Friends of hit-and-run victim awaits answers as district attorneys across Colorado raise concerns over State Patrol investigation delays

For Kay Bohan, even the simple routine of a morning commute has changed.

Bohan often gave rides to 67-year-old Michael Longfellow, a beloved member of the Evergreen community who, despite facing his own challenges, had become part of her daily routine.

"Sometimes, in the morning, I'd see him, and I would just stop and say, 'Michael, get in the car; it's snowing, raining; it's cold out; get in,'" Bohan recalled, "Every single day, I look for him. Every day, I catch myself."

In March, Longfellow's body was found in a center median after being killed in a hit-and-run crash.

In July, Colorado State Patrol told CBS Colorado that investigators had a suspect vehicle in their possession as well as video evidence.

"They have quite a bit of information, and I'm just a little worried that there's not an arrest made yet," Bohan said. "Knowing that statute of limitations on charges, I'm just really getting concerned on the time frame." 

Longfellow's case is not the only one raising questions about how long investigations can take.

In Larimer County, the Capella's family said it waited 18 months for CSP to present a complete case.

District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said that delay pushed the case beyond the statute of limitations for filing charges he believed could have led to an arrest.

"We certainly want a thorough investigation presented to us, but the Colorado State Patrol investigations' time frames have gotten completely out of hand," McLaughlin said.

A CBS Colorado investigation found prosecutors in multiple counties are experiencing similar delays and are now tracking the issue.

"The longer a case takes to make it through the system, rarely does it benefit the overall quality of the case that we can present and move forward on, said District Attorney Alexis King in Jefferson County. 

The latest report from King's office — analyzing how long it takes law enforcement agencies to present cases for charging decisions — found CSP cases took an average of 230 days to reach the charging stage, compared with 33 days for other agencies.

"We cannot file charges until it's presented to our office," she said.

King said the time that passes before a case reaches prosecutors matters.

Witnesses' memories can fade, physical evidence must be preserved, and expert analysis still needs to be completed.

"No case is ever the same, but, essentially, if we know that other agencies are able to do the same level of work within a smaller time period, we certainly kind of presumptively believe we have a better case," King said.

In Boulder County, a similar report found Colorado State Patrol investigations take an average of 292 days from investigation to filing. By comparison, Longmont Police Department cases average 49 days.

District Attorney Michael Dougherty in Boulder County said his office sees the impact of those delays.

"That's a delay that's really harming victim families and can impact the investigation," Dougherty said. "That's why we work as closely as we do with law enforcement"

For years, Dougherty;s office has sent prosecutors such as Erica Jones, who heads up their vehicular crime's unit, to crash scenes from the outset as a way to help ensure critical evidence is not missed.

"We're helping advise them from a prosecutor's standpoint of what we would need at trial to be able to convict on a charge or what we would need to determine what charge is appropriate in a case, "Jones said.

Without that guidance, lengthy investigations can make it more difficult to move cases forward

"I don't want to minimize the setbacks it creates for us in terms of trying to put together a case in a timely manner that makes justice seem like it's real in our system," said District Attorney George Brauchler in Douglas County. 

Brauchler says victims and their families bear the greatest burden from those delays.

"They're told, 'Nope, not going to get it filed this month. Nope, not next month. No, not the following month,' and that is the biggest injustice to the system," he said.

Brauchler and other prosecutors interviewed by CBS Colorado said staffing and funding are among the core issues contributing to delays.

"It's the equivalent of sending eight (Denver) Broncos out onto the field against the (Kansas City) Chiefs and saying, 'Why can't you guys win?' They could win if they were appropriately staffed," Brauchler added.

After speaking with prosecutors in four judicial districts, CBS Colorado took those concerns back to Colorado State Patrol.

"Certainly, there have been issues throughout the state where there have been instances where we haven't been timely enough with what we are doing," said Maj. Mark Mason, who leads the CSP criminal investigations branch.

Mason said crash investigations are complex and often require coordination with other agencies for critical evidence analysis. He said he was unaware how his agency's timelines compared with other law enforcement agencies.

"Certainly surprised that it's taking us twice as long as you're talking about in certain instances than it does other agencies," Mason said. 

Asked about staffing concerns, Mason said CSP is working with the resources it has available and committed to improving investigative timelines.

"I am dedicating myself to making sure we do better, and we take this in a direction that we are able to get caught up and prosecute these cases in a timely fashion," Mason said.

For Bohan, the numbers and debate over investigative timelines come back to one person — Michael Longfellow — and a community still waiting for answers.

"The community, in a sense, we were family to him," Bohan said. "We don't want him to be forgotten."