Disorderly Conduct Defense Attorney in Weld County
Elected Official’s Wife Poured Herself Into Some Hot Water

An official's wife was accused of Disorderly Conduct after pouring water on a reporter. If you're facing similar charges, call the O'Malley Law Office.

In Weld County, police will charge Disorderly Conduct when a person upsets the peace of their environment. The wife of an elected official is now facing criminal charges after she poured her drink on a news reporter. Though everyone is unsure of why she did this, she claims that the reporter ‘deserved it’. When approached by officers about the incident, she quickly asked for her lawyer. After speaking to her attorney, she now claims that it was an accident as a result of some stumbling near the reporter. She will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to get out of that hot water unscathed. Her comments to police and others make that task more difficult.

Law on Disorderly Conduct, C.R.S. 18-9-106, in Greeley, Colorado

The law on Disorderly Conduct, C.R.S. 18-9-106, in Greeley, Colorado states that:

A person commits disorderly conduct if he or she intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly:

(a)  Makes a coarse and obviously offensive utterance, gesture, or display in a public place and the utterance, gesture, or display tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace; or

(c)  Makes unreasonable noise in a public place or near a private residence that he has no right to occupy; or

(d)  Fights with another in a public place except in an amateur or professional contest of athletic skill; or

(e)  Not being a peace officer, discharges a firearm in a public place; or

(f)  Not being a peace officer, displays a deadly weapon, displays any article used or fashioned in a manner to cause a person to reasonably believe that the article is a deadly weapon, or represents verbally or otherwise that he or she is armed with a deadly weapon in a public place in a manner calculated to alarm.

This law is aimed at keeping the peace. If someone is cursing at another, or yelling for no apparent reason, or discharges a firearm in public, it scares people, and disrupts the peace. It is viewed as the catch-all kind of statute.

Sentence for Disorderly Conduct

in Greeley, Johnstown, and Frederick

The sentence for Disorderly Conduct in Greeley, Johnstown, and Frederick depends on what exactly the accused did. It would be a class 1 petty offense if, like the women mentioned prior, they poured a drink on someone.  This would fall under subsection (a) of the statute, the one about coarse and obviously offensive gestures or displays. If they did this at a funeral, it is elevated to a class 2 misdemeanor. It would also elevate to a class 3 misdemeanor if the wife began physically fighting with the reporter in a public setting. But, had the wife either displayed a deadly weapon, or discharged a firearm, she would be facing a class 2 misdemeanor instead.

Disorderly Conduct and Domestic Violence

in Weld County, Longmont, and Evans

Seeing accusations of Disorderly Conduct and Domestic Violence, together, in Weld County, Longmont, and Evans, is not uncommon. When a crime is tagged with a DV enhancer, it means that the actor and victim of the crime are two people that have been, or are in an “intimate relationship.” So, if the wife poured the drink on her husband, she would be facing additional consequences Domestic Violence for “attacking” her husband. Those convicted of DV enhancers in Weld County generally have to take DV classes, respect the protection order, and they may not own or handle guns and ammunition, even if the crime was non-violent. All of that, on top of the punishment for the underlying crime, the Disorderly Conduct act.

Accused of Disorderly Conduct in Greeley or Weld County?

If you’re facing charges of Disorderly Conduct and Domestic Violence in Greeley or Weld County, you’ll want to contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as you can.

Remember to always exercise your right to remain silent, so police cannot hold anything you say against you.  Police are trained to gather evidence which supports their charges, not your innocence.

Call 970-616-6009 or fill out the Get Help Now Form to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Disorderly Conduct Christian criminal defense lawyer in the Greeley and Weld County area.

Together, we can protect your future.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash