ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — An Aurora man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation for threatening the life of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said Monday.
The 41-year-old defendant was accused of threatening Polis through a voicemail on June 20, the District Attorney's Office said in a news release. He also left a threatening voicemail on March 12 with the Adams County District Attorney's Office.
On Aug. 28, the District Attorney's Office said the defendant had pleaded guilty to two counts:
- Retaliation against an elected official
- Retaliation against a prosecutor
He was sentenced to four years of probation for each count, to be served concurrently.
According to the arrest affidavit in the case, the defendant left two voicemails on the governor's front desk line that were "explicit and threatening." There was no name listed on the caller ID, but investigators connected the phone number back to the defendant.
The caller in the voicemails stated the messages were for Polis and said that he had run out of food stamps. The caller made several threats including to "put a bullet in your [expletive] head."
In the voicemail to the Adams County District Attorney's Office, the defendant threatened to beat up a prosecutor and said, "If I ever see him again, I probably will beat the hell out of him, if not kill him," the DA's Office said.
In 2018, the man was found guilty in Adams County of felony second-degree assault on a peace officer and two misdemeanors: harassment and obstructing a peace officer, according to court records.
He also faced a felony case in 2003 in Boulder County in which charges were dismissed of second-degree assault on a peace officer and third-degree assault. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, records show.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with the defendant's guilty plea and sentencing information.
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