Embarrassed Colorado sheriff admits he’s released ‘very dangerous inmate’ into public due to legal loophole

An outraged Colorado sheriff was forced to let a ‘dangerous’ inmate back into the public due to a state law that requires criminals found incompetent to stand trial to be released from jail.

Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams issued a warning over the release of an inmate who is considered a ‘potential danger to the community’ on Monday.

Debisa Ephraim, 21, was given a legal ‘get out of jail free card’ and was released from the Weld County prison after he was found incompetent to stand trial in two of his criminal cases, according to the sheriff’s office.

He was facing charges for attempted second-degree murder, assault, engaging in a riot, menacing and burglary.

Ephraim’s release comes amid national fury after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was allegedly stabbed to death in North Carolina by a serial criminal who had been released from jail on a ‘written promise’ that he would return to court.

Videos shared by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) allegedly showed Ephraim in two separate violent attacks.

‘It is a very violent crime, and how rapidly this person has accumulated contacts with law enforcement is concerning,’ Reams told CBS Colorado.

‘He is a very dangerous person, and his actions, from what we can tell, were unprovoked.’ 

One video allegedly showed Ephraim attacking a group of people outside of a bar in Greeley on April 5.

Ephraim appeared to start throwing punches at the man, and when that man fell down, he continued to strike him in the head.

The Greeley Police Department responded to the scene and found a man on the ground, unresponsive, with visible facial wounds and struggling to breathe outside of a bar. 

The victim’s sister, who did not share her name, told 9 News her brother, his wife and friends were walking to their parking space outside the bar when Ephraim approached them.

‘Watching him approach my brother, hit him the way that he did, and then even when my brother was defenseless, continue to hit him without any remorse, in fact with the intention of killing him, that is very scary to me,’ she said.

‘The fear is that the next time he will kill somebody,’ she said. ‘Our local officials have their hands tied. They’re trying to protect us, and they can’t.’

The other clip showed a massive brawl from a few weeks prior, where Ephraim allegedly knocked a man unconscious, then continued to punch while he lay on the ground.

‘The first video in this post is believed to have occurred in the Fort Collins area a few weeks prior to the second video, which allegedly happened in Greeley,’ the sheriff’s office said.

‘Although the videos in this post could not be authenticated, they were found on social media and given to law enforcement by one of the victim’s family members in the Greeley Police Dept.’s case.’

A Greeley Police Department affidavit obtained by the local station also states that on January 26, Ephraim arrived at a house and pointed a gun at a man and said, ‘Don’t do something you will regret. Don’t lose your life over this.’

Additional records show that Ephraim was arrested in Oklahoma in May 2022 after a high-speed police chase.

He was arrested after driving across state lines from Colorado into Oklahoma at speeds of 80 to 110 mph, reported ABC 7.

The sheriff’s office cited House Bill 24-1034, which was signed into law by Governor Jared Polis in 2024, as the reason for Ephraim’s release back into society.

‘We’re releasing someone that we don’t think should be released,’ Weld County Sheriff Captain Matt Turner said. 

‘We’re releasing someone who is a danger to the community. The way the law is written, he has a get out of jail free card.’

The bill requires those who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial in the last five years receive mental health treatment.

However, Reams said there was no room available at the state mental health facility and his office was forced to let Ephraim back onto the streets.

‘With that ruling, we are forced to release that individual. This, or the case that happened in Aurora with Solomon Galligan, those both are very giant highlights to the mistake that was made,’ Reams said, referencing a transgender sex offender who was arrested for trying to kidnap a young boy, but had the charges dropped after he was ruled to be mentally incompetent.

‘It needs to be corrected. Someone is going to get hurt, and someone is gonna get hurt bad.

Reams explained that Ephraim is a refugee from Tanzania, but he could not get federal authorities involved because he was technically never acquitted or found guilty of a crime.

‘All I can do at this point is make (the public) aware that this person is out and about, and pray that he doesn’t re-enter those criminal actions,’ Reams said. 

‘Quite honestly, without some legislative actions, I don’t know how you address this concern.’ 

The Daily Mail contacted the office of Governor Polis and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.