A man suspected of smashing a Durango motel room – in addition to threatening a woman and police officers – caused more than $3,000 in damage, according to an arrest affidavit.
Myron Augustine, 38, was arrested about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25, at Durango Lodge, 150 East Fifth St., on suspicion of assault, menacing, criminal mischief and criminal trespass, according to the affidavit.
The incident began about 5 p.m. when Augustine, armed with a hatchet, allegedly threatened a woman staying at the motel. The woman was unknown to Augustine, according to the affidavit.
“(The woman) observed a male in a towel walk outside to the top of the stairs,” the affidavit said. “(She) observed the male to have long hair, tattoos on his face and body. (She) observed a hatchet in the male’s hand. ... Augustine made eye contact with (the woman) and started to speak in another language. (The woman) stated (Augustine) was waving the hatchet in a figure eight motion and was kissing the hatchet.”
The affidavit said Augustine accused the woman of taking something from him. She told officers she was too afraid to move because any sudden movements might provoke Augustine to attack her.
“(If) she tried to get out of the way (Augustine) could throw the hatchet at her, and she could die,” the affidavit said.
The woman called out for help, and her friends came out of their room.
“(Augustine) went to walk away but then turned around and stated, ‘next time I’m gonna kill (expletive) all of you,” the affidavit said.
Police were called, and shortly after arriving, officers say Augustine flashed the hatchet at one of them through the motel window. Officers drew their firearms, pointed them at the door and ordered him to come out unarmed.
“(Augustine) had a hatchet in his right hand, and had it raised near his head when he opened the door,” the affidavit said.
Augustine retreated into the room. Officers heard what sounded like an object hitting the inside of the door multiple times, according to the affidavit. The motel manager told police the room shared a connecting door with Room 205, whose occupants were away at dinner.
“La Plata County Sheriff Deputies used a key card to open room 205,” the affidavit said. “When deputies opened the door, I observed they could not open it all the way. I heard a deputy state, ‘Myron are you right there?’ I then heard what sounded like (Augustine) slamming the hatchet into the door. Deputies closed room 205’s front door and backed away.”
After about an hour, the door to Room 204 opened. Augustine stood behind the doorway with the hatchet in his hand, not wearing a shirt. An officer shot her taser at Augustine, but it was ineffective, she said. Augustine then lifted the hatchet above his head as if he was about to throw it at officers.
Instead, Augustine slammed the weapon into the wall and went back into the room, the affidavit said. Multiple officers reported fearing for their lives when he raised the hatchet, according to the affidavit.
“For the next several hours, (Augustine could be heard) making statements to himself inside the room,” the affidavit said. “At one point, (he) stated he was going to chop officer and deputies’ toes off.”
Around 7:26 p.m., Augustine came out of the room wearing a black jacket and sunglasses. He threw a mess of papers on the ground, then went back inside the room. At 8:23 p.m., he emerged again, complied with officers and was arrested, then was taken to Mercy Hospital.
“At Mercy it was confirmed that (Augustine) was hit with one taser probe,” the affidavit said.
The motel room was destroyed. An assessor estimated Augustine caused $3,500 in damages, the affidavit said. Inside, officers found Augustine had broken down the door between rooms 204 and 205, and the hatchet was left on a desk in Room 204.
In an interview with police, Augustine said he didn’t speak to the woman who accused him of menacing and didn’t remember threatening to cut off officers’ toes. He remembered being angry and breaking down a door between rooms 204 and 205 because he believed police were entering Room 205, according to the affidavit.
Augustine is expected to face formal charges later this week in 6th Judicial District Court.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
