Colorado CBP Officer Charged With Assault And Criminal Mischief In Durango Protest Incident
A Colorado Customs and Border Protection officer has been charged with assault and criminal mischief after a Durango protest incident.
PBS News identified the officer as Nicholas Rice and the protester as Franci (Anne Francesca) Stagi. Prosecutors filed misdemeanor third-degree assault and criminal mischief counts connected to an encounter outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Durango.
Multiple bystander videos show a masked agent grabbing and pulling Stagi across the street, and those clips circulated widely on social media. Stagi alleges Rice grabbed her hair, put her in a chokehold and threw her down an embankment, leaving her with ongoing arm pain. The criminal complaint mentions alleged damage to Stagi's cellphone but does not include a chokehold claim. At the Durango police chief's request, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened a probe, which officials described as unusual if not unprecedented. The case comes amid broader debate about legal protections for federal officers and recent Justice Department statements invoking the Supremacy Clause against state prosecutions.
Initial reports noted a physical altercation, but newer reporting has added names, prosecution details and the CBI investigation. PBS provided the identifying details and legal context that broadened coverage beyond early summaries carried by outlets such as MS NOW. Bystander video shared on social platforms helped prompt public scrutiny and the unusual state-level probe into a federal agent's conduct.
📌 Key Facts
- The CBP officer involved has been identified as Nicholas Rice; the protester is identified as Franci (Anne Francesca) Stagi.
- Multiple bystander videos from a protest outside the Colorado ICE facility in Durango show a masked agent grabbing and pulling Stagi across the street.
- Stagi alleges Rice grabbed her hair, put her in a chokehold, and threw her down an embankment, and she says she continues to experience arm pain.
- Rice was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault and criminal mischief alleging damage to Stagi's cellphone; the criminal complaint does not mention a chokehold.
- The Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened the probe into the incident at the Durango police chief's request—a step described as unusual and possibly unprecedented.
- Reporting places the case in a broader legal context: federal officers have certain protections, and the Justice Department has recently cited the Supremacy Clause to resist some state prosecutions of federal agents.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Identifies the officer as Nicholas Rice and the protester as Franci (Anne Francesca) Stagi.
- Details that multiple bystander videos show a masked agent grabbing and pulling Stagi across the street.
- Reports Stagi's allegation that Rice grabbed her hair, put her in a chokehold, and threw her down an embankment, causing ongoing arm pain.
- Specifies that Colorado Bureau of Investigation opened the probe at the Durango police chief's request, described as unusual if not unprecedented.
- Notes Rice is charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault and criminal mischief over alleged damage to Stagi's cellphone, and that the complaint does not mention a chokehold.
- Adds broader legal context about federal officers' protections and recent Justice Department statements invoking the Supremacy Clause against state prosecutions.