The charge has been dropped against a Northglenn man who carried a holstered two days after the Century Aurora 16 theater shooting.
James G. Mapes said Wednesday evening he had received an e-mail from his attorney earlier in the day notifying him that the charge had been dismissed.
Mapes said he hadn’t yet a chance to speak with his lawyer, so he said he would reserve his statement until after that. He acknowledged that he felt vindicated, however.
The dismissal could not be confirmed through publicly accessible court records Wednesday night.
Mapes, 48, was taken into custody at the Cinebarre movie theater on July 22. He has had a concealed-weapon permit. issued by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department, since 2003.
In this case, he was carrying the gun openly, which required no special permit.
He commonly carries the weapon in a holster to public places, he said previously.
“I was a threat to no one. I didn’t threaten anybody,” Mapes told The Denver Post the day after his arrest.
Another movie patron reported seeing Mapes’ sidearm and called police, prompting a precautionary evacuation two days after 12 people were killed and 58 were injured in the Aurora massacre that coincided with the premiere of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.” Mapes was seeing “The Watch,” a Ben Stiller comedy about a neighborhood watch group.
“The subject’s possession of the firearm caused alarm to the theater staff and fellow movie patrons,” Thornton police said in a media release after the arrest.
Mapes was booked on suspicion of possession of a dangerous weapon, in violation of a Thornton municipal ordinance. He was given a summons and released.
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174, jbunch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joeybunch
