Reckless Endangerment Lawyer in Lakewood, Arvada or Wheat Ridge, Colorado
For years, I have called Harassment the “catch all” charge for police when they don’t know what to charge for an argument between two people – whether physical or not. The “catch all” charge for driving charges when an accident occurs is Careless Driving. For dangerous conduct which does not involve people driving or arguing, the catch all charge is Reckless Endangerment. It could involve launching a rocket which came down and hurt a house, throwing a rock which crashed through a car window, or the discharge of a gun or bow / arrow, in a back yard. The definition was left vague so that police officers in Jefferson County and Arvada could add it to a broad set of facts. Let’s look at that definition.
Definition of Reckless Endangerment in Douglas County, Colorado?
In Castle Rock, Parker and Douglas County, Colorado, Reckless Endangerment is defined as:
“A person who recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury to another person commits reckless endangerment, which is a class 3 misdemeanor.” C.R.S. 18-3-208. Read more about Douglas County Reckless Endangerment.
Denver Definition of Recklessly – A Defense Attorney’s View
The Denver definition of “recklessly” is: “A person acts recklessly when he or she consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that a result will occur or that a circumstance exists.”
Substantial? Basically that means really bad. Plain and simple.
Adams County Lawyer for Reckless Endangerment and Substantial Risk Defined
Colorado does not have a set definition of “substantial risk” in its statutes, but it does have one for “serious bodily injury”:
“bodily injury which, either at the time of the actual injury or at a later time, involves a substantial risk of death, a substantial risk of serious permanent disfigurement, a substantial risk of protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ of the body, or breaks, fractures, or burns of the second or third degree.”
So we know that your conduct must create a substantial risk (whatever that means) that someone could have been hurt pretty bad. While these definitions do not give us any precise direction when trying to decide to go to trial, or settle your charges of Reckless Endangerment in Northglenn and Adams County, Colorado, they do point us in one direction. In the end, you and your criminal defense attorney will need to decide whether a jury considers your conduct bad or really bad. Yes, that simple. Will they say to themselves, “man, someone could have been killed by what that nut did,” or will they say, “that was dumb, but I can see myself doing that.” This is how juries think. As a result, we are never sure what a jury will do with the allegations against you in a Reckless Endangerment case, we can guess in the ballpark.
What is Reckless Endangerment in Aurora, Littleton and Arapahoe County, Colorado
Now you know as much as I know. To get convicted of Reckless Endangerment in Aurora, Littleton or Centennial in Arapahoe County, you need to do something which is really dangerous and which people would say, “dang, that guy was crazy and irresponsible.” Of course, no one can actually have been hurt – just the possibility of being hurt. If they are really hurt, other charges would apply, like Assault.
You need a good criminal defense attorney to defend your charges of Reckless Endangerment in Colorado. Otherwise, a jury and prosecutor might just convict you and give you a permanent criminal record. In many cases, you don’t deserve a criminal conviction just for doing something a little risky. In America, we’ve become soft and many of your neighbors would love a chance to get some drama in their life by calling police. So, be careful out there and call or criminal defense lawyers at 303-731-0719. Together, we can protect your future.
Image Credit: Pixabay – Hans