The head of the Secret Service office in Denver has been placed on administrative leave and ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device after being arrested and charged with domestic violence.
Lon Garner, special agent in charge of the Denver office, was arrested Wednesday and issued a summons for third-degree assault, domestic violence, which is a Class I misdemeanor, punishable by 6 to 18 months in jail.
Prosecutors in Douglas County District Court Wednesday asked that bail be set at $250,000 and that Garner be required to wear a GPS monitoring device. Prosecutors said they wanted to ensure that Garner does not follow through on threats to his victim.
Magistrate Robert Lung set bail at $50,000 and ordered Garner to be fitted with the GPS monitoring device. Garner was forced to spend Wednesday night in jail while he was fitted with the device, said Kathleen Walsh, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
Darrin Blackford, a spokesman at Secret Service headquarters in Washington, said, “Consistent with agency policy, Garner has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.”
Blackford said the investigation would be conducted by both the local police and the Secret Service Office of Inspection, which is equivalent to an internal affairs department.
Garner appeared in court today for a pretrial conference. His case was continued until Dec. 1, when his attorneys will argue for removal of the monitoring device.
