Former Loveland officer sentenced to 45 days in jail for role in Karen Garner arrest

LOVELAND, Colo. - A former Loveland police officer is now the first officer to be convicted under Colorado's Failure to Intervene law.

Friday, a Larimer County judge sentenced Daria Jalali to 45 days in jail for her role in the 2020 arrest of Karen Garner, an elderly woman with dementia.

During sentencing, the judge called the incident an "abysmal failure of the duty to protect and serve."

Garner was originally arrested after trying to leave a Walmart with $14 worth of items. The officers who responded pushed her to the ground, causing multiple injuries including a dislocated shoulder.

Jalali pleaded guilty to a single count of failure to intervene in Larimer County District Court in June. She will get credit for two days already served and was remanded into custody Friday to begin serving the remaining 43 days. Following her release, she'll serve 36 months of probation.

She was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and complete 250 hours of community service.