A Denver deputy district attorney departed his job last month after an “obnoxious” run-in with a prosecutor in Jefferson County that was tied to a woman’s traffic stop.
Justin Friedberg left his job with the Denver District Attorney’s Office on Aug. 1, office spokesman Matt Jablow said. He declined to say whether Friedberg was fired.
Friedberg’s departure came after he accompanied 32-year-old Breanna Burgesser to Jefferson County Court in Golden and tried to advocate for her as she appeared for a traffic ticket on July 8.
“There was an incident where a district attorney was acting inappropriately,” said Brionna Boatright, a spokeswoman for the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes cases in Jefferson and Gilpin counties.
Friedberg and Burgesser did not return requests for comment.
Friedberg was with Burgesser in January when Arvada police Sgt. Keith Cogar pulled Burgesser over and ticketed her for illegally passing a school bus on West 84th Way, driving with an expired registration and reckless driving.
During the Jan. 10 traffic stop, Friedberg, who was riding in the front passenger seat, argued with Cogar about what violations Burgesser committed, the sergeant’s body-worn camera footage shows.
“Reckless driving?” Friedberg said incredulously, leaning forward to address the officer. “OK, so that’s wanton disregard?”
“It’s willful and wanton, absolutely,” Cogar responded. “…You knew that that bus had its lights on. You don’t pass school buses like that.”
“All right, we’ll see you in court,” Friedberg responded, then demanded a business card from Cogar, which the sergeant provided.
When Burgesser appeared in court for the ticket on July 8, Friedberg accompanied her even though Burgesser was appearing pro se, meaning without an attorney.
State law prohibits prosecutors from acting as defense attorneys or defending clients.
Friedberg insisted on speaking with a prosecutor about the case, and that conversation in the hallway outside the courtroom became heated. Friedberg appeared agitated and raised his voice, the Jeffco DA’s office confirmed.
“He never represented himself as her attorney, but attempted to advocate for her and succeeded only in being obnoxious,” Boatright said.
Friedberg returned to the courtroom after the conversation and there was no further disruption, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Karlyn Tilley said.
Burgesser pleaded guilty to overtaking a school bus. The charges of reckless driving and driving with an expired registration were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. She was ordered to pay a $150 fine and court costs that together totaled $276.50, according to court records.
The traffic offense she pleaded guilty to carried a potential sentence of between 10 and 90 days in jail, as well as a fine of between $150 and $300, according to her plea agreement.
Boatright said the prosecution’s plea offer did not change because of the hallway conversation with Friedberg.
“It was the same offer that it was initially,” she said.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office shared information with the Denver District Attorney’s Office about the incident, and Denver’s office conducted an internal investigation, Boatright said.
Both district attorney’s offices denied The Post’s open records requests for emails between the two offices about the incident, relying on an exemption that protects work product from public release.
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