An Ignacio man was found not guilty this week of domestic violence charges after spending a year in jail while awaiting trial.

Romman Brown, 45, was arrested Nov. 2, 2021, and charged with strangling and breaking the arm of his longtime girlfriend, Natalie Richards, on Southern Ute Tribal land. A federal trial was set for late September, but a mistrial was declared for lack of jurors.

A new trial began Nov. 30 in a federal courtroom in Durango. The trial lasted a week, with the jury taking more than a day to deliberate before pronouncing Brown not guilty Dec. 8.

There were tears, hugs and laughter on the sidewalk Thursday in front of the La Plata County Courthouse as Brown met with friends under bluebird skies after the verdict.

“Not guilty on charges, not guilty on all charges,” Brown repeated as he hugged friends. “It feels surreal. I feel like I finally got a chance to live again. My life hasn’t been taken, my freedom has been restored. I still have a fight ahead of myself, but this is a start.”

The fight Brown referred to is the fact that he is still on probation after serving 17 years in a Louisiana prison for what he says was an illegal and unconstitutional charge for a felon in possession of a handgun.

“I’m still fighting it right now,” he said. “I’m still a prisoner to that right now.”

Brown was held for more than a year in the La Plata County Jail after bail was denied because he was deemed a flight risk, a threat to Richards and because of a purported charge out of Georgia that Brown denies.

He said he feels that being Black played a big part in his arrest and detention. He pointed out that while he sat in jail he watched as accused rapists and fentanyl dealers were released.

“I feel there’s a lot of unjust in this world, but I also feel there are people that know that,” he said. “And if made aware, change can happen. Without that awareness that something is wrong, they can’t rectify it, they can’t change it unless they know. So you put that before them and let their conscience, if they have a right and steady heart, they’ll make the right decisions.”

The events that led to Romman Brown’s arrest began the night of Nov. 2 when he and Richards, who lived together, went to the Sky Ute Casino. Court testimony revealed the couple were arguing because Richards believed Brown was cheating on her with another women.

Video cameras inside the casino showed the couple arguing, and Brown’s defense said it showed Richards as the aggressor, poking Brown in the face, knocking his hat off and trying to grab his car keys and slot machine tickets. Testimony from a casino employee who went to the parking lot after the couple left the casino testified that she witnessed Richards hitting Brown while the couple sat in the car.

But it is what happened after that which led to Brown’s arrest, detention and a court case that amounted to a case of “he said vs. she said.”

What is known is Brown was driving as they left the casino and drove down a nearby road to a secluded spot where the accusations of cheating continued to fly. A physical altercation ensued.

Brown says Richards backhanded him in the mouth and then began hitting him with her fists. Brown said he defended himself by grabbing her wrist and repeatedly pushing her off of him. He says he never touched her except to defend himself. And he testified in court that Richards had told him she would rather see him dead or in jail than with another woman.

Richards said Brown climbed over the center console of the vehicle several times to straddle and choke her, and eventually twisted and broke her wrist. She also reported that Brown threatened to kill her if she got out of the car.

The jury was shown photographs of Brown’s swollen lip along with a wound on the back of Richards’ hand, as well as photographs of red marks on Richards’ neck and X-rays of her broken wrist. Doctors testified about the possible causes of the marks on Richards’ neck and about the break in her wrist.

What was not argued is that after Brown and Richards heard her wrist “pop” in the car that night, all arguments and scuffles stopped and Brown drove Richards to Mercy Hospital where he sat in the waiting room for approximately two hours while she was treated. It was during that time that police arrived and after speaking with Richards, arrested Brown and transported him to the La Plata County Jail.

Asked by the Herald what he would do now that he was free, Brown replied “What’s the best restaurant you can name right now?” then laughed.

“I’m going to have dinner with these three people,” he said nodding toward two friends and a defense attorney. “These are the most important people right now in my midst, and I will enjoy it.”

Contacted Friday, Brown said he would be flying to Houston to see his son and then on to South Carolina “to right my life.”

gjaros@durangoherald.com