Joshua David Angle, 33, was sentenced to two years’ probation Thursday for a road rage altercation with a cyclist in April.
He pleaded guilty to menacing, a Class 5 felony, as well as to third-degree assault, for hitting the cyclist with his sideview mirror.
At the sentencing hearing, 6th Judicial District Judge Suzanne Carlson entered a deferred judgment and sentence order to the felony menacing charge, which, if Angle follows the agreements of his probation, will be dismissed.
The April altercation unfolded after a cyclist was forced into a lane of traffic in the southbound lane of East Second Avenue near the intersection of Eighth Street. Angle allegedly shouted expletives and threatened to run the cyclist over and kill him.
He accelerated, hit the cyclist with his sideview mirror and followed him to his workplace, Mountain Bike Specialists, in the 900 block of Main Avenue, investigators said at the time.
With a gun in a holster on his hip, Angle got out of his truck, banged on the back door of the bike shop and yelled at the cyclist and his coworkers. Angle removed his gun after officers asked him to put it in his truck, his lawyer said.
Angle was apologetic as he spoke in court Thursday and addressed the cyclist and his coworkers with remorse.
“My last intention was to hurt or scare anybody,” Angle said at the hearing. “That’s why I’m afraid that l let my anger get the best of me that day, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m really excited to start probation with the anger management.”
He entered himself into an anger management program, and he has given up his gun, he said.
“I’m trying to do all the work to get back on track with my life,” he said.
Angle’s lawyer said he followed the cyclist “very fast” to his workplace and called the police in an effort to identify the cyclist and ask him to pay for his mirror. Angle maintained that the cyclist broke the mirror.
The lawyer said Angle is “a mess” and takes anxiety medication, looks after a disabled brother and is coping with the loss of another brother, who died in Georgia two weeks ago.
He said Angle has no problems with drugs or alcohol.
The cyclist did not push for jail time, said Sean Murray, deputy district attorney – appellate. Otherwise, Murray said, he likely would have argued that Angle go to jail.
“There’s a very real disparity between somebody on a road bike, and somebody in a motor vehicle, and a person on a bike has every reason to be terrified in that situation,” Murray said.
Angle was arrested April 13 and posted bail after being taken to La Plata County Jail.
He reported to the probation department Thursday, and his sentencing was based on his medium-level of supervision and weekly outpatient treatment.
He also has to write apology letters to the cyclist and the employees of Mountain Bike Specialists.
Carlson said she would pursue restorative justice if the victims were willing to participate.
No restitution was submitted, and the judge reserved a decision on restitution for 91 days.
