CORTEZ – Dolores resident John Finocchiaro racked up several warrants in Montezuma County Combined Courts on Wednesday when he failed to appear in at least four pending cases.
Montezuma County Judge JenniLynn Lawrence expressed concern for public safety, particularly after his charge of weapon possession by a convicted felon from a Feb. 3 arrest in Dolores.
“There’s a history of Mr. Finocchiaro of failing to come to court,” Lawrence said. “He presents a flight risk.”
After the arrest in Dolores, Finocchiaro failed to appear in court on Feb. 6 and was arrested in Durango after a standoff with police on Feb. 10.
Sgt. Jacob Harris at the La Plata County Detention Center said Finocchiaro arrived at the jail on Feb. 10 and bailed out the same day on a $10,000 bond. Based on jail records, he said there were no new charges as a result of the standoff, but he was held on a warrant from Montezuma County.
In court Wednesday, public defender Kenneth Pace said the warrant from Feb. 6 was due to a 72-hour hold at the Durango Axis Health System facility Crossroads at Grandview for suicidal ideation.
“I do not know where he is today,” Pace said.
Lawrence said he presents a danger to the community and himself. She sent bond in four cases totaling $15,000 cash or surety.
Finocchiaro has several felony convictions dating to 2002, often involving firearms.
sdolan@the-journal.com
