A Cortez man accused of holding an ex-girlfriend at gunpoint while she attempted to retrieve her belongings has been found not guilty.
Marshal Johnson, 56, of Cortez, had faced two counts of menacing and two counts of third-degree assault in connection with the incident at his County Road H residence on March 22. Jurors deliberated less than three hours before acquitting him on Dec. 4.
According to prosecutors, Johnson punched his 29-year-old niece in her face after she and his former 31-year-old girlfriend went to his home uninvited. The ex-girlfriend called 911, prosecutors said, and Johnson then retrieved a rifle and held them at gunpoint to show that “he meant business.”
The defense argued that Johnson armed himself with an unloaded rifle in self-defense after the women attacked him, pulling his hair and grabbing his groin.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com