Flashing a gun at someone and putting them in fear of serious bodily injury is charged as Menacing in Fort Collins and Larimer County. An off duty state trooper is facing these types of charges after a road rage incident. According to the report, a couple reported that they were driving on the outer lane of the freeway, when the trooper sped up next to them and pulled out his gun, pointing it at them. The article did not say what occurred leading up to the interaction. The couple were able to give officers enough information to identify the trooper and the man was later arrested at his home.
Fort Collins Menacing Attorney: Definition of Road Rage Menacing in Larimer County
The Weld, Morgan, and Logan County, Colorado law definition of Menacing – C.R.S. 18-3-206 – is:
(a) By the use of a deadly weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to cause a person to reasonably believe that the article is a deadly weapon; or
(b) By the person representing verbally or otherwise that he or she is armed with a deadly weapon.
Menacing is charged when someone’s actions place another in fear of serious bodily injury. There is not always a gun involved. For example, if the trooper had rolled down his window and verbally threatened the couple, he would have likely been charged with the same crime, only as a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
Sentence for Menacing in Loveland and Estes Park
As stated above, Menacing can be a class 3 misdemeanor or a class 5 felony depending on the circumstances. For the trooper, because he allegedly brandished a gun (a deadly weapon), he would be facing the class 5 felony charge. In Colorado, a felony is punishable by a sentence to the Colorado Department of Corrections. It’s also likely that a conviction of this type will mean the trooper would lose his job.