Every media outlet in Greeley and Weld County has been covering the recent officer shooting related deaths of a teenager and a twelve-year-old boy. In both circumstances, the police officer reported they felt their lives were in danger. With tensions so high, it does not seem like the most appropriate time to pull a joke on the police, but apparently, a Grand Junction man felt differently.
A self proclaimed comedian from Mesa County pulled out a banana from his inner coat pocket in what was described as using the same method where someone would pull out a gun and point it at an officer. He did this while walking down the sidewalk, after seeing a marked police car. The officer immediately called for backup and the two officers were in agreement that they thought he had a gun. It wasn’t until the officers were going for their weapons when the man yelled to them that it was just a banana.
Police officers are terrible victims to commit a crime against.
When asked why he would do this, the man stated that he wanted to record the encounter to put it on youtube as a funny prank. He was not, however, recording this incident. He claimed this was a trial run of the joke. The Mesa County man was arrested for felony menacing.
Menacing by Banana: What is Felony Menacing in Greeley?
Felony Menacing – C.R.S. 18-3-206 – is defined as:
- 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
- By the person representing verbally or otherwise that he or she is armed with a deadly weapon.
Basically, if you have an actual weapon, have something that looks like a weapon or claim to have a weapon, you can be charged with this crime in Weld, Morgan or Logan County. Apparently, a banana fits into this category. As long as the police officers say they were placed “in fear of imminent serious bodily injury,” the case will likely go forward. Police officers are terrible victims to commit a crime against.
If you or a loved one has been arrested for menacing in Greeley, Windsor or Evans, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009. Together, we can protect your future.
Image Credit: Pixabay – OpenClipart-Vectors