A man armed with metal spikes showed up at the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office on Friday upset that his car had been towed from the Purple Cliffs homeless camp south of Durango, according to law enforcement.
Richard Foisel, 39, was being held Friday at the La Plata County Jail on suspicion of felony menacing, said Sgt. Chris Burke, spokesman with the Sheriff’s Office. His bail was set at $10,000.
“It’s a gentleman that we’ve dealt with in the past who seemed to be in crisis,” Burke said.
Burke said Foisel’s car was “red tagged” at the homeless camp, meaning he had 24 hours to move it or the vehicle would be towed. Foisel had been camping in a tent on a hillside above the vehicle, Burke said.
The vehicle was not moved within 24 hours, so the Sheriff’s Office towed it, he said.
At about 3:30 p.m. Friday, Foisel showed up at the front entrance of the Sheriff’s Office administrative offices at 283 Gerard St., across from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and Ska Brewing Co. in Bodo Industrial Park.
“He came to the Sheriff’s Office armed with some metal spikes and threatening some staff members and wanted to speak to federal agents,” Burke said.
The lobby has a glass enclosure to protect employees. “The safety of the building is pretty up-to-date and modern,” Burke said.
Sheriff’s deputies responded and made contact with Foisel. Deputies were armed with “nonlethal” weapons and had a K-9 unit at the scene, but neither were needed, he said.
It took about one hour and 10 minutes to subdue Foisel.
“We had officers who were trained in crisis intervention negotiating with the individual and got him to comply to be placed in custody without further incident,” Burke said.
Burke noted the Sheriff’s Office does not charge a towing fee or a storage fee when it tows a homeless person’s vehicle. But if the owner needs a license plate, updated registration or proof of insurance, the Sheriff’ Office requires those before releasing the vehicle, he said.
“We don’t want to cause any more of a hardship on an individual than they’re already experiencing,” he said.
Burke, who volunteers with Manna soup kitchen in Durango, said he will try to work with Foisel’s family to return the vehicle.
shane@durangoherald.com
