The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction): In a shift heralded by some local defense attorneys, an imminent change to Colorado law means that members of the public will not be told the identities or ages of most juveniles accused of serious crimes.

Currently, Colorado statute requires law enforcement agencies and courts to release the identities of children under the age of 18 who are accused of crimes that, if committed by adults, would be considered class 1, 2, 3 or 4 felonies — the most serious charges.

A statute signed by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in May includes a section that prohibits law enforcement agencies and courts from releasing the name, date of birth or photograph of juveniles in almost all cases.

According to Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition Executive Director Jeff Roberts, House Bill 17-1204 
primarily aimed to make it easier for juvenile defendants to expunge their criminal records.

“During legislative hearings on the bill last spring, the provision barring the release of identifying information when juveniles are arrested and charged didn’t get much attention,” Roberts wrote on his organization’s blog Oct. 9 in a posting that referenced one Grand Junction case covered by The Daily Sentinel.

Currently, Mesa County has several high-profile juvenile defendants who under the new law would not have been named had the law been in effect.

Michael Anthony Manzanares was 15 when he allegedly shot his 14-year-old friend last summer in a crime described by prosecutors as reckless but not intentional.

Eric Passero, 15, was named in The Daily Sentinel after his arrest on a felony arson charge in connection with a gang-related home invasion at an elderly couple’s Grand Junction home in June.

Neither boy would have been named publicly under the new law, although the charges would be publicly available, as well as the arrest date and place.

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