The New Castle police chief accused of walking around a residential neighborhood while carrying a loaded rifle and later pointing it at a friend had his case set for an arraignment Wednesday.
Tony Pagni, 58, was arrested Friday evening for felony menacing involving a deadly weapon and misdemeanor counts of prohibited use of a weapon while intoxicated and harassment. Pagni was later released on a personal recognizance bond.
He was also formally dismissed Wednesday from his position effective immediately, New Castle announced in a news release. Town Administrator David Reynolds has named Sgt. Chuck Burrows as interim chief and “is confident that the department will continue to operate smoothly during the transition period.”
“The town would like to thank our residents for their continued support of the men and women of our Police Department during this transition period,” the release states.
Pagni appeared from a remote location before 9th Judicial District Magistrate Judge John Shamis on Wednesday afternoon. Shamis allowed Pagni to remain free on his personal recognizance bond and also scheduled him to appear for an arraignment before 9th Judicial District Court Chief Judge James Boyd on Aug. 23.
According to a Garfield County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, Pagni was arrested around 9 p.m. Friday, after being accused of pressing the nozzle of a loaded AK-style semi-automatic rifle into a neighbor’s chest on his front porch. Pagni was appointed New Castle police chief in 2014.
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