A Durango man who grew fed up with another man calling him an insulting name has been charged with felony menacing for allegedly threatening his tormentor with a hatchet.

Eric Todd Brown, 52, was being held Tuesday at the La Plata County Jail on $3,000 bail.

The melee started shortly before 4 p.m. Jan. 10 near the Rocket Pointe apartments in south Durango, where a third-party witness saw Brown and another man exchange words, according to an arrest affidavit.

The witness told police he saw Brown remove a hatchet from his bags and shout at the other man to stop calling him names. Brown then walked “aggressively” toward the other man with the hatchet in hand, the witness said.

The witness said Brown raised the hatchet above his shoulders in a threatening manner and chased the man, even as he made a hasty retreat. The witness said Brown sped up his pace as the man attempted to flee.

Brown gave a slightly different version of events.

He told police the man was calling him a “b----.” Brown said he took out his hatchet from under his sleeping bag and told the man to come back and call him a “b----” again, according to the affidavit.

Brown said he never raised the hatchet or made any direct threats. He said he held the hatchet to his side.

The alleged victim declined to speak with police about the incident.

The third-party witness agreed to testify in court if necessary, and police arrested Brown.

shane@durangoherald.com