Law enforcement reviewing bomb threat, potential connection to Robin Niceta
Multiple sources have confirmed to CBS News Colorado that law enforcement investigators -- including the FBI -- are reexamining a phony bomb threat that occurred in January 2022. Robin Niceta -- the woman who was later charged in connection with a false report of child abuse against an Aurora city councilwoman -- was the person who initially reported the bomb threat.
The bomb threat occurred at the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services building, 14980 East Alameda Drive, Aurora, where Niceta worked as a child abuse case worker. Police did not make any arrests in the false bomb report and the case is listed as "inactive."
According to Aurora police reports obtained by CBS News Colorado, Niceta and a second human services employee discovered the threatening note on Jan. 11 in a secured area of the building that was not accessible to the public. The lengthy police report suggests that investigators believed the note was an "inside job," planted by someone who worked in the building.
In a separate case, four months later, prosecutors charged Niceta with retaliating against an elected official and making a false report of child abuse. Niceta, who was an Arapahoe County human services worker at the time, is alleged to have fashioned a phony child abuse case against Aurora city council member Danielle Jurinsky, shortly after Jurinsky criticized Niceta's then-intimate partner, Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson. Investigators believe Niceta anonymously called her own department on Jan. 28, after Jurinsky had appeared on a radio show and called Wilson "trash."
The caller claimed Jurinsky had sexually abused her own son.
Investigators later determined the complaint against Jurinsky had no merit and Niceta was criminally charged.
That alleged hoax has now led to new scrutiny by law enforcement on the Jan. 11 bomb threat at the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services building. According to an Aurora police report, Niceta and a second employee said they found a sticky note stuck on the inside of a door leading to a women's restroom on the second floor. The blue sticky note was inscribed, "F-k you all there is a bomb. Die."
The entire building was evacuated, and Aurora Fire Rescue and Aurora Police units responded. A bomb sniffing dog was deployed. No bomb was ever found.
In the newly obtained police report, officers said that where the message was found was "in an area only accessible to employees by the use of scanning their ID badge to allow entry through the secured door. While there are security cameras in public areas of the building, there are no cameras in the secured areas of the building."
Police said visitor logs showed only three outsiders entered the building that day.
An Aurora police investigator said no fingerprints were recovered from the threatening note.
Aurora Police Officer Paul Cancino said he eventually received a thumb drive containing video surveillance of the areas near where the incident took place.
"I did not review the footage," he wrote. He wrote that human services administrators had already told him there did not seem to be anything noteworthy on the tapes.
The reports do not indicate if any officer ever conducted an in-depth interview with Niceta about finding the note.
"After reviewing this entire case, I am not able to identify a suspect who would have left the bomb note on the bathroom door," Cancino wrote.
Law enforcement sources have now told CBS News Colorado that the FBI -- which has been involved in the investigation into Niceta's alleged false child abuse report against Jurinsky -- recently became aware of the January bomb hoax and has taken an interest in the case, given the connection to Niceta.
Vikki Migoya, a public affairs officer for the Denver FBI field office, said she could neither confirm nor deny the agencies' involvement.
"Except in rare circumstances, the FBI cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. When an investigation is warranted and it is determined a federal law appears to have been violated, those results are forwarded to the appropriate U.S. Attorney's Office, which decides whether or not to move forward with charges," Migoya said.
Migoya also said that during investigations, the FBI may speak with "numerous individuals," but the agency won't "confirm or deny any particular contact."
Asked if Aurora police would seek any outside review of their investigation into the bomb threat, Sgt. Faith Goodrich, with the Aurora Police Department's public affairs unit, told CBS News Colorado, "this case remains inactive ... we do not plan to have an outside agency look into this case," Goodrich said.
"A supervisor reviews each investigation when it is closed or moved forward. The supervisor ensures there are no further, viable leads and the investigation is complete."
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the unfounded child abuse complaint, also told CBS News Colorado it was aware of the bomb threat case.
"We do care about it," said sheriff's office spokesperson Ginger Delgado. "It's a very big deal, we've known about it since May when our investigation started."
"This is a separate case and part of an unrelated pattern of other issues with Niceta," said Delgado.
CBS News Colorado called and emailed Niceta's lawyer, but she did not respond to the inquiries.
