Harassment is a Class 3 misdemeanor. Harassment charges often occur in the domestic violence context, but are not limited to domestic violence situations. A conviction for harassment can result in a sentence of imprisonment in the county jail of up to 6 months.
In order to prove the crime of harassment, the prosecutor must establish that you intended to harass, annoy, or alarm the victim, and did one of the following:
Striked, shoved, kicked, or otherwise touched a person or subjected him to physical contact
In a public place, directed obscene language or made an obscene gesture to or at another person
Followed a person in or about a public place
Initiated communication with a person, by telephone, computer, computer network, or computer system in a manner intended to harass or threaten bodily injury or property damage, or made any comment, request, suggestion or proposal by telephone, computer, computer network, or computer system that is obscene
Made a telephone call or caused a telephone to ring repeatedly, with no purpose of legitimate conversation
Made repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invaded another’s privacy and interfered in the use and enjoyment of another’s home or private residence or other private property
Repeatedly insulted, taunted, challenged, or made communications in offensively coarse language to another in a manner likely to provoke violent or disorderly response.
What can constitute a harassment charge may surprise you. For example, spitting on another can constitute “physical contact” sufficient to constitute harassment. Oftentimes, individuals are charged with harassment under situations which may present First Amendment defenses based on constitutionally protected speech. In other situations, it may be possible to disprove a harassment charge by establishing that the defendant did not possess the requisite intent.
With so many people buying goods online these days, it’s not surprising to hear stories of identity theft connected to credit card fraud.
Recently, police in Denver investigated an identity theft crime in which a man and woman made multiple purchases at Walmart using another person’s credit card. The suspects are still at large. Crimes like this highlight how easy it is to take someone’s identity and information.
You’ve likely heard the term “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” on television and in the movies, but it’s not just a fictional buzzword – it’s a real crime with real legal consequences.
When an adult encourages a minor to participate in illegal activities – such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs – they can be charged with this crime. Take the case of a 33-year-old Colorado Springs man.
Fire is a powerful force. When it overtakes your home or business, the destruction can be devastating. Some fires are unfortunate accidents. However, when a fire occurs because someone intentionally set it, that is a crime: arson.
Arson isn’t a simple crime to define. A recent fire in an El Jebel restaurant is the perfect example. The suspect broke into the restaurant and prepared a plate of nachos for himself
