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Man sentenced for breaking into occupied downtown home

A man who broke into a downtown Durango apartment during the middle of the day last year was given 30 days in jail, with credit for time served, this week in 6th Judicial District Court.

Matthew Bennett Smith, 40, was armed with a screwdriver and a knife when he entered the apartment about 3:25 p.m. June 19, 2013, at 1020½ Main Ave., which is accessible from the east alley behind Carver Brewing Co.

A man and a woman, who did not know Smith, were inside the apartment when Smith let himself in. They locked themselves in a bedroom and called police.

Smith locked the front door once inside.

Police forced the door open and ordered Smith to drop the knife and screwdriver and then to lay on the ground. He did not follow orders, and one of three uniformed officers shot him with a bean-bag round, said Durango Police Department Sgt. Rita Warfield at the time. The man continued to disregard orders, so police shot him a second time.

He was eventually taken into custody and transported to Mercy Regional Medical Center, which is standard procedure after someone has been shot by less-than-lethal rounds.

Smith appeared to be intoxicated and possibly under the influence of drugs, Warfield said at the time.

He pleaded guilty to felony trespassing and was ordered to undergo a mental-health evaluation and substance-abuse treatment.

shane@durangoherald.com

Jan 25, 2018
Durango man sentenced to prison for violating probation


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