The wife had Jury Duty all last week, and yesterday. The paper covered it today, so I thought I'd share.
Teen guilty in 'Santa' brawl
This time last year, a group dressed as Santa and his helpers got into a fight over a stolen red hat. What started with a chase and a threat to put coal in the thieves' stockings ended badly for "Santa." On Monday, a Boulder County jury convicted one of two men charged in the fight, finding him guilty of third-degree assault.
1 comment:
Justin Clifford Ryan Thomas, 19, was tried on charges of second-degree assault, but jurors didn't find that he intended to seriously hurt Duncan Clauss on Dec. 4, 2004. Thomas will be sentenced Jan. 31.
Clauss, who was wearing the Santa gear that night, got into a scuffle with several men on his way home from a party, according to Boulder police reports. Clauss' nose and other facial bones were broken.
The dispute started near the corner of 10th Street and College Avenue, when several men stole a Santa hat from one of Clauss' friends. The woman chased down the group and got into an argument with the thief, police said.
Clauss, then 20, came to her defense, and a fight erupted.
A second man who admitted assaulting Clauss pleaded guilty in August to second-degree assault in the heat of passion, Boulder County Deputy District Attorney Bruce Langer said. Gregory Atienza Naing, 20, must do 100 hours of community service.
Thomas' attorneys argued Monday that he didn't mean to seriously hurt Clauss. They called the incident a "stupid, drunk fight" and said no one could clearly recount what happened.
Prosecutors said Thomas kicked Clauss when he was down.
"He had to intend to cause bodily injury," Langer told jurors Monday.
Langer added that Clauss wasn't looking for a fight that night, and that the other group started the scuffle.
"Mr. Clauss said, 'Santa's gonna put coal in your stocking,'" Langer said. "What kind of a threat is that?"
Post a Comment