Former Colo. Mayor Sentenced For Threatening Teen Son With Gun

CENTENNIAL, CO -- The former mayor of Kiowa has pleaded guilty to threatening his teenage son with a gun as his son was trying to keep his dad from driving drunk. Lawrence Perreault, 45, pleaded guilty Feb. 27 in Elbert County District Court to felony menacing and to a misdemeanor count of prohibited use of a weapon – drunk with a gun, according to a statement from the 18t Judicial Dist. District Attorney's office.

Judge Robert Lung ruled to place Perreault on a four-year deferred judgment.

A statement from the DA's office said:

Perreault will be on probation for four years, with alcohol treatment, mental health treatment (if needed) and absolutely no access to firearms. He must perform 24 hours of community service. He also forfeited the firearms in police custody. At the end of the four years, if he has been compliant, the felony charge will be dismissed. The misdemeanor is a permanent conviction.

On April 15, 2017, Perreault, 45, went with his 18-year-old son and daughter, age 11, to a mall in Aurora, according to an arrest affidavit. His son became concerned about his father’s inebriated driving and called his mother. The son stalled his father at a Walmart parking lot until his mother arrived.

Perreault’s wife put her 11-year-old daughter in her own car and convinced her husband to let their son drive home. On the way home, Perrault “was extremely upset”with his son, pulling out a loaded Sig Sauer P238 .380 caliber handgun and threatening him, saying “that they should just kill each other,” the affidavit said. Perreault also reached over and turned off the ignition in the middle of County Road 166, and threw the son out of the car. Perrault also had a knife in his pocket.

Perreault and his wife exited their cars and began to argue, at which point an Elbert County sheriff's deputy observed the scene and stopped, taking Perreault into custody with a blood alcohol content level of .186, more than twice the state legal driving limit of .08.

Perreault, who held the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the Colorado National Guard, stepped down as Kiowa mayor and was replaced by Gabriele Cheatham.

“Lawrence Perreault is a member of our community who was given enormous trust -- trust not only to lead the citizens of Kiowa in his capacity as mayor, but also to lead troops as a high-ranking member of our military,” said Deputy District Attorney Rory Devlin, who prosecuted the case, in a statement.

“He violated that trust by irresponsibly handling firearms, with which he had extensive training and experience, in an irresponsible manner, and by placing his son at risk. I am pleased he took responsibility with this chance to rehabilitate and to make the community safe by addressing this breach of trust.”

Image Lawrence Perreault via 18th Judicial District