Obstructing a Peace Officer is charged in Larimer County and Fort Collins when a person acts in a way to stop law enforcement from doing their job. A man is facing this charge, along with at least 7 others, after attacking vehicles with a tire iron. According to the report, the man was standing at an intersection hitting vehicles and drivers with a tire iron. It was a seemingly random event that resulted in charges of:
- 2nd Degree Assault;
- 1st Degree Trespass;
- Attempt to Commit a Class 3 Felony;
- Felony Menacing;
- Criminal Mischief; and
- Child Abuse
When officers tried to take him into custody, the man ran, adding Obstructing a Peace Officer / Police Animal and Resisting Arrest.
Larimer County Obstructing a Police Officer Attorney: Definition of Obstruction of a Peace Officer
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Obstructing a Peace Officer – C.R.S. 18-4-104 – is:
(b) To assure that animals used in law enforcement or fire prevention activities are protected from harm, a person commits obstructing a peace officer or firefighter when, by using or threatening to use violence, force, physical interference, or an obstacle, he or she knowingly obstructs, impairs, or hinders any such animal.
Because after he ran, the police had to release a K-9 to try and catch the man, he was charged under subsection (b), attempting to obstruct a police animal from doing its job. Obstructing a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical service provider, rescue specialist, volunteer, or police animal is a class 2 misdemeanor.