Harassment is one of the most frequently charged offenses in Weld County, and one of the most misunderstood. Many people facing Harassment charges had no idea their conduct crossed a criminal line. A heated argument, a string of text messages during a breakup, a confrontation with a neighbor, circumstances like these can quickly result in an arrest, a court date, and a criminal record.
If you or someone you care about has been charged with Harassment anywhere in Weld County like Greeley, Windsor, Evans, Loveland, Longmont, Fort Lupton, Eaton, Ault, Kersey, Platteville, Milliken, Johnstown, Firestone, Frederick, Mead, La Salle, or elsewhere, this blog explains what you are facing and how a skilled local defense attorney can help.
What is Harassment Under Colorado Law? A Weld County Harassment Attorney Explains
Under C.R.S. § 18-9-111, a person commits Harassment if, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, they:
- Strike, shove, kick, or otherwise touch a person or subject them to physical contact;
- Use obscene language or make an obscene gesture;
- Follow a person in a public place;
- Initiate communication with someone using obscene, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language;
- Make a telephone call or contact through any interactive computer or digital service in a manner intended to harass;
- Make repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade a person’s privacy; or
- Repeatedly insult, taunt, or challenge another person in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response.
Harassment can be charged as a petty offense, a class 2 misdemeanor, or a class 1 misdemeanor depending on the subsection charged. However, when Harassment is motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation, it is always a Class 1 misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in jail and fines up to $1,000.
When Harassment Becomes a Domestic Violence Charge in Windsor and Johnstown
In many Weld County cases, Harassment is charged alongside, or instead of, Assault or Menacing in a Domestic Violence context. When an intimate partner, former partner, or family member is involved, the Domestic Violence designator attaches under C.R.S. § 18-6-800.3. This transforms an otherwise modest charge into something with far heavier consequences:
- Mandatory arrest: Colorado officers have no discretion when probable cause exists for a DV offense.
- No-drop prosecution: the Weld County DA, not the alleged victim, decides whether to proceed.
- Mandatory protection order: issued at your first court appearance, restricting contact immediately.
- Mandatory treatment: conviction requires completion of a certified 36-week DV treatment program.
Attorney for Cyberstalking and Electronic Harassment in Firestone
Weld County law enforcement has sharply increased enforcement of electronic Harassment in recent years. Repeated unwanted texts, emails, social media messages, or posts designed to annoy, alarm, or harass can all support a Harassment charge. When the conduct becomes a pattern targeting a specific person and causes them fear, it can escalate to a Stalking charge (C.R.S. § 18-3-602) which is a Class 5 felony for a first offense. Prosecutors routinely subpoena phone and social media records, so digital evidence in these cases is often extensive.
If you or someone you love has been charged with Harassment, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the best criminal defense attorneys from the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009 to schedule a free initial consultation. Together, we can protect your future.
Photo by Keira Burton