A Dolores man who was apprehended in Utah on Montezuma County felony warrants for weapons and menacing charges after a two-hour standoff in Durango was given six months in prison Monday.
Montezuma County Court Judge JenniLynn Everett Lawrence sentenced John Finocchiaro to six months for misdemeanor theft and trespassing charges related to shoplifting from the Walmart in Cortez.
The sentence will be served concurrently with a three-year term in prison with the Colorado Department of Corrections. Previously, in a plea deal with 22nd Judicial District Court, Finocchiaro was sentenced to one year with the Colorado Department of Corrections for possessing a weapon as a previous offender and two years for violating a felony bond.
The sentencing hearing for the misdemeanors Monday was part of a plea deal that wrapped up numerous felony and misdemeanor charges.
As part of Monday’s agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop charges of violating a protection order and obstructing a police officer.
Finocchiaro, 36, was extradited to Cortez from St. George, Utah, where he was arrested in mid-April after officers were called to a family disturbance at the Jubilee Home, a guesthouse for patients and family members of the Dixie Regional Medical Center.
St. George police officers arrested Finocchiaro on outstanding warrants from Montezuma County and said they discovered drugs on him during a search before he was transported to jail.
According to the St. George News, Finocchiaro fought with officers after his arrest and slammed his head on the hood of a patrol vehicle with enough force to dent it. He then head-butted an officer before being taken to jail.
Finocchiaro might also face court hearings for several misdemeanors for the incident in Utah, including assault on a police officer, interfering with arrest, domestic violence simple assault, domestic violence criminal mischief, drug possession, possession of paraphernalia and providing false information.
On Feb. 3, the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office arrested Finocchiaro in Dolores as a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the incident report, Finocchiaro became agitated as officers placed him in a patrol vehicle, and he slammed his head against the cage.
Deputies recovered a Hi-Point 9 mm rifle and nine rounds of 9 mm ammunition. Possession of a firearm by a previous offender if a Class 4 felony.
Finocchiaro also had an encounter with deputies the day before that firearm arrest. He was cited for disorderly conduct after arguing with a woman at the Rio Grande Southern Hotel in Dolores. A Sheriff’s Office incident report states deputies had been called to the hotel twice in recent days for the same complaint.
On Feb. 10, Finocchiaro was arrested in Durango after he barricaded himself in a hotel room and refused to come out after police received information he was staying at the inn.
On Feb. 20, Finocchiaro failed to appear in Montezuma County Combined Courts for hearings on at least four pending cases.
According to The Journal archives, Finocchiaro has been convicted of multiple felonies dating to 2002, when he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. In 2012, he was convicted of felony menacing for use of force with a deadly weapon.
The Dolores resident in 2013 provoked the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office to lock down Dolores High School. Law enforcement saw Finocchiaro walking near the school after they had tried several days to locate him on a Colorado Department of Corrections no-bond warrant for parole violation.
In 2014, Finocchiaro was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to a firearms charge.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
