cop from Loveland, Colorado, was sentenced Friday to 45 days in jail in connection with the rough arrest of an elderly woman with dementia in 2020.

In the arrest of Karen Garner, 73, Jalali pleaded guilty in June in failing to intervene, a Class 1 misdemeanor, reported Coloradoan. As part of a plea agreement, two other misdemeanor charges were dismissed. She had faced up to 60 days in prison for not stepping in when another cop was being rough with the elderly woman. Jalali will have three years of probation following her jail sentence. In 2020, lawmakers stepped up penalties for the crime as part of a police reform bill. It was passed during protests over racial injustice and police brutality that year.

Garner was arrested by former officer Austin Hopp after she left a store without paying for items worth $14. Last year police body camera video was released that showed Garner repeatedly saying that she was trying to go home, reported Fox News.

In the video, after Garner turned away from him, Hopp grabbed her arm, pushed her to the ground and handcuffed her. Later, the cop pushed her against the hood of his car. After she tried to turn around, he moved her bent left arm up near her head. Then Garner started to slump toward the ground. Jalali arrived after Garner was handcuffed. She said, "Stand up! We're not going to hold you."

Later, the elderly woman filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Loveland and cops. Garner’s attorney said that during the interaction with the cops, she suffered a dislocated shoulder and a fractured humerus bone. In May, Hopp was sentenced to five years in jail for his treatment of Garner. A lawsuit filed by Garner was settled by Loveland for $3 million. Her family said that after her arrest, her condition deteriorated. She also requires around-the-clock care now.

Jalali apologized to her and her family in court, and she told Judge Joshua Lehman that she thought Garner was intoxicated. She believed that Garner was only complaining about her handcuffs so that she could get out of them.

While sentencing, Lehman said that there was an "abysmal failure of the duty to protect and serve," reported 9News. Lehman added that cops must have the ability to stand up to their fellow officers. The judge noted that need was "painfully obvious" in this case where a "delicate" woman was being arrested.

Garner's children said that they were pleased with the sentence. John Steward, Garner's son, said that they wish the Loveland Police "will really take this seriously and they would use this case to justify cleaning it up."