The examination of a phone belonging to a Colorado private investigator, who is facing four drug felonies, has become a legal flashpoint, following the PI’s recent arrest in Greeley.
Laura Tellers, 52, was arrested on November 17 on two counts each of intent to distribute drugs and knowingly introducing contraband.
Tellers was involved in a number of cases in Weld County, including that of Marquise Daniels — who was arrested in connection with the 2020 murder of Blaire McQueen. Daniels was found with fentanyl and meth in his cell last October.
Regarding the phone, Weld District Court, Judge Vincente Vigil, recently denied a filing that would have allowed Tellers to regain possession of the device, which was confiscated when she was arrested.
Tellers’ attorney, Lee Christian, argued the search warrant for Tellers’ phone was too broad in its language, and there would be no way of going through Tellers’ phone without jeopardizing cases she was working on.
“I have no idea how they are going to get into this phone without getting into the work product of dozens of cases Mrs. Tellers has,” Christian said.
Prosecutor Tim McCormack noted that while it was harder to limit searches to relevant information when records are digital, it shouldn’t stop the search altogether.
“Just because the information is on a cellphone doesn’t mean it’s immune from search,” McCormack said.
Judge Vigil authorized the district attorney to seek Tellers’ phone records from AT&T but not to view them. He said the records were to be sealed and provided to the court.
The judge added that a special master — someone appointed by a judge to oversee certain aspects of litigation — will be appointed to oversee the records search and limit what is available to pertinent information.
Tellers worked as an investigator consultant for Fort Collins-based criminal and family law firm, Sedlak Law, according to the Greeley Tribune. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a criminal justice major from Colorado State University in 2004.
Tellers formed her investigation business — Rocky Mountain Legal Support — in 2010, and held a level II private investigator license in Colorado, according to the Tribune.
In December 2020, police found 27-year-old Blaire Evan McQueen lying dead in a back bedroom of a Greeley apartment. Plastic bags containing a white crystallized substance were also found in the room, according to records.
An autopsy indicated McQueen was shot four times, once at the base of her skull. McKenzie Prader, 25, and Marquise Daniels, 25, who previously lived with McQueen, were arrested for the murder.
On October 11, while in jail awaiting trial, Daniels was found with methamphetamines and fentanyl in his cell, according to an affidavit for his arrest.
Just before midnight, police say an officer entered his cell because he wasn’t responding when addressed through the food chute.
When Daniels rolled over to his side, the officer noticed a bag with a white powdered substance, according to the affidavit.
In total, Daniels is alleged to have had 0.67 grams of fentanyl and 0.3 grams of meth in his possession.
