Thursday, November 06, 2008

Officer Leland Feldman Arrested for Domestic Violence

Steamboat Springs

A Steamboat Springs police officer has been suspended in the wake of his arrest on domestic violence charges Saturday.

Leland Craig Feldman, 43, was arrested Saturday by Routt County Sheriff’s Office deputies on suspicion of a misdemeanor domestic violence charge of third-degree assault. Feldman has been a patrol officer with the Steamboat Springs Police Department since March.

Feldman is suspended while the police department completes its internal investigation into the incident, which likely will take several weeks, Capt. Joel Rae said Wednesday.

“We cannot comment on the aspects of that investigation at this time,” Rae said.

Feldman did not return calls made to his home Wednesday.

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office is handling the criminal aspect of Feldman’s case.

Deputies responded to a report of a domestic dispute between Feldman and an unidentified female in Stagecoach on Saturday afternoon, which resulted in his arrest, Investigator Ken Klinger said. No significant injuries were reported, Klinger said.

Full details about the incident were not available Wednesday, as the investigation continues and the arresting officers have not yet filed their reports, Klinger said.

“I know that there was physical contact,” Klinger said. “It was enough that our guys, following their on-scene investigation, took him into custody.”

Conviction on the misdemeanor charge undoubtedly would result in Feldman’s termination.

“Anybody who is convicted of domestic violence in Colo­rado cannot possess a gun, and if you cannot possess a gun, you cannot be a police officer,” Rae said.

Feldman is due to appear in Routt County Court at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 18.

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