Endangering Public Transportation or Utility Transmission in Colorado

The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm are experienced criminal defense attorneys in Colorado who defend people charged with offenses against public peace, order, and decency including endangering public transportation and utility transmission.

What are the elements of endangering public transportation or utility transmission?

Endangering public transportation and utility transmission is a crime under C.R.S. 18-9-115 which defines the offense as follows:

(1) A person commits endangering public transportation if such person:

(a) Tampers with a facility of public transportation with intent to cause any damage, malfunction, nonfunction, theft, or unauthorized removal of material which would result in the creation of a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to anyone; or

(b) Repealed.

(I) With death or imminent serious bodily injury; or

(II) With a deadly weapon or with words or actions intended to induce belief that such person is armed with a deadly weapon.

(d) Repealed.

(1.5) A person commits endangering utility transmission if such person tampers with a facility of utility transmission with intent to cause any damage, malfunction, nonfunction, theft, or unauthorized removal of material which would:

(a) Interrupt performance of utility transmission; or

(b) Result in a creation of a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to anyone.

(2) “Public” means offered or available to the public generally, either free or upon payment of a fare, fee, rate, or tariff, or offered or made available by a school or school district to pupils regularly enrolled in public or nonpublic schools in preschool through grade twelve.

(3) “Public conveyance” includes a passenger or freight train, airplane, bus, truck, car, boat, tramway, gondola, lift, elevator, escalator, or other device intended, designed, adapted, and used for the public carriage of persons or property.

(4) “Facility of public transportation” includes a public conveyance and any area, structure, or device which is designed, adapted, and used to support, guide, control, permit, or facilitate the movement, starting, stopping, takeoff, landing, or servicing of a public conveyance or the loading or unloading of passengers, freight, or goods.

(4.5) “Facility of utility transmission” includes any area, structure, or device that is designed, adopted, or used to support, guide, control, permit, or facilitate transmission of:

(a) Electrical energy in excess of thirty thousand volts; or

(b) Water, liquid fuel, or gaseous fuel by pipeline.

(5) Endangering public transportation or endangering utility transmission is a class 3 felony.

Possible penalties for endangering public transportation or utility transmission in Colorado

Endangering public transportation or utility transmission is a class 3 felony that carries a presumptive sentencing range between 4-12 years in prison followed by three years parole and a $3,000 to $750,000 fine. This offense does not require mandatory prison so defendants who are eligible for probation may receive a probation or community corrections sentence in lieu of imprisonment.

Statute of limitations for endangering public transportation or utility transmission

In Colorado the statute of limitations for commencing criminal charges against a person is governed by C.R.S. Section 16-5-401. The statute of limitations for commencing criminal charges for endangering public transportation or utility transmission in Colorado is as follows:

Felony endangering public transportation or utility transmission charges must be filed within 3 years. C.R.S. 16-5-401(1)(a.5)

Contact the attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm to Fight for You Today

If you’ve been charged with endangering public transportation or utility transmission contact the attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm to vindicate your rights and protect your liberties. If you’re facing criminal charges or fear you may be charged time is of the essence. Start Your Free Criminal Defense Case Quote. By retaining Rights & Liberties Law Firm you can rest assured that:

The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm will use experienced investigators and experts to look into the case to get ahead of the police and prosecutors, whether there has already been an arrest or an investigation is on-going;
The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm will advocate for you during your bond hearing to get you released from custody on the lowest possible amount of bail or on a personal recognizance bond;
The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm will litigate all constitutional violations and fight to suppress any evidence illegally seized or obtained by police and investigators in violation of your rights;
The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm are trial dogs. If you’re prepared to go all the way, so are we. We’ll take your case to the jury and fight with everything we’ve got to secure your acquittal.
The attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm are skilled negotiators. If you’ve made a mistake we will leave no stone unturned in presenting mitigation to contextualize your circumstances. We will obtain information and prepare a mitigation presentation or report to the prosecutor to present you in your best light and show the state and the judge that despite your mistakes you’re a dignified human being worthy of leniency and redemption. We will protect you from the overly punitive instincts of the criminal legal system and obtain the best plea bargain possible.
If you’re up against the wall facing serious charges, jail, or prison time the attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm have your back. From drug distribution and barfights to sex assaults and homicides the attorneys at Rights & Liberties Law Firm know that life gets wild and things fall apart. We’ll fight to keep your life together and advocate to ensure that you receive a non-prison sentence, or one which results in the lowest amount of prison time possible.
If you’re wondering why we do this work, we’re in it because we care. At Rights & Liberties Law Firm we believe that no individual’s crime holds a candle to the injustices meted out by our unusually cruel overly punitive criminal legal system. At Rights & Liberties Law Firm we fight for people whose talents, dreams, and lives have been put on hold by a criminal accusation. Let us fight for you.