Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison After Casino Officer Assault

Daniel Lehi, a 44-year-old resident of Towaoc, Colorado, has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a casino security officer. The act was equivalent to assaulting a federal employee, a criminal offense.

Federal Officer Attacked at Casino in Colorado

The man Lehi assaulted was identified as a federal officer at the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel and had tried to restrain a visibly disturbed Lehi who had lashed out at casino employees, other patrons, and security.

Lehi, who was inebriated at the time, was confronted by the unnamed security officer, who worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and started a brawl with him. Lehi proceeded to punch the employee in the face and had to be further restrained by additional security staff who rushed to the scene of the accident.

Lehi had acknowledged his actions in court and admitted to assaulting a federal officer in front of US District Court Judge Gordon P. Gallagher who sentenced him to five years in prison with three years of supervised release.

Culprit Receives Sentence Tantamount to His Offense

Although the sentencing may seem a little harsh, Lehi is known to law enforcement and has got into trouble over his actions in the past, having been named in other cases of assault.

FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said that Lehi’s actions were simply unacceptable and that the agency was fully behind the officer who responded to the patron’s boisterous behavior. Michalek went so far as to call the unnamed officer a “victim” of Lehi’s behavior and assault.

Matt Kirsch, Colorado’s Acting US Attorney, also pitched in a statement and said that assaulting a federal officer is a serious offense that mandates an even stricter response. The resulting arrest, investigation and sentencing, was the joint work of the FBI and the BIA.