Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams posted a stark warning to the public after officials were forced to release an inmate he called dangerous. He named the man, described violent video evidence, and pleaded that the public should be aware. The sheriff said plainly, “God help this State.”
The inmate, identified as 21-year-old Ephraim Debisa, was arrested last spring on serious charges including attempted murder and first-degree assault. The sheriff shared a mugshot and disturbing video clips showing repeated blows to motionless victims. That material underscored Reams’ point about the threat Debisa posed.
Greeley police had arrested Debisa on April 5, and another arrest was added on April 23 while he remained in the county jail. Yet months later the courts ruled Debisa incompetent to stand trial and found his competency could not be restored. Under the new law, that status meant he could not be held for trial and faced release.
Sheriff Reams said the change in law tied the hands of prosecutors and judges, and he called out lawmakers and the governor for weakening public safety protections. He blamed House Bill 24-1034, which reshaped competency rules and created pathways for release instead of treatment in many cases. Reams warned the law effectively created a revolving door for violent offenders.
Reams’ post made the legal mechanics clear: evaluators concluded Debisa could not be restored to competence within a foreseeable timeframe, which forced the district attorney to drop the case. With that ruling the sheriff said the system required the release. He described ongoing efforts to find alternate legal or treatment options as exhausted.
After the release, Reams predicted trouble and urged citizens to take precautions based on the suspect’s violent history. He said prosecutors had even explored federal channels but were limited since Debisa had never been convicted. The sheriff framed the situation as a policy failure that puts communities at risk.
Not long after the sheriff’s warning, law enforcement confirmed Reams’ fear had been realized. Reports came in that Debisa was sighted on a university campus with a firearm, prompting swift police action. That sighting led to a fresh arrest tied to weapons and trespass charges on school property.
A warranted warning
Greeley police, aided by the Weld County STRIKE team, arrested Debisa on a warrant following the campus incident. He now faces allegations of unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds and trespass of an inhabited dwelling, both felonies. The arrest vindicated the sheriff’s earlier alarm.
Sheriff Reams responded to the new arrest with blunt relief, saying he expected this outcome and was grateful no one was injured. Jail staff noted they could not obtain a new mugshot due to uncooperative behavior. Debisa later gave a virtual interview in which he claimed political targeting.
Community advocates have pushed back hard against the competency rules that allowed the release, arguing the laws deny justice to victims and endanger neighborhoods. Petition drives and calls for emergency legislative sessions grew louder after the case made headlines. Parents and victim advocates framed the policy as a public safety emergency.
One high-profile comparison raised in local debate involves a separate case in which charges were dropped after a defendant was declared incompetent. That example became a rallying point for people demanding reform, and it amplified calls to revisit how competency is handled. Opponents of the current framework say the system prioritizes procedural limits over community protection.
‘God help this State.’
Voices on all sides agree the legal questions are complex: how to balance treatment for serious mental illness against the need to protect the public from violent behavior. Prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies insist they followed the law as written, even as they asked lawmakers to rethink it. The debate now centers on whether the legal standard for restorability was set too high or applied too rigidly.
CBS News Colorado’s report about Debisa’s release was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Elon Musk. It was also shared as one of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s final tweets before he was assassinated the next day. Musk and Kirk both echoed the sentiments Reams had in the CBS News Colorado report, demanding laws be changed to not allow people facing serious charges to be released in such a way as HB24-1034 allowed.
Gov. Jared Polis responded to Musk’s share of the report, claiming Debisa’s release was “absolutely unacceptable.” Polis tweeted out, calling on authorities to “Remove this threat now.” However, both Reams and Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said they followed the law that Polis signed, citing the law as the reason they weren’t able to retain Debisa in jail.
Advocates for victims say the public needs transparency and faster action from lawmakers to close loopholes that let dangerous people back onto the streets. Law enforcement leaders want clearer statutes that allow treatment or detention for those who pose a real risk yet are found incompetent. That push for change has picked up intensity after the campus arrest.
An image tied to a related case has circulated in public discussions, underscoring the emotional side of the debate. The photo shows a separate defendant whose charges were dropped after a competency finding, a detail opponents of current law seize on when calling for reform. The image has been used to illustrate the human costs advocates warn about.
Solomon Galligan. Image source: Aurora (Colo.) Police Department
Sheriff Reams summed up the outrage: these cases are warning shots that the law needs fixing before someone is hurt badly. The narrative now driving policy talks is simple — public safety must come first while still ensuring fair treatment for the mentally ill. Lawmakers will face pressure to reconcile those goals in the coming session.
