Colorado judicial authorities knew that former district court judge and then-Denver City Attorney was suspected of stealing a $1,600 state computer when they told police they didn’t want him prosecuted "at this time."

That fact and others were contained in a news release by the State Court Administrator’s office Thursday.

However, the judicial authorities said Larry Manzanares did not receive "any preferential treatment" by administrator’s office, which they said was conducting its own investigation, independent of Denver police.

The release and an attached timeline show that Denver cops approached the state twice to get officials to go along with the prosecution of Manzanares. Both times — Feb. 16 and Feb. 20 — the state put them off.

The decision on the 20th to ask for no prosecution had immediate impact on the investigation. The next day, a Denver deputy district attorney declined to file charges, citing the judicial officials’ position.

That decision was reversed when DA brass learned the identity of the suspect and decided to ask for a special prosecutor. Top DA officials kicked the case to a special prosecutor.

Thursday’s release said that court officials "wanted to take the necessary time to investigate both the theft and the use of the computer, while at the same time comply with the Denver Police Department’s request for a statement?"

In the timeline, the state court said that police found the laptop in Manzanares home on Feb. 15 and notified the State Court Administrator's Office the same day.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the administrator's office said he could not confirm that the state authorities knew the identity of the person the police wanted prosecuted for theft.

The state reported the computer stolen Jan. 26.