Lauren Boebert's Son Allowed to Appear in Court Virtually Despite Bench Warrant for Prior No-Show

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's eldest son, Tyler, has been accused of receiving special treatment over the past few months in relation to a September 2022 car crash that left a friend hospitalized and led to a misdemeanor charge of "careless driving causing bodily injury" — which was later reduced to a "defective vehicle for headlights" ticket.

On April 24, the favoritism apparently continued: A Garfield County judge let Tyler appear in court virtually, instead of in person, despite his failure to show up at a previous hearing and getting hit with a bench warrant as a result.

"Typically, if a defendant misses a court hearing and a bench warrant is issued or stayed, they are required to appear for the next date," says Sarah Nordgaard, deputy district attorney with the 9th Judicial District. "Whether that is virtual or in person just depends on individual circumstances."

Tyler, who turned eighteen in March, was scheduled to appear in court and provide proof of completing the "Alive at 25" driver awareness program — one of the key terms of his "defective vehicle for headlights" plea deal.

It was the very last stop on his months-long road of legal drama. "He must've emailed in the certificate," said a Garfield County court clerk, who added that virtual appearances are considered on a "case-by-case basis. If people request it, they can be granted or denied."

Clerk of Court Dawn Garey confirmed that the judge overseeing Tyler's case allowed him to appear virtually through the court's WebEx service. "It's up to the judge...to appear virtually by telephone or in person," she said.

The Boebert camp declined to comment.

Tyler Boebert has hit a few bumps in recent months. In March, the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District revealed that her son was about to become a father. At that point, he was already dealing with fallout from the September 2022 crash.

Tyler was initially supposed to appear in court on April 10 for the mandatory "Alive at 25" review hearing related to the accident, when he flipped his father's SUV into a creek bed in Garfield County. Noble D'Amato, a nineteen-year-old friend who was riding shotgun, wound up hospitalized with "multiple concussions" and a severely lacerated hand.

"I still have problems with my hand," D'Amato told Westword. "My thumb almost got cut off. It prevented me from getting a welding job, because I can't hold a TIG torch anymore. I'm a personal-care provider now."

The crash, which went down around 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, also led to D'Amato's being charged with unlawful possession of a schedule IV controlled substance after he was found carrying unprescribed Xanax pills, according to the Colorado State Police. A "silver marijuana grinder w/small amount of marijuana" was also reported to have been found in D'Amato's backpack at the scene of the crash, earning him a drug paraphernalia charge since he was under 21.

Tyler was ticketed for "careless driving resulting in bodily injury," but that was later pleaded down to a "defective vehicle" charge. He was supposed to appear in court on April 10 to show that he'd completed the court-ordered driving course, but was a no-show. His mother was not aware that he'd failed to appear, according to a source within the Boebert camp.

In most cases, a bench warrant is typically issued for a defendant who misses a court date. But that didn't happen in Tyler's case.

"The judge ordered the clerk to send a letter to the defendant with a stay of execution on the bench warrant," Garey said. The court updated its system on April 11 to show that Tyler had called the clerk's office to get his hearing rescheduled for April 24.

D'Amato was baffled by his former pal's failure to appear in court last month, and accused Tyler of receiving special treatment. "Really, like what the fuck?" D'Amato said. "What else are you doing? Like, go to your court date. I would try to be like, 'Oh, shit, I should be on my best behavior.'"

Added D'Amato: "He's the son of Lauren Boebert. If I did what he did, I'd still be in jail."

According to court records, being a no-show runs in the Boebert family.

A 2016 careless driving incident once resulted in Lauren Boebert being tossed in jail for approximately 100 minutes for failing to appear in court, according to the Denver Post. In 2015, Boebert had been hit with a disorderly conduct charge related to an incident at a music festival near Grand Junction — and she missed her court date then, too.

Over the past decade, Lauren Boebert has received a summons or been arrested at least four times.

Critics have continually called out the congresswoman for putting her personal life and family in the spotlight, sending out Christmas cards with her children brandishing guns and bragging about being a young grandmother.

"Obviously, I'm a Christian, and there are standards that we like to uphold, but none of us do it perfectly," she said during a March 30 interview on The Rubin Report, after she'd announced Tyler's impending fatherhood. "We can nitpick what the Bible says is right and wrong, but I think just having that heart posture of wanting to serve God, it's so important."

"Tyler never asked to be in the spotlight," said the Boebert source. "He is just a young man trying to live his life as a private citizen."

At least his crash case is now in the rearview.

"If a defendant fails to appear for a court appearance, and there is another court appearance in the future, the defendant is required to appear at that next court date," reiterates deputy DA Nordgaard. "This judge’s practice is if any required paperwork is returned to the court in advance of the hearing, the defendant is not required to appear at all. If there is no paperwork in advance of hearing, the defendant is to appear; the method of appearance — whether in person or virtually — depends on individual circumstances, to explain why they don’t have the required paperwork turned in to the court timely."

Since Tyler appeared virtually and he submitted proof of "Alive at 25" completion, his court requirements are officially satisfied.

"His case is closed, and he has no further obligations to this judge for this case," Nordgaard says.