Beth McCann

District Attorney

Second Judical District

201 W, Colfax Ave, Dept. 801
Denver, CO 80202

720-913-2000
Beth.McCann@denverda.org

News Release

April 17, 2023 Contact: Carolyn Tyler, Communications Director, carolyn.tyler@denverda.org, 720-913-9025

Kirk Wertz Sentenced for Threatening Colorado Secretary of State

DENVER—Denver DA Beth McCann today announced that after being in custody for 286-days, 52-year-old Kirk Wertz was sentenced to two-years’ court-supervised probation and released by the Honorable District Court Judge Darryl Shockley. As a convicted felon Wertz is now also prohibited from owning any firearms. On April 13, 2023, a Denver jury found Wertz guilty of one count of retaliation against an elected official (F6) for placing a threatening phone call to the Colorado Secretary of State, Jena Griswold.

“We cannot allow our public servants and their loved ones to live in fear because of people like Kirk Wertz and still claim that we live in a civil and democratic society,” said Denver DA McCann. “There are legitimate ways to protest the actions of elected officials, but threats of violence are not among them. I want to thank the work of members of my office for pursuing this matter successfully and members of the jury for their time and attention.”

“Any person who engages in threatening behavior towards elected officials must be held accountable,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. “I extend my gratitude to Deputy District Attorney Kirk and law enforcement for their efforts in this case. It is imperative that we reject the normalization of violent threats directed towards secretaries of state, election officials, and election workers in Colorado and throughout the United States. We must continue to affirm that violence has no place in democracy. As secretary of state, I will not be deterred by attempts at intimidation and remain steadfast in my promise to ensure that every Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated can make their voice heard in secure and accessible elections.”

About the Denver DA’s Office:
Our mission is to professionally and competently prosecute crimes and investigate criminal activity on behalf of the people of the State of Colorado and to seek equal justice for all in the criminal justice system. Our mission includes the prevention and deterrence of crimes, support of the well-being of victims, participation in the community, transparency, accountability, and improvement of the criminal justice system to provide fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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