Former Fountain city council member Detra Duncan has been all over the news lately as she faces two felony charges of public assistance fraud in the Fourth Judicial District – and the NAACP says these charges and the negative publicity that led her to resign from the Fountain council are part of a pattern of politically motivated attacks designed to push black leaders out of decision-making roles.
“The Rocky Mountain NAACP CO-MT-WY State Conference (RMNAACP) and the NAACP Colorado Springs Branch stand firmly with City Councilwoman Detra Duncan, who has been forced to resign from Fountain City Council amidst a deeply troubling pattern of unjustified political attacks,” reads a Sept. 23 joint statement.
The NAACP statement noted Duncan is a former NAACP secretary and said she has “dedicated her life to serving others.”
“For four years, she has worked tirelessly to uplift underserved residents, strengthen education, improve infrastructure, expand healthcare and mental health access, and fight for equity across El Paso County,” the statement said.
Duncan’s case is not new – the Probable Cause Affidavit is dated April 17 and a Restitution Payout Order/Judgment of $63,261.12 is dated July 17. But media coverage only started a few weeks ago.
The NAACP said the media attention coincided with Duncan indicating intention to run for State House District 21. Duncan lost a bid last year as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the El Paso County Commission District Four.
“The bigger question is, why now?” the NAACP said in its statement. “Let us be blunt: Councilwoman Duncan is only one example in a much larger systemic attack. This attack is about entrenched interests using stereotypical tropes as political lynching tactics to block another Black woman from holding office – this time in House District 21, where Duncan posed a real threat to the Republican stronghold.”
The media coverage of Duncan’s case began with the Gazette’s “Fountain City Councilmember Detra Duncan charged with public assistance fraud” on Sept. 12.
A Sept. 16 Gazette article was titled “Fountain city councilwoman resigns amid accusations of public assistance theft.”
In a statement quoted in the Gazette and other outlets, Duncan said her “decision to step down is not an admission of wrongdoing but rather an acknowledgment that the work of this Council, and the trust of the public, must come before any individual.”
“I care deeply about our city, and I do not wish for ongoing questions surrounding me to diminish the important initiatives we have advanced together,” Duncan said.
Articles and news video clips were put out by other outlets including the Gazette’s media partner KKTV as well as KOAA, KRDO, and Fox 21 who all reported similarly on the allegations against Duncan and her resignation from the Fountain City Council.
Investigators have charged Duncan with public assistance theft, tallying more than $37,000 and dating back to 2016. Duncan is accused of falsifying employment records to conceal her position as an elected official (misrepresenting that the $300 paycheck was for cleaning services rather than public service) and saying her husband did not live with her when he did, and his income would have disqualified her for services.
Reports said Duncan is also accused of misrepresenting herself as a caregiver for two disabled family members, Duncan’s mother and uncle, who allegedly never actually lived in Colorado but in Louisiana, and had died at the time Duncan submitted letters she said had been written by her relatives verifying their residency and Duncan as their caregiver.
Reports also noted that the affidavit says that Duncan’s mother died in 1998 and her uncle in 2019. However, the NAACP and several sources close to Duncan told the Bulletin that Duncan’s mother is alive. The Bulletin used online obituaries and sources close to Duncan to clarify the family tree and what caused this confusion.
Duncan’s mother is alive, uncle has same name as grandfather
The affidavit says Duncan’s mother’s name is Earlie Mae Johnson. There is an online memorial page for an Earlie Mae Johnson who died in 1998. Earlie Mae Johnson was born in 1936 and lived in Louisiana. However, Duncan is not listed as a survivor – but “Ervin Jeffrey Johnson of Colorado Springs” is listed as a surviving son. There are mentions of surviving brothers, but none of them is an Ervin Johnson. However, it does list a daughter – Debra Ann Madison. A source close to Duncan said Duncan’s mother’s name is Debra.
There is an online obituary for an Ervin Johnson, Jr. who died in 2019 and also lived in Louisiana. He was born in 1932. His obituary says “Mr. Johnson is preceded in death by parents and his wife, Lucenda Johnson; step-daughter Diane Fells; brother, Walter Johnson and sister, Roberta Chew.” It does not mention Earlie Mae Johnson or Duncan – but it does say he is survived by one son, also named Ervin Johnson.
It appears that the Ervin Johnson and Earlie Mae Johnson who died and are listed in the affidavit as Duncan’s mother and uncle were actually Duncan’s grandparents – and Detra’s uncle, listed in the 1998 obituary as living in Colorado Springs, shares a name with the grandfather who passed.
In one part of the affidavit it states, “Jefferson County was able to ascertain and verify that Earlie Mae Johnson (Detra’s mother, date of death 03/09/1998) and Ervin Johnson (Detra’s uncle, date of death 05/18/2019) were both deceased at the time of the letters Ms. Duncan submitted and represented as having been written by them” and in another place in the same document it says “Ms. Duncan went to the extent of writing and signing letters for herself alleging an in-kind shelter agreement with an elderly woman and her disabled adult child.”
Both statements cannot be true. If Duncan’s mother had a disabled adult child, that would be her brother, not her uncle.
This doesn’t indicate that any of the charges are false, but it does show that the affidavit’s account of the investigation did not clarify this point and led to the widely reported statement that Duncan’s mother was dead which those close to her knew to be untrue.
Duncan declined to comment for this story.
What about Larry?
A significant part of the fraud case against Duncan stems from her alleged non-reporting of her husband Larry Duncan’s income. Even though investigators determined that Larry Duncan co-owned and lived in the household where the alleged fraud occurred, it does not appear from the affidavit that he was interviewed as part of the investigation. The affidavit reads:
“Jefferson County investigators Jessica Aguiniga and Luke Curtis performed a field investigation on this case, which involved visiting El Paso County to conduct interviews with associates and the client. They spoke to several neighbors of the client, who verified Ms. Duncan lived in the home with her husband, Larry, and that the only other resident of the home was their child in common. No other residents were identified.”
The Pikes Peak Bulletin reached out to Larry Duncan; he declined to comment for this story.
Newscast shows Duncan’s home
At least one newscaster attempted to track Duncan down at her place of residence seeking comment. Michael Logerwell KRDO’s Facebook page hosts a news clip video of Logerwell – dressed in a suit and holding a KRDO microphone – approaching a house and rapping on a front door surrounded by autumn decor, as he reports “No one came to the door when KRDO13 went to ask Fountain city councilor Detra Duncan about the current felony theft charges against her.” Duncan’s street address is not visible in the video; it is listed in the affidavit.
Liz Rosenbaum is a Fountain resident, community organizer and business owner, and a former Democratic candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives to represent District 21. She told the Bulletin that in the current climate of political violence, she was alarmed by the intrusion of the press into Duncan’s personal space.
“In today’s climate, where elected officials and community leaders are already targeted in public and at work, this kind of reckless reporting crosses the line,” she said.
Last month, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed and another lawmaker and his wife were wounded at their respective homes in an act of political violence, prompting national conversation on the privacy and safety of public officials.
KRDO stood by the decision to go to Duncan’s home. A statement to the Bulletin from KRDO News Director Staci-Lyn Onofre said:
“In light of the criminal charges against Detra Duncan, who was an elected public official at the time, we made every attempt to get her side. Out of fairness, we often take multiple avenues to reach suspects via phone, social media, email and in-person to provide them with every opportunity to respond.
“Due to the current climate, it’s more important than ever that we show transparency in our efforts to get all sides of the story, which is why we included video of our reporter at Duncan’s house.
“The video and report do not show or reference her address, which is available to the public on the El Paso County Assessor’s website and Duncan’s criminal affidavit.”
The Bulletin reached out to Corey Hutchins, who teaches journalism at Colorado College and serves as the ethics chair of the state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, to weigh in on going to the homes of public officials for a story.
“I have written in the past about when journalists might get into tricky territory when approaching some sources, and I do think some people might have different ideas around privacy and boundaries these days and what counts as professional,” Hutchins said. “A lot of these questions are going to come down to case-by-case situations. But journalists have to do their due diligence when seeking comments from story subjects and make sure they are giving people an opportunity to explain themselves. I don’t think it’s inherently unethical to knock on someone’s door, particularly that of a public official.”
Rosenbaum also said she knows Duncan and believes her to be a person of good character.
“Dr. Duncan has served with integrity and dedication, always putting the needs of Fountain residents first,” she said, adding, “I stand firmly with Dr. Detra Duncan.”
Duncan has a plea hearing in this case on Oct. 24.
[Editor’s Note 9/27/25: This story has been updated to clarify the source of the quote from KRDO.]
