YOUR AD HERE »

Chief judge charged with felony menacing, removed from position

Judge Mark Thompson, 54, presided over courts in Summit, Clear Creek, Eagle and Lake counties

Shelly Bradbury
The Denver Post
Chief Judge Mark Thompson is photographed in the courtroom during a hearing at the Summit County Justice Center in Breckenridge on Tuesday, April 28.
Liz Copan/Summit Daily News archive

DENVER — The chief judge for Colorado’s Fifth Judicial District was charged Saturday with felony menacing, according to court records.

Judge Mark Thompson, 54, who presided over courts in Summit, Clear Creek, Eagle and Lake counties, was removed from his position as chief judge after the charge was filed Saturday, according to the Colorado Judicial Branch.

Thompson was charged with a single count of felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon after an investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, according to court records, which say the incident happened on July 25.



The case was suppressed from public view and court documents that are expected to detail the accusation against Thompson were not available Sunday. There was no written order in the case explaining why it was suppressed. Since May, such orders have been required in Colorado.

Thompson is currently on planned paid time off, judicial branch spokesman Rob McCallum said Sunday. It was not immediately clear when Thompson planned to return, but McCallum said Thompson will resume his duties as a judge — though not chief judge — upon his return.




Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.