LOUISVILLE, Colo. — A man who refused to leave a destroyed residential area the day after the Marshall Fire told a firefighter, "If you want me out, you'll need to take me out, and I have an AR-15," according to the arrest affidavit.
Stephen Roch, 24, of Louisville was arrested Friday morning in a traffic stop in the area of St. Andrews Lane and Dillon Road, which was inside the fire perimeter and under mandatory evacuation.
He had loaded guns and about 2,000 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle, according to the Louisville Police Department (LPD) affidavit.
Roch was arrested on suspicion of:
- Menacing
- Obstructing a peace officer
- Obstructing government operations
- Third-degree criminal trespass
- Eluding
According to the affidavit, a firefighting crew was working on St. Andrews when they spotted a parked vehicle and saw Roch. Denver Assistant Fire Chief Marc Wiedrrich told Roch that he needed to leave and that was when Roch threatened him.
Wiedrrich later told Louisville Police that he didn't feel his life was in danger but that he wasn't going to push the issue. He said he felt Roch was upset over the loss of his home and "wasn't gonna take anything and was gonna do what he wanted," the affidavit says.
When LPD officers arrived on scene, Roch, who was walking a dog described as a labradoodle, got into a silver Toyota Rav4, drove through rubble to reach a road and headed south, according to the affidavit.
LPD stopped the vehicle on Dillon Road between 96th and 88th streets and took Roch into custody, the affidavit says.
Officers found the dog in the vehicle, along with a loaded AR-15 rifle out of its case, two cases of AR-15 and .223 ammunition, a loaded handgun and loose 9mm ammunition, the affidavit says.
At the jail, Roch asked for a lawyer and was not interviewed, according to the affidavit.
Roch was scheduled for a court hearing Monday afternoon in Boulder.
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