Two courts, one case: Judge to weigh prosecutor removal and child hearsay in Hawkins proceedings

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice

What began as criminal charges against retired Aurora Police Department sergeant Michael Hawkins has expanded into a dispute spanning two counties and two courts. While Hawkins faces felony allegations involving children, his former wife, Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins, was jailed after declining to follow a reunification therapy order issued during divorce proceedings.

Two hearings that are set for February 19th inside a Douglas County District Court could subtly influence the course of People v. Hawkins.

The hearings for case 24CR808 begins at 9:00 a.m and 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom C and are expected to be available through the Colorado Judicial Branch livestream. 

The morning argument centers on a defense request to remove the elected District Attorney’s Office from the case.

The afternoon turns to child hearsay — and what jurors may eventually be allowed to hear.

The Criminal Case

The criminal case itself dates back to July 2024–when charges were filed against retired Aurora Police Department sergeant Michael Hawkins. Public reporting describes multiple felony counts alleging sexual assault involving more than one child, including adopted children and a foster child. Hawkins has denied the allegations through counsel.

After his arrest, bond was set at $50,000. He was released under court-imposed conditions, including electronic monitoring. The case has remained in pretrial posture.

Douglas County District Court Judge Daniel Warhola denied a defense request, last month, to move the case out of the county. The trial will stay where it was filed. The court did not rule that day on the separate motion seeking to disqualify the District Attorney and Chief Deputy District Attorney. Instead, the judge reset that argument for February 19.

Defense counsel framed the request in writing: “This motion is not routine. We believe prosecutorial conflicts merit this court’s attention.”

Courts do not remove elected prosecutors lightly. A judge must find a concrete conflict — not simply disagreement over strategy. If the motion is granted, a special prosecutor could step in. If denied, the existing prosecution continues.

Child Hearsay and Evidentiary Rules

Then comes the second hearing.

Child hearsay.

Under Colorado law, certain out-of-court statements attributed to child victims may be admitted at trial — but only if a judge first determines they meet statutory reliability standards. That review happens outside the presence of a jury. Timing matters. Consistency matters. Context matters. Corroboration matters.

The prosecution has indicated the motions are intended to determine how those statements may be presented while minimizing retraumatization. Rachel Pickrel-Hawkins is expected to testify during the proceedings.

Parallel Family Court Dispute

While the criminal case advances in Douglas County, a parallel dispute has unfolded in Larimer County family court.

In separate divorce proceedings in Larimer County, a family court ordered reunification therapy involving the couple’s two youngest sons. Criminal charges against Hawkins had already been filed in Douglas County by the time the therapy order was being enforced.

Pickrel-Hawkins declined to comply.

The refusal led to a contempt finding. The sentence: seven consecutive weekends in jail.

In September 2024, after she had begun serving the weekends, a Larimer County judge suspended the remainder of her sentence and paused further reunification therapy pending resolution of the criminal case.

Two court systems. Two standards. 

Prior Public Record

Years before the 2024 criminal charges were filed, Hawkins’ name surfaced in a separate incident that drew public attention. 

In 2015, surveillance footage from University of Colorado Hospital captured officers forcing a woman, OyZhana Williams, to the ground during an arrest after she refused to allow a search of her purse. According to reporting on the case, attorneys for Williams alleged she was bent backward against a police car, choked, thrown to the ground and that her head was “stomped on” during the encounter. 

Court filings identified Hawkins among those named in the lawsuit. 

The City of Aurora agreed to pay $335,000 to end the federal civil rights case–stating the settlement did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.

What Feb. 19 May Decide

For now, the criminal matter stays in the pretrial phase.

February 19 will not determine guilt.

It will determine who prosecutes the case — and what rules will govern the evidence when a jury eventually hears it.

And that may shape everything that follows including Hawkins’ jury trial which is set for March 24-31, 2026.