Speedy Trial Deadline Blown – Violation Undoes Sex Assault Conviction As Colorado Court Orders Dismissal With Prejudice

Judge Tow’s opinion for the panel reads like a civics lesson about how constitutional protections actually function in practice. They’re not aspirational guidelines that courts can balance against administrative convenience. They’re mandatory constraints that operate automatically, even when compliance creates genuine hardships for an overburdened system.

The state was represented by Frank Ryan Lawson of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Mares was represented by Esteban A. Martinez of Martinez Law LLC. Judges Ted C. Tow III, David H. Yun and Grant T. Sullivan sat on the panel for the Colorado Court of Appeals.

The case is The People of the State of Colorado v. Anastacio Mares, case number 23CA1003, in the Colorado Court of Appeals.