Break-in at Colorado Supreme Court building caused $35 million in damage, left 3 floors unusable

[Nevilledog]

https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/12/brandon-olsen-colorado-supreme-court-break-in-meth-fentanyl/

No paywall link
https://archive.li/E0FrJ

The Arizona man accused of breaking into the Colorado Supreme Court’s building earlier this month caused an estimated $35 million in damage to the building and rendered three floors unusable, State Court Administrator Steven Vasconcellos said during a legislative hearing Friday.

Brandon Olsen, 44, is accused of shooting his way into the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center around 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 2, threatening an unarmed security guard and then starting a fire on the seventh floor of the courthouse before eventually surrendering to police.

Olsen told police he was hallucinating during the incident after smoking methamphetamine and taking fentanyl pills.

The seventh-floor fire was extinguished by the building’s sprinklers, which ran for a couple of hours and caused significant water damage, Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Brian Boatright said Friday during the legislative hearing at the state Capitol.

*snip*

[LiberalFighter]

1. I don't give a shit if he was on drugs. The maximum needs to be applied against him.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Pretty Simple Solution For Him

He could have not done such harsh drugs.
Either way, it's completely on him.

[haele]

2. Ya, sure. Blame the drugs.

As the old pot/acid/speed head I knew long ago told me - "the trip you take is a fun house mirror of what's already in your head."

If he wanted to attack the courthouse, the drugs just turned off his thinking brain and gave him the courage to do what his lizard brain always wanted to do.

He still had a motive. Drugs just helped him with the means.

Haele

[yagotme]

4. The drugs turned off the higher thinking processes of his brain, right?

Therefore, the drugs are to blame for allowing him to turn off civilization, and revert to his lower self. So, I guess the drugs ARE to blame...

[haele]

8. He made a conscious decision to take the drugs and turn off his brain.

I feel pity that there is a disease that the drug abuser and drunk driver has, but I cannot condone the decision to seek out the drug or drink and then proceed in an unsafe manner. They are still responsible for whatever results from their actions while under the influence. Their decisions to proceed indulging their illness has already ruined their lives.
What's the old saying? The addict won't stop until s/he recognizes and takes responsibility, hits rock bottom or dies. My old pot/acid/speed head friend took responsibility for his recreational drug use and didn't abuse in an inappropriate manner.

Anything that lets the addict escape responsibility when something bad happens is enabling the disease to continue.


Haele

[AllaN01Bear]

17. the devil made me do it . hem. snork

[dalton99a]

5. POS said he did it because of drugs - nothing political - and everyone accepted his explanation.

[sop]

12. Everyone knows when angry white RWers go on deadly shooting rampages they're just mentally unbalanced,

it's never the result of some reactionary political agenda.

[jaxexpat]

22. Yep. And.......Oh......... and their apologies are always sincere.

That's why we trust and forgive them (limited offer, not available to non-white or non-Christian perpetrators).

[Warpy]

20. The drugs fueled the rampage

and probably made it possible but the idea to burn down the courthouse was most likely already sloshing around in that thing he calls a brain.

They need to look a lot closer than just the drugs.

[MagickMuffin]

6. I tells ya the drugs MADE ME do it, says Brandon Olsen, yeah that's the ticket

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. Must've made him take off his red hat for that shot.

[colorado_ufo]

11. Ladies - I think he's single!

[JoseBalow]

14. Robocop has hit rock bottom

[madinmaryland]

7. Let's go Brandon. What a fucking asshole.

[elleng]

9. OMG!

[JoseBalow]

13. Ah yes, the ol' Speedball Defense

A time-honored classic!

Tell me your lawyer is a public defender without telling me your lawyer is a public defender

So now, when he takes his plea deal, he will be eligible for a sentence reduction after "successful completion" (attendance) of a drug "rehab program" (circle jerk), that comes with the added benefit of getting him out of working in the kitchen an hour early three days a week. What self-respecting tweaker would turn that sweetheart deal down?

[Cha]

15. Throw the Book at Brandon Olson Fucking Terrorist Idiot.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. snork. make him pay. full of #$%

[H2O Man]

18. This is as likely

to work as a defense as claiming one had drank to blackout in a DWI case.

Note: In my younger days, I did hallucinogens rather frequently, and never attack a court. This includes when I was a college student, during a 4-month court case where I was accused of disorderly conduct, allegedly for throwing a slice of pickle on the window at McDonalds. I behaved well on my weekly trip to & in court.

[rubbersole]

21. The slice of pickle defense...

You are free to go. Just eating at McDonald's is punishment enough.

[flying_wahini]

19. He's costing a lot to lock up but do it anyway.

Take his prison pay for restitution. He can do without.

[Lonestarblue]

23. Another member of the Trump cult. I hope he spends most of the rest of his life in prison.