Sometimes, a night out on the town can end in an arrest. This is especially true when alcohol is involved. I came across an article the other day that perfectly illustrates how easy it is to have an evening end in disaster in Denver, Arapahoe, and Jefferson County. All it takes is for a few people to drink too much and make a few bad decisions. For one man, his birthday party ended in his arrest for Harassment, Resisting Arrest, and Obstruction.
21st Birthday Party Bash: Ends with Harassment Arrest
According to the news article, a Fort Collins man was out celebrating his 21st birthday one evening. Now, 21st birthday parties are widely considered to be wild, but in most cases, they don’t end in an arrest. Unfortunately for this birthday boy, things got out of hand. Apparently, the young man grew frustrated and shoved a bouncer at a bar. The police were called, and when they arrived, the man didn’t rein in his temper. Instead, he ended up “charging” at a police officer, knocking him to the ground. He was arrested under suspicion of Second Degree Assault, Harassment, Resisting Arrest, and Obstructing a Peace Officer.
Multiple Charges against Larimer County Man
Charges can pile up quickly, especially when it comes to bar fights in Adams, El Paso, and Douglas County. Let’s take a look at how the evening could have played out, and why the man was charged with the crimes listed above:
- Second Degree Assault
Second Degree Assault – C.R.S. 18-3-203, is charged when a person uses a deadly weapon to cause bodily injury to another person. But, it is also charged when someone causes bodily injury (without a weapon) to a police officer while preventing them from carrying out their duty. This charge was likely added because the police officer “suffered a shoulder injury” after being thrown to the ground. “Bodily injury” is an extremely vague term, and usually is defined as “feeling pain.”
- Harassment
Harassment – C.R.S. 18-9-111, is charged when a person, with the intent to harass, alarm, or annoy another person, strikes, shoves, kicks, uses foul language or gestures, or otherwise harasses or annoys that person. This charge was likely added to the 21-year-old’s list of charges, because of shoving the bouncer early in the evening.
- Resisting Arrest and Obstruction
Resisting Arrest – C.R.S. 18-8-103, and Obstruction of a Police Officer – C.R.S. 18-8-104, are charged when a person uses threats, violence, or force, to impair the actions of a police officer while on duty, and uses force or violence to avoid arrest. The young man was apparently “thrashing” and fighting the police when the arrived on the scene, thus these two charges were added (read a previous blog about these two crimes).
A Night of Drinking Leads to Arrest: Why You Need a Lawyer
The young man from Fort Collins faced a slew of charges. Unfortunately, people don’t realize what can happen when they drink too much – bad decisions result in lifetime consequences. The young man’s judgment was impaired, and he hit a bouncer. Who knows what happened – maybe the bouncer was asking for it. Regardless, the young man then lost his temper with the police, which is never a good idea. A conviction of Assault on a Police / Peace Officer receives a mandatory prison sentence. If he hadn’t struck the officer, the charges could have been dropped after the involvement of a skilled criminal defense lawyer. If you’ve been charged with multiple crimes (especially if they involve police officers), contact a hardworking criminal defense attorney immediately to begin work on your case.