When offering the state money, you would think they would graciously accept and then everyone could move on with their day. I don’t know if this man from another state was trying to make a point, or if he was really just trying to pay his bill with what he had, but it ended up landing him in jail. The man was at the courthouse to pay his $600 property tax bill and began handing tightly folded one-dollar bills to the clerk. It was reported it took the clerk upwards of six minutes to unfold each bill. I guess the clerk did not like the idea of having to do this with the 600 one dollar bills the man brought in, because he called for the deputy. When the man refused to leave, the deputy went to handcuff him, which he resisted, and he had to be wrestled to the ground. The man is now facing Criminal Trespass and Resisting Arrest charges…all for trying to pay a bill.
What is Criminal Trespassing in Fort Collins?
In this case, the man would be charged with C.R.S. 18-4-504 – Third Degree Criminal Trespass. Colorado law defines 3rd Degree Trespassing as:
Since the building was owned by the government, when a government official asked the man to leave, he is required to vacate the premises. Because he refused and stayed in the office, he can be charged with 3rd Degree Trespass in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park.
What is Resisting Arrest in Larimer County?
C.R.S. 18-8-103 – Resisting Arrest – is defined by Colorado law as:
(a) Using or threatening to use physical force or violence against the peace officer or another; or
(b) Using any other means which creates a substantial risk of causing bodily injury to the peace officer or another.
According to the reports, the man jerked his arm out of the deputy’s grip when he was being detained. This motion caused the deputy to wrestle the man to the ground and handcuff him. All a peace officer has to do is claim they felt threatened or were worried about safety, to justify the use force on the person being arrested and charge them with Resisting Arrest in Larimer, Boulder, and Grand County.