Rifle man threatens to kill pregnant woman, police officers

A 31-year-old Rifle man made threats to kill his cousin and his pregnant wife in order to go to jail and “live off taxpayer dollars … or be killed.”

Rifle police officers responded to a call about the threats Tuesday evening. The caller, a 29-year-old man, said his cousin had been living with them since May 2019, after being released from a mental institution.

When asked to pitch in with rent, the suspect began making threatening statements, like “I’m willing to do anything, I have nothing to lose, I’ll kill a kid, a Rifle Police officer, or I might just kill you guys tonight. And then to not have any remorse for what I do, when I’m drunk tonight.”

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The suspect also brandished a kitchen knife, and the cousin feared for the lives of his wife, his unborn child, and his pets.

As officers were leaving, the suspect texted his cousin, saying, in part “I will make u hurt! Jus like Johnny Cash sang it (sic).”

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The suspect was in his own residence, and when officers arrested him, he said he had a gun in his front pocket. He then thrust his left hip out, jumped up and down and made shooting sounds, saying “boom, boom, boom,” according to the affidavit.

Officers found no guns. The suspect repeated threats to the family, and said he wanted to live off the taxpayer dime in prison.

He is being held on $5,000 bond on charges of felony menacing and misdemeanor harassment.

Reckless driver arrested in Glenwood thinks he’s in ‘Aurora‘

Just before 10 p.m. Wednesday, a Glenwood Springs Police officer saw a white Pontiac zip down Grand Avenue, and blow through the 9^th Street intersection, despite being in the turn lane.

The officer turned on his emergency lights and activated his sirens, then gave pursuit as the vehicle sped up.

“I knew there was no way (he) could safely match the Pontiac’s speed, but wanted to alert the public of the extreme danger the vehicle was posing to traffic and pedestrians,” the officer wrote in an affidavit.

As the car passed Sayre Park, the officer’s radar registered the Pontiac going 85 mph in a 25 mph zone. Children and others were using the park when the vehicle sped by.

The officer lost sight of the car, then saw it parked along the opposite side of the street, apparently crossing two lanes of oncoming traffic.

The officer drew his weapon and yelled for the driver to put his hands out the window. Through the closed window, the driver shouted, “No.”

An off-duty officer saw the arrest going down, and put on his bullet-resistant vest to assist.

Other officers arrived, and approached the car. The driver said that as he was going over Vail Pass, he realized he had lost his brakes.

He said he had driven across the median to avoid hitting a pedestrian.

The driver, 42, insisted he was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. The officer noted he was sweating profusely, and his appendages seemed rigid, and his eyes appeared droopy.

The driver’s license was suspended since April for child support nonpayment, and he had no registration or insurance in the car.

The officer found marijuana edibles, as well as a box of syringes and a small baggie that could have contained drugs in the car.

The Glenwood Springs Fire Department arrived to do a medical check, and the driver told them he thought he was in Aurora, and they decided to treat him at the hospital.

At Valley View Hospital, the driver consented to roadside sobriety maneuvers, but said he was in a lot of pain. The officer tried to check the man’s eye movement, but the driver said he couldn’t open them, as they were seized shut.

He also told officers at least twice, “you can check my blood.” The officer discovered a syringe in the suspect’s pocket, with a cap on it, but the driver had not said he was a diabetic.

The suspect was charged with vehicular eluding, a felony, reckless driving and other traffic charges, and misdemeanor offenses of possessing drug paraphernalia and having open marijuana container in the vehicle.

tphippen@postindependent.com