Loveland man who held salesmen at gunpoint, saying they belonged to antifa, pleads guilty – Coloradoan

Posted: March 21, 2021 at 4:57 pm

It was the team's first public demonstration since a teammate was unlawfully held at gunpoint by a white man last week. Fort Collins Coloradoan

A Loveland man pleaded guilty to holding two salesmenat gunpoint last summerbut saw other charges dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Scott Gudmundsen, 66,was arrested in Juneafter police say heheld two roofing inspection salesmen at gunpointand knelt on the neck of one of the men who was later identified by CSU athleticsas a Black football player because he thought they were members of antifa, a far-left militant group.

Gudmundsen pleaded guilty to menacing with a weapon, a Class 5 felony, during a court hearing Thursday. Six other charges were dismissed by the8th JudicialDistrict Attorney's Office as part of a plea agreement.

The CSU football player, Barry Wesley, publicly identified himself and shared his story with Sports Illustrated in August.

Gudmundsen told the court he pleaded guilty because "I menaced two salesmen" with a weapon. Gudmundsen's attorney, Ryan Markus, further elaborated that Gudmundsen menaced the two men "while undergoing a mental health crisis."

Previously: Judge denies request to force hate crime charge for Loveland man who held 2 at gunpoint

As part of the plea agreement, the defense and prosecution agreed to a wellness court sentence for Gudmundsenif he is accepted to the program.Wellness court is an alternative to incarceration for those with a severe and persistent mental illness. Those in the program attend court once per week, attend individual and group therapy, and are supervised by probation.

If Gudmundsen is not accepted into the wellness court program, the agreement stipulates he be sentenced to 30 months in Community Corrections, Markus explained in Thursday's court hearing. If he isn't accepted to that program, the next sentencing option would be supervised probation with mental health treatment or probation through the AIIM program Alternatives to Incarceration for Individuals with Mental Health Needs which is very similar to the wellness court program.

To determine if any of these programs would be an appropriate sentence, Gudmundsen will undergo several pre-sentence evaluations. If he is denied alternative sentencing and not recommended for probation, his sentence would be open to 8th Judicial District JudgeMichelle Brinegar's discretion, which could include 1 to 3 years in prison,Brinegar said.

Gudmundsen remains in the Larimer County Jail on a $50,000 bond. His sentencing hearing is scheduled May 4, but that could change if he is accepted into wellness court.

Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County governmentand more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

Read or Share this story: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/03/18/man-who-held-csu-football-player-co-worker-gunpoint-pleads-guilty/4750823001/

Read the original here:

Loveland man who held salesmen at gunpoint, saying they belonged to antifa, pleads guilty - Coloradoan

Related Posts