Man sentenced to prison in Boulder menacing case after taking plea offer

Aug. 12—A man accused of waving a knife at an officer during an incident in 2020 took a plea deal in his case and was sentenced to prison.

Ian Shane Johnson, 43, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Boulder District Court to felony menacing and criminal mischief — $20,000-$100,000, both felonies.

He was sentenced to four years on the criminal mischief charge and three years on the menacing charge to be served consecutively, for a total of seven years in prison.

Tuesday's hearing was originally scheduled as a motions hearing for a scheduled trial in September, but that trial date was canceled with the plea agreement.

Prosecutors dismissed the remaining counts, including first-degree assault on an officer, first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary and two counts of attempted first-degree assault.

"Through his actions, this defendant caused significant damage and fear," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. "I appreciate the outstanding response and the efforts of the police officers involved in this scary situation. This prison sentence is the appropriate consequence, especially given the danger he presented to the officers and our community."

According to police, officers responded to an apartment complex in the 2700 block of Iris Avenue in Boulder on June 26, 2020, after Johnson had barricaded himself in the second-floor laundry room. Police said Johnson ripped out a section of copper pipe, causing flooding on the second floor of the complex, which seeped into Murphy's Bar & Grill on the first floor.

Officers turned off the building's power to stop the water when Johnson would not comply with negotiations and launched pepper-ball projectiles into the laundry room.

Johnson then climbed into the ceiling and through the attic, and was able to run the length of the building and exited the attic and landed in the bedroom of another tenant's apartment. Officers entered the apartment after roughly two hours of trying to negotiate with Johnson, who had barricaded himself in the bathroom, according to police.

Officers used a ballistic shield and tasers to force entry into the bathroom, where Johnson was in the bathtub armed with a knife. He then began waving it at officers, but was eventually arrested. He was treated at an area hospital for injuries from climbing through the walls and fighting with officers.

While being transported to the hospital, Johnson "made several spontaneous utterances about breaking into the apartment because the apartment owner was going to steal his drugs," according to an arrest affidavit. Johnson also mentioned using methamphetamine and stated that he hadn't slept in four days.

The owner of the building estimated Johnson caused about $20,000 worth of damage to the building.