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Geoffrey Duzik sentenced to 24 years in prison on multiple felony charges

Geoffrey Duzik
Courtesy photo

Geoffrey Duzik was sentenced to 24 years in state prison during a sentencing hearing Sept. 17 in front of Chief Judge Michael O’Hara.

Duzik was facing multiple felony charges – including one of first-degree attempted murder – following a November 2018 assault on a detentions deputy at the Moffat County Jail.

Duzik was already incarcerated at the facility in 2018 on a separate charge, when, on Nov. 10, 2018 he assaulted and injured a detentions deputy. The incident resulted in seven felony charges against Duzik — including one count of criminal attempted first-degree murder (a Class 2 felony).



According to the Nov. 10, 2018 incident report, Duzik had refused repeated requests given by the civilian in the jail master control room to close the door to his cell.

A detentions deputy preparing medication in a nearby room was asked to lock the cell down.



As the deputy climbed a set of stairs to approach Duzik’s cell, Duzik reportedly yelled obscenities from inside the cell, prompting the deputy to back away from the partially opened door and onto the stairs.

Video footage showed the inmate walking from his cell with his hands down. The detentions deputy reportedly warned him to stay back or he would be tased.

According to jail staff in 2018, the video showed Duzik “rapidly close the distance between them …” that he “quickly and violently grabbed the deputy around the throat with both of his hands … and tried to throw (the deputy) over the railing onto the concrete floor” — a height of about eight feet.

The deputy sustained injuries to the neck, throat, and hand and was treated at The Memorial Hospital emergency department and released.

At the time of the incident, two other detention deputies were on duty inside the jail. One was conducting change out procedures with inmates from another pod.

When the incident occurred, the civilian in master control, “yelled over the intercom system ‘officer down.’” He then began the unlock procedure to admit one of the other detention deputies to the secure area and contacted Colorado State Patrol Dispatch for additional assistance.

When help arrived, the deputy was found in the hallway and reported Duzik attacked, choked, and attempted to throw the deputy over the railing, according to the affidavit.

Prior to the 2018 incident, Duzik was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary (forced entry) of a residence, first-degree assault of a non-family member with a weapon, intimidating a witness or victim, criminal mischief, and criminal attempt in an earlier 2018 incident in Craig.

Following the 2018 jail incident, former Moffat County Judge Sandra Gardner ordered Duzik to undergo a competency evaluation prior to a review hearing on multiple charges across two cases, which included a charge of attempted murder of a Moffat County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy. In early 2019, Duzik was ruled incompetent, delaying charges further.

The competency report, written after a Dec. 18 psychiatric evaluation conducted with Duzik at the jail, was sealed by the court, but Assistant District Attorney Matthew Tjosvold said in early 2019 that the report indicates Duzik could be restored to competency with appropriate medication.


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