Pueblo man free on bond arrested for violent act, gets released on bond again

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- According to court documents obtained by KRDO, 42-year-old Leonard Cordova was arrested on September 15th for illegal possession and discharge of a firearm, a Class 6 felony. Days later, he was released on a $7,500 cash bond.

Four days after being released from jail the first time, Cordova was arrested for attempted first-degree murder on September 19th. Cordova allegedly shot at two women in a car near Northern Ave and Pine St. in Pueblo. On September 23rd, he was released from jail on a $100,000 bond.

In the arrest affidavit, one of the women who was shot told officers that Cordova sent her a video of him removing his ankle monitor. He then sent her a text message saying, "I'm coming for you."

Later that night, Cordova allegedly shot multiple rounds into the women's car and proceeded to chase them in his vehicle to Parkview Medical Center, where the women admitted themselves to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg.

Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner said he has a real concern about violent offenders who are out on some form of release. He says his hands are tied to prosecute them.

"I have a real concern that we have people out on the street that shouldn't be. I have talked with the legislature and testified on bills. The bills in the legislature have not been helpful," Chostner said.

Jeremy Loew, a Colorado Springs lawyer, said many factors are considered when a judge is determining if someone is eligible for bond. He said variables can include someone's ties to the community, past history of failing to appear for hearings or trials, or their past history of criminal behavior.

"In a situation like this, what the judge was primarily concerned with was whether or not this person was likely to re-offend," Loew said. "This person was clearly a risk to the community and the $100,000 bond didn't do anything to alleviate that."

Loew said he has seen multiple instances, specifically in domestic violence cases, when a repeat offender will be released on some form of bond.

"The court's hands are tied by the legislature. It has said, frankly, that they want people to be released from jail. They don't want people waiting for their trial in jails," Loew said.

Chostner acknowledged that the laws created and adopted in Denver are not helping crime rates in Pueblo County.

"You can't pass bills in Denver, and then have people on the front line here in Pueblo suffer the consequences," Chostner said.

According to Chostner, crime rates in Pueblo dropped from 2018-2020. However, he is concerned that the numbers will rise in 2021 largely because of repeat offenders.

"When you are looking at our homicides, our drive-by shootings, or our officer involved shootings, 70% of those are by people that are out on some form of release or another," Chostner said. "If those people were off the street, we would not be having that incidence of violent crime in Pueblo."

Cordova will appear back in court on October 20th, and again on November 10th for the attempted first-degree murder charge.