A veteran Denver vice detective and two others face charges after a road-rage incident during which the detective allegedly pointed his gun.
Jefferson County investigators say that shortly after 5:30 p.m. Aug. 29, Denver Detective Michael Ryan threatened a family in a Volkswagen with a handgun while driving west on U.S. 285 after work. He was charged with felony menacing.
All three of the family members in the Volkswagen lied about who was driving their car, a sheriff’s report says, and 55-year-old Christine Neona Smedley faces a misdemeanor charge of driving with a license under revocation. One of her passengers, her daughter, 34-year-old Christine Joann Frappied, faces charges for allegedly throwing an object at Ryan’s vehicle.
A second passenger, Frappied’s son, 11-year-old Devin Urioste, told sheriff’s deputies that Ryan pointed his gun at their car for “one to two seconds” during the incident, the report said.
Ryan, an eight-year vice officer with a clean record, said Tuesday that he is not guilty and will fight the charge.
“He’s an excellent detective,” Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said, “and we’ll wait for the results of the judicial process.”
A witness to the incident, Ernest Shelley, told investigators the Volkswagen was driving “crazy” when someone inside it threw a large cup at a black pickup, later identified to be driven by Ryan. Shelley did not see a weapon in the truck, the report said.
At first, Devin did not tell deputies his mother threw her drink at Ryan for fear she would be in trouble, the report said. After he saw the gun, Devin said, he yelled to his mother, who called 911 on her cellphone to report the incident, giving Ryan’s license-plate number to deputies, who pulled him over. Neither Frappied nor Smedley saw a gun, the report said.
Ryan told deputies he was on his way home from the Police Department when the Volkswagen cut him off in traffic and one of its passengers threw a drink at his windshield. Since he had received several death threats in relation to his police work in the past, he said, he unsnapped his duty gun from its holster and laid it and then the holster on the seat next to him. He did not point his gun at the Volkswagen, he said.
Per procedure, Ryan has been suspended from his duties without pay pending trial. Neither Smedley nor Frappied could be reached for comment.
Staff writer Amy Herdy can be reached at 303-820-1752 or aherdy@denverpost.com.
